Play It Again Sam

Last updated : 19 April 2007 By Murray Westland

Should the Pars and Hibs have to replay? Well, they will of course this season.

Surely games such as semi finals and finals played on neutral grounds should get decided on the day. Both semi finals played last weekend attracted attendances of around 25,000, less than half of the 52,000 capacity of the ground. In many peoples opinion, a midweek replay as is scheduled will attract not much more than 12,000.

Cup semi finals and finals are great occasions for both the clubs and their supporters, for many people it is a big day out, a day to remember for all time. For a lot of people it may be the only time they watch 'their team'. To have a match of such importance replayed is such an 'anti - climax'.

Then there is the problem with the venue for the replay. The SFA have decided that any replays will be played at Hampden. Some feel, including the Dunfermline chairman John Yorkston, that the match should be moved to a smaller ground to help create an atmosphere with the expected smaller turnout. The Hibs manager John Collins has gone on record as saying that Tynecastle would be a better option than Hampden.

The arrangements for the replay at Hampden as I understand it are: the east and west stands will be closed; Hibs will be allocated the north stand and half of the south; Dunfermline will also be in the south; and the match will also be shown on live TV.

Celtic are through to the cup final, so they can sit back and wait to see who their opponents will be. Gallant St Johnstone are out but at least they and their fans can get on with the rest of a very important season without having to worry about a midweek return to Hampden. They demonstrated this on Tuesday evening with an excellent 1-0 win over Clyde which keeps their championship hopes alive.

According to the SFA's spokesman Andy Mitchell the clubs through to the semi finals of the Scottish cup had planning meetings with the SFA back in March, and again in April ,when it was agreed that the semi finals and any replays be played at Hampden and he voiced his surprise that the clubs involved, Dunfermline and Hibs, are now not happy with the arrangements. He is also on record as saying that two years ago the SFA proposed to stop semi final replays but that the clubs didn't agree. It is understood that another proposal will be put forward this June at the SFA's AGM to scrap semi final replays and it is felt that the member clubs will have a more positive approach this time around.

If common sense prevails and they do vote to end semi final replays, then the match between Dunfermline and Hibs will be an historic one as it will be 'the last replayed semi final in the history of the Scottish Cup'.

Will the prospect of being part of history encourage more fans to turn up, as the SFA would like more people to buy tickets for the match next Tuesday night?

Let's hope that this will indeed be the last replayed semi final and that future semi finals and finals be played to a finish so that everyone concerned can have a great day out, win or lose, and remember the occasion for ever without having to fork out more money and time, 'usually during the week and after work' to go through it all again.

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