Hearts sell-out for fifteenth time in a row
BARRY ANDERSON
HEARTS are heading for a club record 15th consecutive sell-out this weekend.
Partick Thistle visit Tynecastle in the Tennent's Scottish Cup quarter-finals and Hearts have already sold over 14,000 tickets for the match.
That includes a remarkable uptake of more than 9000 briefs by Hearts followers desperate to see their side's drive towards the cup final.
Partick have been allocated 2100 seats for travelling fans and are expected to fill their section of the Roseburn stand, while Hearts fully expect the remaining 3000 tickets to be bought up to bring the stadium near its capacity of just over 17,000.
A spokesperson said today: "There are just over three thousand tickets left and we expect fans to continue buying throughout the course of this week. Hopefully, it will be another full house come kick-off time on Saturday, which would be the biggest run of sellouts we have had at the club. Between two and three thousand of our season ticket holders bought a cup top-up at the start of the season as part of their package but, other than that, everyone has had to buy their tickets for cup matches.
"It's remarkable dedication from our support that over 9000 of them have decided they want to see this tie."
The club are advising supporters wishing to attend Tynecastle on Saturday to buy their tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment for a match which has a 12.15pm kick-off.
Striker Calum Elliot has conveyed a message of thanks to his Hearts colleagues for their part in his promotion to the Scotland Under-21 squad, which was announced yesterday for the friendly with Iceland at Firhill next Tuesday.
"I am very pleased with the call-up," enthused Elliot. "I'd really like to thank my team-mates, though, and the manager for all the support they've given me this season.
"The coaches have also had a key role in helping me compete at the top level in Scotland. Their work with me, day in and day out, will certainly stand me in good stead for the under-21 international set-up.
"I can't wait to get involved as it's an excellent opportunity to develop at another level of football."
National team manager Walter Smith also named Craig Gordon, Steven Pressley, Andy Webster and Paul Hartley in the full squad to face Switzerland at Hampden Park on March 1.
Rudi Skacel has been recalled to the Czech Republic squad for a friendly with Turkey the same evening, although he refused to accept that token as confirmation that he will be included in manager Karel Bruckner's squad for the World Cup.
"It is a positive step as the Czech squad is very strong," noted Skacel. "I am not thinking as far ahead as the World Cup at this stage as my first priority remains with Hearts and I want to focus on bringing success to the club."
Elliot's elevation and Skacel's return to his national squad are the players' just rewards in the eyes of head coach Graham Rix.
He said: "I am delighted for both the lads. I am really pleased for Calum and his call-up is thoroughly deserved. Calum appreciates that this is just a start and he knows he'll need to keep working hard.
"It demonstrates that we have an excellent youth structure behind the scenes and when you look at the current progress of our under-19 team, who reached the semi-final of the SFA Youth Cup with a 1-0 victory at Rangers on Sunday, things are progressing very well.
"Rudi, again, is totally deserving of his place. He's had a great season so far. His call-up is not just a recognition of his talent but also of his hard work. He now has a great target to go for with the World Cup coming up."
Hearts Under-19s have been drawn away to Livingston in the SFA Youth Cup semi-finals. The other semi will be between Aberdeen and Celtic or St Mirren, and the matches are to be played by Sunday, March 19.
Taken from the Scotsman
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