91Èȱ¬

Hibernian will not alter season ticket prices at Easter Road, despite dropping a division and sluggish sales.

The Edinburgh club say approximately 5,400 have been sold, with most of those being purchased before relegation from the Premiership.

At this time last year, the figures were around 7,600.

The best seats cost £405 and chief executive Leeann Dempster thinks maintaining prices will "maximise our chances of heading straight back up".

Dempster explained that "only a few hundred" season tickets had been sold since Hibs lost their top flight status after a play-off with Hamilton.

And summarising her interaction with fans on the topic, she added: "The message that has been relayed to me is that the club should keep the season ticket money if it is used to sustain the budget available to (head coach) Alan Stubbs to build a squad capable of winning us promotion."

In a statement on the Dempster estimated that five per cent of those who had been in touch had been seeking a refund.

"I have decided that the best course of action is to leave prices as they are," she said. "If we are to compete with our rivals in this league, every ticket and every penny spent become crucial."