Partick Thistle said Tuesday they had joined a legal action launched by Hearts after Scottish clubs rejected plans to restructure the league following the decision to end the season due to the coronavirus. Only 16 of the 42 Scottish teams backed a proposal to change the make-up of the four divisions. The idea was for 14 teams in the Premiership and 10 in each of the three lower leagues. The change needed 11 of the 12 Premiership clubs to vote in favour, along with at least six Championship clubs and 75 per cent of the league overall. Monday's informal vote means Hearts have had their relegation from the Premiership ratified, with Partick demoted to third tier League One from the Championship. Thistle were initially wary of the cost of legal action but the Glasgow club said Monday they reserved the right to change their position if circumstances altered. And on Tuesday the Jags announced they had accepted an "extremely generous offer of unexpected help" from an unnamed donor to fund their court case. "Today, following discussions with Hearts, we have agreed that we will launch a joint legal challenge to resolve what others have failed to do since April," added Thistle chairman Jacqui Low. Edinburgh side Hearts have been outspoken throughout the whole process and called the outcome of the vote a "condemnation" of Scottish football. The new Premiership season will start on the weekend of August 1 while the Championship season will begin on the weekend of October 17. jdg/td