HEARTS and Hibs supporters will do battle for charity again tomorrow afternoon – but organisers insist that there'll be no room for sentiment out on the pitch.
The annual charity derby match, sponsored this year by Action Scaffolding, is in its fourth year and will be held at Tynecastle.
Fans from both sides of the divide have raised almost £50,000 for various charities over time and this year's worth
y cause is CCLASP – Children with Cancer and Leukaemia Advice and Support for Parents.
In the past, the event has supported the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Simpson's Special car baby unit and Maggie's cancer centre at the Western General Hospital.
Scott Moncrieff has co-ordinated the Hearts team arrangements for the past three years and he would love to see the event rolled out across the country to involve supporters from the likes of Glasgow, Dundee and even beyond.
He said: "It's a great event, everyone dreams of playing football in a stadium like Tynecastle but not very many people get the chance to actually do it.
"Because both sets of players are fans of either Hearts or Hibs there's always a real competitive edge to the game and it makes for a really good atmosphere.
"There are always a few challenges flying in and everyone's desperate to get the win. It takes a lot of organising but it's well worth it and it would be great if we were able to take it nationwide.
"I have spoken to about 20 different clubs about the possibility of holding a game for their supporters and I've had quite a positive reaction so far.
"It would obviously raise a lot more money for charity and it gets everyone involved with their own team."
The Tynecastle side are out for revenge after seeing Hibs win the cup on the last two occasions and Moncrieff added: "Hibs have got the advantage so far, Hearts won the first year but Hibs have won the other two.
"Obviously we'd love to win it back this year but it's all about the charity at the end of the day.
"I would love to play myself but I'm more involved with organising everything now, along with sponsors. We weren't sure how things would pan out this year because of the recession but our sponsors, Action Scaffolding, have been great and all of the money that they have put into the event will go straight to the charity."
Across the city John Pryde, who has organised a Hibs-supporting team, would love to see his players make it three in a row tomorrow. It's also his third year in the event and he is helped by former Hibs player Fraser Ogilvie, who assesses and coaches the players who put themselves forward for trials.
And, having missed out on the chance to play in the match himself four years ago, the 32-year-old knows exactly how the hopefuls feel.
He said: "Four years ago, I went along to the trials but unfortunately I didn't get picked for the side. I was disappointed but I decided to try and see what else I could do and ended up making a video advert for the game to help promote it.
"When Stuart Robertson, who was helping to organise it at that time, decided that he was stepping down he asked me if I would like to be involved and of course I said 'yes'.
"We have had a lot of people coming along to the trials this year but we've had to cut our squad size down to 16 because we like to try to give everyone a chance to come on for at least the last 20 minutes.
"This game is not just a kick-about, it's a no-holds barred contest and I think that's what makes it such a great event.
"But, after the final whistle, it's all forgotten about and we go for a few drinks and a bit of banter as well."
Admission to the game, which kicks off at 2.00pm, is £5 for adults and £3 for concessions with all money raised going directly to the charity.
