BARTLEY RECKONS HIBS STILL HAVE IT ALL TO DO
HIBERNIAN midfielder Marvin Bartley insists bitter rivals Hearts are favourites to emerge victorious from the Scottish Cup replay between the sides next midweek. The 30-year-old walked off with the man-of-the-match champagne following a resolute display in Sunday’s Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle. That goalless stalemate mirrored the 2-2 draw between the sides at the same stage last season, with Hibs going on to win the rematch at Easter Road. Yet, while the reigning cup holders will surely fancy their chances of a repeat in front of a noisy home crowd, Bartley believes Hearts should still be expected to come out on top given their Premiership status. ‘It was a massive battle (on Sunday),’ said the former Bournemouth and Burnley player. ‘The pitch wasn’t the best and we had to dig in and play to the conditions. ‘Not only was it a bumpy pitch, it was very windy. It was difficult. But I thought, to a man, we were brilliant. ‘I think we created more opportunities, but we didn’t put the ball in the back of the net, so we’ve got to do it all again. ‘They’re the Premiership team and, if we do beat them, it’s an upset. But going back to our place, with a full house, it should be a good game.’ Meanwhile, supporters who were turned away from Sunday’s tie, despite having a valid ticket, have been promised a refund. Hibs revealed yesterday that ‘a very small number’ of their fans had missed the match, with a statement apparently read out by a steward indicating they would not be able to gain entry to the ground being blamed for the incident. Some supporters left before kick-off, but others were correctly told that, because the stadium was approaching capacity, only small numbers were being allowed in at a time for safety reasons. A statement from Hibs said: ‘The clubs have agreed that those supporters who were inadvertently misinformed, and who have retained an unused valid match-day ticket, should make themselves known to Hibernian. ‘The tickets will be cross-checked with Hearts and refunds will be issued.’ It is the third occasion in recent months that Tynecastle has been at the centre of problems with supporters unable to gain entry for big games, despite having valid tickets. Earlier this month, Hearts launched an investigation after Rangers fans were locked out of the clubs’ clash while, last season, Celtic supporters were turned away, allegedly because others with fraudulent tickets had filled the away end to capacity.