Malkins gear up for final approach to Hampden
MARK BONTHRONE

WHILE most football fans are dreading negotiating the traffic chaos of the M8 early on Sunday morning, there's one family who can't wait as it will mean they are on the last leg of an epic journey.

The Malkin family, made up of Dad Ronnie, and his two sons Greg and Ross, will be clocking up thousands of miles between them this weekend as they bid to be at the most-eagerly anticipated Edinburgh derby ever.

Ronnie, 50, will fly up to Edinburgh from Bristol where he lives, eldest son Greg, 25, will jet in from London where he works while youngest son Ross, 23, is to cut short a year-long working holiday in Australia for the big match that has caught the imagination of football fans in the Capital and beyond.

And they are hoping the trip turns out to be worth the effort and they'll be cheering Hearts on to a famous victory over their rivals at Hampden Park.

"It is a long way to come for a football game but then it's not just any football game," said Ross, who arrives in London from Sydney on Saturday morning before catching a connecting flight to Edinburgh. "I knew as soon as I heard the draw that I wanted to come back and thankfully I was able to get a ticket home no problem."

The trio, all originally from Edinburgh and lifelong Jambos, will meet up on Saturday evening all going well before setting off for an early morning start the next day. "We still have relatives in Edinburgh so will stay with them on the Saturday night and then we are getting a mini-bus through to the game with friends that we still keep in touch with in Scotland," said Greg, a business analyst.

A champagne breakfast complete with bacon rolls will greet them at 7am at their Slateford Road departure point and these will be enjoyed whilst watching a video of famous derby victories to set the tone for what they hope will be a memorable afternoon.

The bus is scheduled to leave just before 9am giving them plenty of time to travel the final 50-odd miles of their journeys.

"This is a game I could not miss," said Ronnie.

"I travel to Scotland several times a season to watch the boys and although this would have been the ideal final it should be a great atmosphere and hopefully a great game.

"Now all we need to do is make sure that we win!"

Taken from the Scotsman