Naismith urges fans to sell out Hampden allocation for semi-final clash

Steven Naismith has urged Hearts supporters to sell out their allocation for next week’s Scottish Cup semi-final or risk losing the opportunity of a 50/50 split in the future.

The Tynecastle club travel to the National Stadium to take on treble chasing Rangers a week on Sunday with a place in the showpiece final on the line.

But despite being successful in their bid to secure a half and half split, they still have seats left to sell for the game.

Speaking to the media ahead of their Premiership game against bottom side Livingston, the manager said: “Hopefully they (the fans) have enjoyed what we have done this season and they come out and we manage to get them all sold, because I think the progression throughout the club has been massive throughout the last five or six years.

“I think we are on the cusp of getting to the next level in different parts of the club and one of them being our travelling support, in our league games we have shown that we consistently sell out and we get it. Coming to the semi-final, we are asking for big chunk so you want to be able to sell that out.

“Not many clubs in Scotland would take 16,500 or 17,000 but can we get over the line? That’s the biggest thing for us, we want to have a packed stadium and I think the club has had to push to get that 50/50 split, the consequence of not filling that is that you potentially lose it in the future, I get that.

“But we have had great support all season, so hopefully we can sell it out and everybody turns out for a successful day and we get to a final.”

After a shaky start to the season Hearts picked up form and have all but cemented their place in third as they go into the last game before the split 11 points ahead of fourth placed Kilmarnock.

Naimsith insists he always believed that they would turn it around as they look to finish the season strongly by securing a third place finish and winning the Scottish Cup.

He said: “Inevitably you get more belief the longer you do the right things, that is what it has been, but in those first few months I always had belief, the coaches had real belief and I think that some of the young players also had that belief.

“Outwith that we had to earn it with the squad and we have done it, the players have applied themselves brilliantly and they’ve bought into everything we have asked them to do.

“That’s why we have made two semi-finals and that’s why we are sitting in third with a good points total with six games to go and if we keep that up then come the end of the season it could have been a really good season.”