IAN WILL LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE AS SKY ENSURE ARMCHAIR FANS DON'T MISS ANY OF THE CUP ACTION

DON'T be surprised if you see eager Hearts fans in their seats up to an hour before the long-awaited kick-off at Hampden tomorrow, writes COLLEEN PATERSON.

However, Sky Sports commentator Ian Crocker will beat even the most committed Jambo into the stadium as he will be at Hampden preparing for the live TV broadcast four hours before the match begins.

Sky will send a huge army to Hampden to make sure their coverage goes without a hitch, 90 members of staff in all including cameramen, sound engineers and presenters. Altogether, five miles of cable will be used for the 25 cameras and various microphones being used to make sure armchair fans don't miss a single kick.

Five trucks and 12 VT machines complete the huge itinerary and, while it sounds a logistical nightmare, it is one that the Sky crew are well used to.

Crocker himself has a pre-cup final routine to follow to make sure he is fully prepared for whatever the match throws at him. He said: "The main thing for me is preparation and for a game like this I will usually spend two days before brushing up on information and doing final research.

"I like to be at the ground about four hours before kick-off and sometimes that surprises people but it is good to get settled in and check out the gantry, make sure everything is okay for the broadcast."

Saturday's match will be Crocker's 110th of a long season and he should be a familiar voice for supporters as he has covered every Scottish Cup final in the last seven years. He admits it is refreshing to finally see two non-Old Firm teams battling it out for the silverware.

"I've covered every Scottish Cup final since 1999, but this is the first time that neither of the Old Firm have been involved and I think it is good that there are other clubs now who are putting up a challenge," he enthused.

"I've not seen much of Gretna although I was familiar with a few of the names but we've got a very good stats department at Sky so they keep us up to date with all of the latest facts and figures.

"Hearts have been very entertaining this season - not least for everything that has gone on behind the scenes - but you can say whatever you like about Vladimir Romanov, he has done the job. I would like to see Hearts win it for the sake of Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley, they are good, solid players and they have worked hard through everything this season."

Former Hearts star John Robertson will join presenter Jim White and fellow guest Charlie Nicholas in the studio. Coverage starts at 2pm on Sky Sports 3.

The match will also be screened live on BBC1 Scotland.

Taken from the Scotsman