Sutton exits Hearts

Heart of Midlothian FC can today confirm that John Sutton has been made redundant.

The striker had one year left on his current contract and is now free to find a new club.

As previously mentioned, four other players are in the process of being made redundant, while Jamie Macdonald, Jamie Hamill and Ryan Stevenson have all agreed to wage cuts.

Meanwhile, administrators BDO have set July 12 as the deadline for bids for the club from any interested parties.

Trevor Birch, joint administrator of Hearts and business restructuring partner with BDO LLP, commented: "Although I'm fully aware we will still have obstacles to overcome in order to resolve the share transfer issues, I believe it is important to announce a quick deadline so we can ascertain the level of serious interest and tease out any other interested parties that are out there. We look forward to working with all potential purchasers in the coming weeks.

"The support the club has received has been overwhelming: the generosity of the fans over the last week in buying season tickets, the support of those players taking pay cuts, the staff at the club who have not been paid last month's wages, and Wonga, which has brought forward payment of its sponsorship money for the coming season.

"All these gestures have played their part in keeping the club afloat and giving it a lifeline. As administrators we thank them greatly for all their efforts."

Trevor concluded: "We need everyone to maintain their effort because, although we are making progress, there is still a considerable way to go. Even though the bid deadline is only just over two weeks away, it will take time before a deal can be concluded and a CVA initiated, as a result of the ownership issues, so there is still some way to go before we can say that the club is safe."

Hearts World