Camelon cup tie for chance to play Hearts postponed again

It is now lined up for this coming Saturday, January 2, again at the Mariners’ Carmuirs Park home ground behind closed doors, kicking off at 3pm.

Though fans won’t be admitted, a stream of the game, the hosts’ first-ever first-round tie in the Scottish Cup in their 100-year history, will be available for £5 at camelonjuniors.co.uk/ppv

Pay-per-view subscriptions bought for last weekend’s match, called off at half-time due to heavy rain rendering the pitch unplayable, will still be valid.

A spokesperson for the club, only playing at senior level since 2018, said: “To avoid messing everyone around more than necessary, we have confirmed today that our rescheduled Scottish Cup first-round match against Brora Rangers will now take place on Saturday with a 3pm kick-off.”

Camelon, managed by Gordon Herd, are currently fifth in the East of Scotland Football League’s premier division with 20 points after 10 games and their guests, making a near-420-mile round trip south from Sutherland, are reigning Highland Football League champions.

The winner of this weekend’s game will host Heart of Midlothian, top of the Scottish Championship at the moment with 21 points from eight games and runaway favourites to go straight back up to the Premiership, in the cup’s second round on Saturday, January 9.

The Edinburgh side got to the final of last season’s cup, held belatedly on Sunday, December 20, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, losing out to Celtic on penalties at Glasgow’s Hampden Park after the game ended 3-3.

Hearts, managed by Robbie Neilson, have won the cup eight times, in 1891, 1896, 1901, 1906, 1956, 1998, 2006 and 2012 and they’ve been beaten finalists 13 times besides this year, previously in 1903, 1907, 1968, 1976, 1986 and 2019.

At this point, sunny intervals and light winds, with only a very small chance of rain, are forecast for Saturday but the temperature isn’t expected to rise any higher than 2C.