Conrad Balatoni accepts Hearts and Partick Thistle legal route as he laments treatment of former clubs

Conrad Balatoni has seen three of his former clubs punished by the decision to end the Scottish 
football season and not reconstruct the league, so doesn’t blame two of them for going to court. The Jags’ situation is even more ridiculous, condemned to the drop despite a two-point gap between themselves and Queen of the South with a game in hand on the Doonhamers. Balatoni was a product of the Hearts youth system before going on to win promotion to the top flight with Thistle and signing a short-term deal with the Bairns. “When I was at Partick in the Premier League, we were bottom before the split and we ended up finishing ninth and managed to get ourselves out of it. “How can you justify relegating Partick or not giving Falkirk the opportunity to win the league? The clubs voted for it and they have to deal with it but Hearts and Partick have the right to take them to court and see what happens.” Balatoni, along with many of his fellow players, was firmly in the pro league reconstruction camp and was disappointed to see the chance to shake things up for the better pass by. He said: “A lot of people have said there’s going to be winners and losers and there is but there was an opportunity for league reconstruction to happen, to better the standard of football that fans see and players have. You could’ve had a lot more clubs having a good season, putting Rangers and Celtic under a bit of pressure. “I’ve been speaking to a few boys and they think if reconstruction is going to happen, it needs to be an independent body driving it.”