Hibs friendly with FC Edinburgh 'now behind closed doors' due to poor ticket sales

The Easter Road side were due to host their partner club on Thursday night in front of supporters but will now play the match behind closed doors after a limited number of tickets were sold. Hibs chiefs have instead taken the decision to stream the game on the club’s YouTube channel free of charge.

A statement from Hibs read: “We can confirm that our friendly against FC Edinburgh will now be played behind closed doors at Easter Road. The decision was made after a limited number of supporters purchased tickets for the match.”

Attendance at last weekend’s friendly with Middlesbrough, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the visitors, was on the disappointing side. Despite the English Championship side selling between 1200 and 1300 tickets for the South Stand, the East Stand was closed and only a small number of seats were taken in the Famous Five Stand, and allied with the poor uptake of tickets for Thursday’s clash it would appear there is little enthusiasm for mid-season friendlies.

Hibs midfielder Josh Campbell and former Easter Road youngster and current FC Edinburgh midfielder Innes Murray at the launch of the partnership between the two clubs in July

There were plans for a friendly between the two teams in the summer at Meadowbank to mark Edinburgh’s return to the stadium but the delayed reopening of the venue meant those plans were pushed back.

The match will still kick off at 7pm on Thursday December 8 and those who have bought tickets for the match will be refunded by the Hibs ticket office, while FC Edinburgh have confirmed the same applies for any Citizens supporters who did likewise.