Hearts match at Inverness postponed after sickness bug strikes Edinburgh squad
Hearts succeeded in a request to postpone Tuesday's Premiership clash at Inverness after a sickness bug ravaged their squad.
Hearts succeeded in a request to postpone Tuesday's Premiership clash at Inverness after a sickness bug ravaged their squad.
Hearts travelled to the Highlands on Monday afternoon with only eight first-team players while the Scottish Professional Football League board considered their application.
An SPFL statement read: Heart of Midlothian FC applied to the SPFL earlier today for the postponement in view of injuries and/or sickness affecting the vast majority of the first-team squad, which has left the club with few fit players including only one fit goalkeeper over the age of 16.
The Heart of Midlothian FC doctor has provided written evidence to the SPFL of the injuries and sickness of all those affected and has also advised of the potential for further infection, both of other squad members and of players and staff of Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC.
In these exceptional circumstances, the SPFL has agreed to the postponement request.''
It is understood both first-team goalkeepers, Neil Alexander and Jack Hamilton, were among those floored by the virus, leaving the SPFL with little option but to agree.
The game will now go ahead next Tuesday, April 12, three days after the division was due to split into two, which could hold up the publication of the fixtures for the last five matches of the season.
The Edinburgh club earlier postponed a development league fixture against Dundee at short notice, citing first-team call-ups'' as the reason.
Their under-20s team had set off for Montrose for the fixture before being called back.
First-team players were due to report at the club's Riccarton training complex at 11am on Monday morning before setting off for Inverness later, but several phoned in sick and others were sent home after turning up.
Inverness still have a chance of making the top six, sitting four points adrift in ninth spot, although that could disappear on Tuesday if Dundee beat Celtic.
Hearts will now bid to contain the virus and rest their affected players ahead of the visit of Aberdeen on Friday night.
Head coach Robbie Neilson believes the decision to call the game off was correct and can only hope the disruption does not impact too much on the game against Aberdeen where the Gorgie side will look to build on a mostly positive performance against Celtic at Parkhead on Saturday, albeit in a 3-1 defeat.
He told Hearts News: I'm disappointed that we won't get to play the game as scheduled as the boys wanted to continue the good form they showed at Celtic Park.
It's a real shame for the fans too, but I'm glad that the decision was made before the day of the game.
The virus has completely wiped out the majority of the squad. We still prepared as best we could and started to travel up to Inverness, but with only one fit goalkeeper available the game couldn't possibly have gone ahead.
The whole situation also disrupts our plans for Friday's game against Aberdeen, but we'll regroup and prepare as best we can.''