THE Scottish Professional Football League has issued a statement saying they will contact with Partick Thistle to discuss their criticism of the last-minute call to play Sunday's Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Both teams received the green light for the clash to go ahead at 8am on the morning of the game after a late safety check cleared Tynecastle's new main stand to be opened to the public. 

Thistle responded by calling for an 'extensive review' from the SPFL into why it took so long for a decision to be made, after the Jags held the Jambos to a 1-1 draw.

Read more: Alan Archibald and Partick Thistle call for SPFL review over Tynecastle saga

The body issued a response to the comments on Monday, defending their decision to let the match proceed and ensuring they will contact Thistle for further discussion.

“It is our policy to ensure that we give every possible opportunity for matches to proceed at their scheduled time," said an SPFL spokesman. 

"That applies in cases of inclement weather, fogbound pitches or, in this situation, to enable building works to be completed.

“Signs in the run-up to yesterday’s game, as well as the very regular updates we received, all indicated that the match would be able to proceed as scheduled.

“We are grateful for the patience and understanding shown by both sets of fans, as well as by the players and officials of each club. We congratulate Hearts on pulling out all the stops to have the stadium ready for yesterday’s game.

“A congested fixture schedule always presents a challenge so we will always do what we can to avoid the need to squeeze more matches into an already busy calendar. We note Partick Thistle’s calls for a review into the events surrounding this game and will be in contact with them in due course to discuss their views.

“The new Tynecastle stand represents a very significant investment by Hearts and is an extremely welcome addition to the game in Scotland.”