Tynecastle pitch to be left alone

HEARTS chief executive Chris Robinson today insisted there are no plans to carry out repairs to the Tynecastle pitch - despite the playing surface being labelled as "the worst in the Premier League."

Aberdeen captain Derek Whyte blasted the condition of the park following his side’s 3-1 defeat on Saturday, urging the club to do something urgently to rectify the problem.

Although the majority of the pitch was relaid two years ago - and reseeded only last summer - even the Hearts players have been left shocked by its current state.

The sandy, bumpy surface has little if any grass on it, making it almost impossible for players to pass the ball with any degree of accuracy.

Midfielder Thomas Flogel likened it to a "potato field" after playing a key role in the victory over the Dons which saw the home side move into fourth place in the SPL.

But despite the concerns, Robinson maintains that the best way to encourage growth is do nothing.

"There are no plans to do anything to the pitch in the summer," he said.

"I think the key to the situation is not to do anything after the season finishes.

"The problem is the stands mean a lack of sunshine and air getting to it.

"It is important that we give the grass a chance to grow after the end of the season in May."

Dons star Whyte said he feared the worst before the game had even started, the pitch cutting up badly during the teams’ warm-ups.

"The pitch was absolutely awful," he said. "I am not using it as an excuse but it was even cutting up during the warm-up.

"It is so sandy. They need to get it fixed. I don’t know what the problem is but they have to get is sorted."

The root of the current problem appears to be the effect of the undersoil heating which has dried out the surface following the recent cold snap.

Boss Craig Levein acknowledged that playing conditions are far from ideal, although he insisted everyone will just have to get on with things as best they can.

"In an ideal world every week we would be playing on a bowling green but the pitch is poor," he said. "It was reseeded in the summer but the young grass didn’t really get a chance to establish roots.

"What can we do? The undersoil heating has to go on in the winter. Aberdeen had to play on it on Saturday and Inverness Caley Thistle will have to play on it when they come here in the Scottish Cup."

Levein, meanwhile, was delighted with the display of his team, particularly in the second half, as they recorded their sixth victory in their last seven matches.

"I was very pleased with the way the guys performed, especially after the break," he said.

"It would have been easy for them to have felt sorry for themselves after losing a goal so close to the interval. But they started the second 45 minutes very well and didn’t really give Aberdeen a chance to get into the game."

Scott Severin and Andy Kirk will be among a number of first-team squad members involved in tonight’s rearranged Under-21 clash with Motherwell at Fir Park (kick-off 7pm).

"A lot of the guys are needing games just now so this will be a good a chance for a few of them to get a run out," added Levein, who revealed that Alan Maybury needed a couple of stitches in his foot after a first-half challenge with Jamie McAllister on Saturday.

Taken from the Scotsman