Another Scottish tie postponed due to rain - plus latest on Celtic v Dundee and Rangers v Queen's Park
United v Spartans called off as persistent rain continues in region
Another Scottish Cup fifth round tie has been called off due to heavy rain across north and eastern Scotland.
Aberdeen’s match against Motherwell at Pittodrie was called off on Friday afternoon, more than 24 hours ahead of kick off. A section of the Pittodrie surface was deemed unplayable, just three days on from their Premiership match at home to Celtic also being called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
And now Dundee United’s game at home to Spartans has also fallen foul of the weather. A pitch inspection was held at Tannadice on Saturday morning and it was decided that the surface was not safe to play on.
A statement from Dundee United read: “Dundee United can confirm this afternoon’s Scottish Cup Fifth Round tie with The Spartans has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
“Despite considerable efforts made by staff throughout the week to ensure the pitch remained in playable condition, including covering the entirety surface from Wednesday until this morning, a match official has postponed the match in the interest of player safety.
“Furthermore, continuous, torrential rainfall witnessed across the north east throughout the past week and forecast for the remainder of the day has made it unlikely that an area of concern will improve ahead of kick-off.
“We apologise to both sets of supporters for any inconvenience caused.
“The rearranged fixture will take place on Tuesday 17 February, with a 7:45pm kick-off. Ticketing information for the rearranged match will be communicated in due course.”
It is the second match within two weeks to be postponed at Tannadice on the back of United’s home league match against St Mirren on January 24 also falling foul of the weather.
It means there are just three ties scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The two 3pm games - Dunfermline Athletic v Kelty Hearts and Elgin City v Partick Thistle - are unaffected by the rain, while Celtic host Dundee at 5.30pm.
Sunday’s ties are Rangers v Queen’s Park at Ibrox and Stenhousemuir v Falkirk at Ochilview. At the time of writing, there are no concerns surrounding those fixtures.
The draw for the quarter-finals will be made at the conclusion of Stenhousemuir v Falkirk on Sunday evening. St Mirren are also in the hat after beating Airdrieonians 2-1 after extra time on Friday night.
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