SPFL defend decision not to postpone Hearts game

Scottish Professional Football League chiefs insist they were right to give Hearts time to get the goahead for Sunday’ s Tynecastle clash with Par tick Thistle.

Hearts only received final clearance from safety inspectors to proceed with the first match in front of their £ 12million new main stand on Sunday morning, just five hours before they were due to kick off against the Jags.

That angered Thistle boss Alan Archibald as he claimed his side’s preparations had been disturbed by the uncertainty surrounding the Ladbrokes Premiership fixture.

Fir hill chiefs echoed their manager’ s words and called for an“extensive review into the circumstances that allowed this situation to arise”.

But now the SPFL has hit back, saying there was no need for a postponement because the updates provided by Hearts suggested the game was never in any real danger of being called off. They have, though, vowed to contact Thistle to discuss the matter.

An SPFL spokesman said: “It is our policy to ensure that we give every possible opportunity for matches to proceed at their scheduled time. That applies in cases of inclement weather, fogbound pitches or, in this situation, to enable building works to be completed.

“Signs in the run-up to yesterday’s game, as well as the very regular updates we received, all indicated that the match would be able to proceed as scheduled.

“We are grateful for the patience and understanding shown by both sets of fans, as well as by the players and officials of each club. We congratu - late Hearts on pulling out all the stops to have the stadium ready for yesterday’s game.

“A congested fixture schedule always presents a challenge, so we will always do what we can to avoid the need to squeeze more matches into an already busy calendar. We note Partick Thistle’s calls for a review into the events surrounding this game and will be in contact with them in due course to discuss their views.”