Partick veto 'doomed'

Iain Blair is sure the SPL is on safe legal ground

Scottish Premier League secretary Iain Blair has told Partick Thistle they have no chance of preventing a new vote on whether there should be promotion.

Partick will consult lawyers on Monday hoping to find a way of blocking the request from Hearts and Hibernian.

But Blair told BBC Sport: "To the best of my knowledge, they do not have the ability to stop it.

"Two clubs acting together are entitled to call a general meeting and bring forward business at that meeting."

Inverness Caledonian Thistle lost last week's initial secret ballot when they fell one short of the eight votes needed from the 12 SPL clubs to replace Partick next season.

But Hearts and Hibs believe that some of the clubs voting against Inverness, or abstaining, did not understand the rules applying to Caley Thistle's proposal to share Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium.

There will be a lot of blood as we're not prepared to take this lying down Partick chief executive Alan Dick

Partick insist that letters to the Highland club prove that all proposals, whether to use their own ground or share with another club, needed to be with the SPL by 31 March.

But Blair said: "I have a different understanding. The 31 March deadline applies to the stadium.

"Inverness Caledonian Thistle are proposing groundsharing and, at 31 March, Pittodrie met, and still meets, SPL criteria."

Then First Division leaders Clyde, as well as SPL clubs Hearts, Dundee and Dundee United, did submit groundsharing proposals by 31 March.

But Blair insisted that they had done so for their own specific reasons and insisted: "There is no specific deadline for groundsharing agreements."

Rangers chairman John McClelland on Sunday broke his silence to point out that the Ibrox club and Celtic had voted in favour of Inverness after taking legal advice from three separate sources.

But Partick have threatened to take legal action, first to prevent a new vote and, if that is unsuccessful, to call a third vote and further measures that could disrupt the start to next season, due on 7 August.

Firhill chief executive Alan Dick said: "Our belief is that the SPL cannot reconvene this meeting on 22 June on such a flimsy basis.

Inverness get second chance

"If our lawyers advise us on Monday that this meeting can be stopped then we will stop it.

"The gloves are off here. Hearts and Hibs have said there was something wrong with the original vote and that is a very serious accusation.

"Those papers were counted by three people - a lawyer, an accountant and a CBE on Tuesday.

"Dundee, who voted against Inverness, have already said they will not be changing their position, so there would be nothing to prevent them and ourselves calling for another meeting if we were to lose out.

"We are ready for a fight and there will be a lot of blood as we're not prepared to take this lying down."