Hearts will demand compensation after Ross County call-off

The cash-strapped Tynecastle club ran up a hotel bill estimated at £4,000 after staying overnight in the Highlands to avoid potential travel difficulties. But the  expense was wasted when referee Iain Brines declared the Victoria Park ground unplayable less than an hour before Saturday’s scheduled 3pm kick-off.

Around 800 Hearts fans are estimated to have made the trip north and were also left heavily out of pocket.

County stand accused of failing to act promptly and alerting club officials and supporters groups that there was a threat to the game, and Tynecastle officials were yesterday studying SPL rules with regard to a possible compensation claim after a group of around 30 players and staff travelled to the game.

The decision to call the match off clearly came as a surprise to Hearts managing director David Southern, who described  95 per cent of the pitch as being in “excellent” condition while an earlier rainfall had subsided and the sun was out when kick-off approached.

But the visiting club’s biggest concern was the fact Brines – who made the call after trying, without success, to bounce the ball on an area of the surface in front of the main stand – had not arrived in time to make a  decision earlier in the day.

“We have seen games go ahead in far worse circumstances and we are very, very disappointed to say the least,” said Southern. “My understanding is the referee arrived at the ground between one o’clock and half past one.

“Given the rain that has fallen across the country, would it not have been more prudent for the referee to have been here mid-morning or early morning?

“A number of fans, not just Hearts fans but Ross County fans, have travelled from far and wide. We have supporters clubs in Manchester, Leeds, York and London that travel for this game and it does defy belief in some ways that we can actually have a game in the most northerly point of professional league football called off just one hour before kick-off.

“I actually travelled to the game with a person I know from Australia, who travelled from Brisbane to watch Hearts over the festive period and chose this game particularly. Now I don’t see his travel expenses accommodated and I wouldn’t expect that but it just gives you an idea of the emotion behind this.

“Looking at the pitch, it’s just utter disappointment that we can’t put this game on.”

Hearts manager John Mc-Glynn thought the postponement unnecessary. He said: “I think the game could have gone ahead. Generally at this time of year you are looking at frost and snow. However, everyone knows there has been that much rain this year.

“This pitch also has history. Morton came up here three times last year. They came up on the Saturday and it was called off, they came up in midweek and it was called off. The season before that Dunfermline came up here, Saturday called off, midweek, called off.”

Asked if Hearts should seek compensation for the late call-off, McGlynn replied: “That’s for the football club. I’m a football man. I’m looking at football and disappointed that I’ve taken my players up here today to play a game and I think the game could have been played.

“It is for the directors to worry about compensation or whatever else. It has cost the club money, of course it has. That’s for them to fight. I’m disappointed we didn’t get to play a game.

“We’ve played in worse than that before, of course we have. I wasn’t shocked because we knew there was a possibility of it happening. But I was disappointed and, to some extent angry, at the fact there didn’t seem to be recognition of a problem here.

“Why didn’t anyone notify us that there could be a problem? My kitman was here and  nobody from Ross County  officially notified Hearts to tell us there was a problem.”

Hearts’ disappointment was no doubt exacerbated by the fact that a full Highland League card took place on Saturday afternoon. But Ross County chairman Roy MacGregor tried to ease their pain by making a generous attempt to help the disappointed travelling fans.

He said: “I’ve offered to pay for the Hearts supporters to come up here free of charge to the replay. We are both out of the Scottish Cup so we’ve offered them 2 February or on 6 March, which are both Saturdays – it will be easier for the Hearts  supporters.”