Andrew McKinlay in Hearts ticket plea as he sets out what may happen if Hampden allocation isn't sold

The Hearts CEO has made a plea ahead of the Scottish Cup semi-final with Rangers.

Andrew McKinlay (R) with Joe Savage

Andrew McKinlay has urged Hearts fans to snap up the entirety of the club’s Scottish Cup semi-final allocation.

The CEO has made a plea to supporters after the club were handed what they said was around 21,000 briefs for the clash with Rangers at Hampden on April 21st. There are still around 4,000 left according to McKinlay with the match just over a week away. The winner would play Aberdeen or Celtic in the final that takes place in May.

Hearts have agreed with the SFA to underwrite the expense of any unsold tickets, and with adult tickets in the £30-£40 range, a bill could come the way of Tynecastle depending on how many are left, if any. Chief executive McKinlay has stressed the importance of a sell-out in Mount Florida and the impact not having one could have on future Hearts allocations at the national stadium.

He told Hearts TV: “We have got about 4,000 left to sell and, as has been well-documented, we fought hard to get half the ground.

“Why did we do that? One, because we think it is important and fair, but also because it will be massive for the team to come out and look round and see half that ground full of maroon. Therefore it’s really important for us to fill that. And also, I think it’s really important that those who have already put their hands in their pocket, to thank them for doing that, because there are already over 16,000 who have already done that and that’s not to be sniffed at.”

“Yes, there will be a cost to us if we don’t do that, that’s been talked about, but more importantly for me, if we don’t do it, in the future we may struggle to get half the stadium. I think it’s really important that we do that so we can get half the stadium.

“I know people are struggling financially at the moment, I know there’s a lot of calls on money and so I would just ask, if people are able to come, or bring people with them, they do so, so we can absolutely sell out our end.”