Maroon and green for go
MARK BONTHRONE

LOTHIAN & BORDERS police have warned Hearts and Hibs fans they face a nightmare journey home from next month's Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.

A spokesperson for the police force admitted that the game to be played on April 2 will be "one of the biggest exoduses ever from Edinburgh".

The Scottish Football Association's decision to hold the tie in Glasgow rather than at Murrayfield stadium has sparked fears of gridlock on the M8 and chaos on the railways as more than 50,000 fans bid to get to the game.

The clash, the first between the teams at this stage of the tournament since 1901, also has a 12.15pm kick-off to accommodate live television coverage increasing the likelihood that supporters will be making the journey at the same time.

And while police confirmed to the Evening News that measures could be taken to ensure the journey to the game would be as hassle-free as possible, they conceded that supporters will face a frustrating trip home after the clash with delays unavoidable.

"All that we can say is that there is pretty much one way to Glasgow on the roads and one way back so the increase in traffic is going to be pretty significant," said a police spokesperson.

"If you would usually allow yourself an hour and half to get to Hampden then we would advise that you double that and give yourself three hours.

"It's better to be in Glasgow in plenty of time that risk missing the start of the game.

"On the way back, however, it will be difficult to avoid disruption because everyone will be coming back at exactly the same time.

"The police will do everything they can to try and monitor the traffic but we would expect it to be very busy and would ask fans to try and be as patient as possible.

"I think it's fair to say that this will be one of the biggest ever exoduses out of Edinburgh. Usually you just have one set of supporters making the trip but this time you have two groups going in the same direction.

"That is what makes it an exceptional case and there's no doubt that there will be a real pressure on the roads on the day of the game."

And the police have urged people to also make use of the train and to consider staying in Glasgow the night before the match where possible.

"There are a lot of people who seem to be talking about staying the night before in Glasgow and that's not a bad idea because it would take some of the pressure off both the roads and the people who are trying to get through there," added the spokesperson.

"There is also the train and really our advice would be that the more methods that people use to get through to Glasgow the easier it will be for everyone."

And the signs are that fans of both clubs are heeding the advice that has been given.

Supporters have been posting messages on the two main supporters' internet forums - Hibs.net and Jambos Kickback - detailing the ways in which they intend to travel.

And Trevor Hannant, editor of Hibs.net, revealed there are a wide range of ways that supporters of the Easter Road side are planning to use to ensure they get too and from the game.

"I think the key to everything running smoothly is people taking a variety of modes of transport and from what I've seen on the website it looks as though that is what will happen," said Hannant.

"Hibs.net have hired five buses which will save people from taking individual cars and clogging up the road anymore and all the seats on them are basically sold out now.

"I'm sure that there will be a lot of supporters buses going through and the benefit for people that choose this is that they can have a drink and also not have to worry about parking around Hampden which is always tight.

"There are also a lot of people who are talking about going through on the Saturday and staying at either hostels or the cheaper hotels and making a night of it in Glasgow.

"Peoples' main concern seems to be making sure they make the start of the match and they don't seem too bothered about how long it takes them to get back as long as they see the game.

"On the way through I'm sure that departure times will be staggered throughout the morning so going through shouldn't be too much of a problem.

"The football specials that Scotrail are running also seem like a sensible option. It's much better going direct to the ground than have people changing in Glasgow city centre.

"It should make segregating the fans a lot easier, not that we should be having to worry about that too much.

"These fans mix before derbies at Easter Road and Tynecastle so hopefully that side of things shouldn't be a problem. At the end of the day it's a game of football and an occasion that both sets of supporters should be able to enjoy.

"There is a rivalry during the game as you would expect but it shouldn't be allowed to become anymore than that - a keen rivalry."

Meanwhile, Derek Watson, Chairman of the Heart of Midlothian Supporters' Trust, echoed Hannant's calls for patience on the return journey.

"We look to have lost the battle to get the game staged at Murrayfield so the main thing now is to make it as easy and hassle-free as possible for people to get to and from it," said Watson.

"I'm going to stay with friends near Glasgow the night before to avoid the hassle going there but on the way back I agree with the police - it's going to be chaos. Last year when Hearts played Celtic at Hampden it was an early kick-off as well but it was the back of five before we got back through to Edinburgh as it was nose to tail all the way.

"It will be even worse this time because there will be double the number of fans and it's just a shame that the SFA didn't do the sensible thing and stage it in Edinburgh.

"However, what's done is done and I know of a lot of people staying the night before and even the night of the game which is a lot of expense for what is just 90 minutes of football.

"Other than that there are people going on the bus and train as they have very little option to do anything else.

"If it was a longer distance you could fly but on a 50-odd mile journey that's not really an option!"

Of course it's not just from Edinburgh that supporters are travelling to Glasgow and however long it takes to make that 50-odd mile trip will pale into insignificance compare to one determined Hearts fan who is flying all the way from Australia for the match.

Ross Malkin, a 23-year-old business studies graduate, is currently taking a year out in Australia but plans to make a 48-hour round trip to watch his beloved Jambos in action. "When I'm in Edinburgh I go to all the Hearts games and even though I'm in Sydney working just now this was one I didn't want to miss out on," he said.

"It's costing me a fortune but as long as Hearts don't lose it'll be worth every penny of what I will be spending! I've been keeping up to date with things at Tynecastle on the internet and although my trip may be a little longer than most fans going to the game at least I won't get stuck in roadworks on the M8 or be sitting next to any Hibs fans!"

Taken from the Scotsman