Every penny will be going to the club!
Former loan star looks to head back to Easter Road...
WITH A MOOD SWING THAT WOULD MAKE SOME OF THE WOMEN I
KNOW JEALOUS, Hibs fans are now starting to warm to the season ahead
and, even in some cases, the game at Easter Road this coming Saturday
against Hearts! As exclusively revealed on Hibs.net
yesterday afternoon, the current British Cup holders ERIN Hibs will take
on the newly crowned Scottish Internet Football League Champions Real
Maroon before the 'main event' with the Capital sides kicking off a 20
minute match just under an hour before the full team's walk down the
tunnel for the inaugural Festival Cup Tournament.
Another factor for the increasing ticket sales has been
the assurance given by Managing Director Rod Petrie that any money that
Hibs fans hand over on Saturday by way of ticket money will remain at
Easter Road with that raised by Hearts fans heading back across the city
with them rather than the 50-50 split that most fans had assumed would
happen. "The agreement
is that Hearts’ ticket money goes to Hearts and Hibs’ to Hibs. It gives
the supporters of both clubs every encouragement to come along knowing
every penny will be going to their club. It perhaps works to our
advantage this year but next year it will be Hearts’ turn to have the
majority of fans at the game."
With Hibs having sold just short of
3,000 tickets as opposed to Hearts' 350, there is the very prospect of
the game being played to deserted stands although Petrie is still
hopeful that the game will not be a total failure from a commercial
point of view. "We were very pleased with the number of Hibs fans
who came along for Saturday's match against Sunderland to give the team
every encouragement. Hopefully both the Hibs and Hearts supporters will
come along this weekend to make the inaugural Festival Cup a success,
something which can take off in future years, kicking off not only the
new season but the Festival itself."
Caldwell - set for a return to Easter Road? (sns)
One player looking to come to
Easter Road is former Hibs loan star Gary Caldwell. Caldwell has
been talking up the chances of him returning to Easter Road for a
further loan spell, this time for the full 2003/4 season. The
Newcastle United and Scotland defender was first brought to the club in
January 2002 by Franck Sauzee and Donald Park and spent a successful
period at the club, starting 11 times and once from the bench.
Stirling-born Caldwell joined the Magpies as a trainee in 1998 and had
featured in the Scotland Under-21 side despite never having played for
the Newcastle first team. Despite an offer from Hibs being made
after his previous spell at Easter Road ended, Caldwell opted to spend a
further loan spell at Coventry City instead of remaining in the Capital.
Whilst not ruling out the possibility of playing for another SPL team,
Hibs, who have already enquired about his availability, would seem to be
the first choice for the 21 year old.
"It would definitely attract me to come back up to Hibs.
I loved my time at Easter Road. I like the manager and the back-room
team and I know a lot of the players so, if I came back up the road, I
am sure Hibs would be my first option."
