Supporters ready to give Festival game massive body swerve

PAUL KIDDIE

EDINBURGH football fans are set to deal a massive snub to tomorrow’s Bank of Scotland Festival Cup clash at Tynecastle.

Hearts will be defending the trophy against arch-rivals Hibs but the match looks destined to be staged in front of a half-empty stadium with both sets of supporters preparing to give the game a resounding thumbs-down.

Rival bosses Craig Levein and Tony Mowbray have been robbed of the services of a host of first-team stars due to international commitments and injuries, meaning both managers will be forced to field second-string line-ups.

With the match, which is being staged in memory of the late Gordon Smith, being treated as nothing more than a training exercise, many supporters have questioned the wisdom of splashing out their hard-earned cash for a non-competitive encounter.

Additionally, with Save Our Hearts urging the home fans to vote with their feet and boycott the occasion in continued protest at the board’s running of the club, a disappointing attendance looks almost certain.

With less than 24 hours to go to kick-off, barely 5000 tickets had been sold.

The home club had attempted to ensure a decent crowd by promoting competitive admission prices - including a unique family deal for all parts of the ground - but with season tickets not valid, the Gorgie faithful have been slow to purchase their briefs.

Business has been slow at the Tynecastle ticket office, with 3000 tickets having been sold to home fans - and it was the same story across the city, with the Easter Road outfit having shifted barely 1500 of their allocation of 3500 for the Roseburn Stand.

Tickets for Hearts fans will be on sale at Tynecastle up until kick-off, with the club having decided to open cash turnstiles in the Wheatfield Stand. There will be no cash gates for the visitors.

"Business has been slow but football fans are notorious for turning up to games at the last minute and we’re still confident of a good crowd tomorrow," said a Tynecastle spokesperson.

"There will be cash turnstiles open at the Wheatfield Stand with tickets for all other areas available on the day of the game from 10.00am up until kick-off. We hope it will be a great family occasion for everybody to enjoy."

Taken from the Scotsman