Permission granted for 2,000 Hearts fans at Tynecastle

Hearts have been granted permission to allow 2,000 fans through the turnstiles when the Jambos take on Cove Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup on Tuesday.

Originally only 500 fans were expected to attend, however Hearts today announced that the permitted attendance had increased to 2,000.

The match on Tuesday will be the first time Hearts supporters have been allowed into Tynecastle to watch Hearts since a 1-1 draw with Motherwell on 7 March 2020. Over 17,000 watched the match that day, but manager, Robbie Neilson, says the impact even a small amount of fans have on a game is massive.

Neilson said: “Even getting a couple of hundred fans in for pre-season games makes a difference. With any stadium you see the difference.

“If you come here and there is nobody here and it’s flat, it’s like a reserve game, but with a couple of hundred fans it gives energy about the place, which is great so we’re really looking forward to going back to Tynecastle and getting some fans in.”

Hearts have opted for a ballot system and announced the news in a short message on social media on Thursday afternoon with the following statement: “We are pleased to confirm that we have been granted permission to welcome 2,000 supporters to Tynecastle for Tuesday’s Premier Sports Cup tie vs Cove Rangers. We are working through the ballot as fast as we can and will be in touch with successful applicants shortly.”

Hearts return to action on Saturday in their opening Premier Sports group stage match taking on Peterhead, before they host Cove Rangers on Tuesday.