Big freeze set to lay waste to Scottish Cup programme

THE freezing weather seems almost certain to force the postponement of many Scottish Cup fourth-round games this weekend.

Sixteen ties are scheduled, but the sub-zero temperatures mean more than half are already in doubt.

It will be the third week in a row that Scottish football has been almost wiped out by the wintry weather. Only two games went ahead on Saturday, with Falkirk's Scottish Premier League match against St Johnstone called off just 80 minutes before kick-off.

The forecast is for the icy weather to continue into the weekend, making it almost impossible for clubs with no undersoil heating to make their pitches playable. Morton's home tie against Celtic is one of those in doubt. Officials at Albion Rovers, Forfar Athletic and Ayr United are already all but resigned to their games being off.

Treacherous conditions mean there is also no guarantee that cup games at Scottish Premier League grounds – including Hearts' trip to Aberdeen and Hibs' home clash with Irvine Meadow – will go ahead. And Edinburgh City's tie at Meadowbank against Montrose will also be under threat as the 1970 Commonwealth Games stadium does not have the luxury of undersoil heating.

Despite the SPL pitches being playable, some games have been called off because of police concerns about public safety.

The Scottish Football Association has promised there will be no repeat of the late postponement at Falkirk. The latest a pitch inspection can be scheduled for a Scottish Cup tie is four hours before kick-off.