Referee's missed Covid test delayed SPFL Championship match at Alloa

Alloa’s home match with Queen of the South kicked off late on Saturday – because the match official did not have the required Covid test.

Referee Gavin Duncan had been scheduled to take charge of the Championship clash.

Mandatory testing in the second tier was introduced as one of the pre-requisites for the division to continue while the rest of Scottish football was suspended by the SFA at the start of January.

That requirement also extended to referees and match officials for Championship matches, however it has been revealed Saturday’s game at the Indodrill Stadium was delayed because scheduled match referee Gavin Duncan had not taken a test in the run-up to the match.

A replacement official was drafted in for the game, which kicked off 45 minutes late and was won 2-1 by the home side.

Football below the Championship level was placed in abeyance by authorities at the start of the year, as a result of coronavirus case numbers rising in Scotland. The suspension is to be reviewed, but in place until at least mid-February.

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