Hearts fans pleased with fixtures list

HEARTS supporters today declared themselves pleased with the new SPL fixture list which will see them begin the campaign at home to St Johnstone on Saturday, 14 August.

The first Edinburgh derby of the 2010/11 season will be staged at Easter Road on Saturday, 6 November, with Hearts hosting Hibernian at Tynecastle in a mouthwatering meeting on New Year's Day.

The final Edinburgh derby before the league split takes place at Easter Road on Saturday, 2 April, 2011.

The prospect of opening the season at home on a Saturday afternoon is one which will fill Hearts fans with much enthusiasm.

Last year's fixtures saw the Edinburgh club begin with a 2-0 defeat against Dundee United at Tannadice on a Monday evening, three days before the first leg of their Europa League qualifier against Dinamo Zagreb.

The year before they started with a 3-2 defeat of Motherwell at Tynecastle in the first SPL match of Csaba Laszlo's reign.

"At home on a Saturday is pretty good because we've not had that many games at 3pm on a Saturday," explained Jane Lewis, secretary of the Hearts Supporters' Trust.

"I would imagine everyone will be quite pleased with that. Hopefully there will be a good crowd with the match being at Tynecastle at the start of a new season.

"We will get the chance to see one or two new signings so, hopefully, the supporters will turn up for that."

Lewis was especially enthused by the New Year's Day derby. "We are quite happy with the New Year's Day derby, it is amazing to have the game on 1 January," she continued. "It's the first time in years."