Ron Gordon: Hibs will lose out on 4,000 attending fans due to date of Edinburgh derby with Hearts

Ron Gordon reckons Hibs will lose out financially from the attendance of ‘four or five thousand’ supporters due to the scheduling of the Edinburgh derby.

The Easter Road side host rivals Hearts on the second weekend on the upcoming cinch Premiership campaign 2022/23. Lee Johnson’s men begin the season with a trip to St Johnstone a week on Saturday.

The club’s chairman was incredulous as he made his feelings about the SPFL’s decision known when speaking to supporters as part of a Q&A with prominent Hibs podcasts.

He believes the decision to have a match which is almost guaranteed to be a bumper crowd regardless of what time of year it takes place during the summer months is "foolish”.

He also wasn’t happy the league didn’t take some further mitigating circumstances into account.

"I disagree with it for a variety of reasons, if I'm being honest. For starters we've still got construction ongoing at the stadium," he said.

"We're not going to get that completed in the West Stand until only a couple of days before that.

"They knew that and they scheduled the biggest game of the season. I mean, honestly, who schedules a derby as the opening day? You would never have Celtic-Rangers or Man City-Man United as your opening day.

Hibs chairman Ron Gordon wasn't happy with how the SPFL scheduled his club's beginning to the season. Picture: SNS

"It makes zero business sense, it kills your season ticket. It's just like 'who does that?'.

"I've already had this conversation with the league, I just find it absurd. But, in any case, that is our reality because once it's published, it's published.

"We've got a big game and it puts us in a difficult position where we need to be ready to play those big matches.

"Not only do we have Hearts, we have Rangers after that at home. I think the schedule is really, really poor.

"Opening day is, by default, a high attendance day. We get 2,000-3,500 who walk up because it's opening day and it's a beautiful and sunny day. It's a high attendance day and instead of having two in the derby and opening day you collapse them into one.

"You kill 4,000, 5,000 attendance that you're not going to get. It's foolish."

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