GRAHAM RIX today expressed his regret for the supporters of both Hearts and Hibs’ who are facing a 50-mile journey to watch the all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup semi-final.

Around 50,000 fans from the Capital will be forced to tackle chaotic railway and motorway traffic on the morning of Sunday, April 2 in their quest to get to Hampden Park, which was chosen by the SFA yesterday as the designated venue for both cup semi-finals.

Hearts had petitioned the governing body to request the meeting with Hibs be moved to Murrayfield particularly in view of its 12.15pm kick-off time, whilst the Easter Road club stated their preference for Hampden.

The SFA’s board of directors, minus Campbell Ogilvie because of his association with Hearts, threw out the Murrayfield idea on the grounds that Hampden is a “tried and tested UEFA five-star venue”.

Rix and Hibs manager Tony Mowbray will now lead their players out at the national stadium, something the Hearts head coach believes is unnecessary. “I was only thinking from the supporters’ point of view,” said Rix. “I thought logistically that Murrayfield made far more sense. It was just far more convenient for everyone who is going to the game.

“Getting to Hampden will be difficult for the fans but the decision has been made now and I’m not sure how they will feel about it. Our preference as a club was Murrayfield but it will now be at Hampden and we will just have to get on with it. It is a massive match for us and we will be fully focused when the time comes to play it.”

A Hearts statement also alluded to the disruption that both sets of supporters now face. It read: “We are more than happy to play the semi-final at Hampden. We asked the SFA to consider the option of Murrayfield as it would have been more convenient for supporters. It would also have allowed more of them to attend the game and as such would have alleviated any travel issues. The SFA considered our request and feel the match should be at Hampden and we respect their decision.”

The other semi-final between Gretna and either Hamilton or Dundee, will also go ahead at Hampden at 12.15pm on Saturday, April 1.

On the playing front, Hearts are still waiting to properly assess the ankle injury sustained by Rudi Skacel in Sunday’s win over Livingston. The player was substituted near the end of the 3-2 victory, although the possibility of damaged ligaments has receded.

“The injury makes him doubtful for the weekend because he took a couple of heavy knocks on it,” said Rix. “We don’t think there is ligament damage but it will keep him out of training for the next two or three days and we’ll see how it settles down after that.”

There are still briefs available from the Tynecastle ticket office for this Saturday’s trip to Inverness, priced at £20 for adults and £15 for concessions.

Taken from the Scotsman