Spurs face Tynecastle season-opener after league game called off

HEARTS will now form the opposition for Tottenham Hotspur's first match of the season after the English club's opening Premier League fixture against Everton this weekend was called off yesterday.

It hands Spurs manager Harry Redknapp an unexpected opportunity to spy on Hearts tomorrow, when the Edinburgh side entertain Aberdeen at Tynecastle.

The decision to postpone the fixture follows the civil unrest which swept through many major conurbations in England since Saturday. The trouble first broke out in and around Tottenham last weekend after a peaceful protest over the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by police. All other English Premier League games will go ahead as scheduled, it was confirmed yesterday.

Spurs released a statement on their official website explaining that the match with Everton had been postponed "due to safety concerns relating to the infrastructure of the High Road and access to the stadium caused by last Saturday's riots".

It means Redknapp's side will re-train their focus on Thursday's Europa League play-off first leg clash with Hearts at a sold-out Tynecastle stadium. Their first home clash of the season will now be against the Edinburgh side a week on Thursday on the assumption that peace prevails in an area which is now in a heightened state of alert after recent events.

The Hearts match could be used as preparation for what is now Spurs' first league game - at Manchester United a week on Monday. Just three days after the second leg with Hearts, scheduled for Thursday 25 August at White Heart Lane, Spurs are due to entertain Manchester City in what is a high-octane start to the season for the London club.

Hearts must negotiate a league match with Aberdeen tomorrow before turning their attention to last season's Champions League quarter-finalists.

New Tynecastle manager Paulo Sergio insisted that his squad's minds were only on the match against Craig Brown's side, with Hearts having collected just a single point from their opening three league fixtures.

Speaking yesterday before news of the postponement was announced, Sergio said that he could not afford to spend time wondering about Spurs' lack of activity, or otherwise. He emphasised that he simply wished the riots would cease.

"I want the riots to stop," he said. "We can't lose time thinking about whether their game may be postponed or anything like that.

"What I wish is that the problems are solved in England and people can have a good life and not have problems like these ones.

"At the moment people are doing bad things to their brothers and their neighbours, it is a crazy situation. So all I hope is this stops so people can have a good life.

"The players are focused on Aberdeen because it is our next game," he added.

TICKETS BOOST

HEARTS have secured an extra 610 tickets for the Europa League play-off round second-leg tie against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on 25 August. The 2,427 briefs go on sale from 4.45pm tomorrow for fans with 106 loyalty points or more.