Aberdeen and Dundee matches called off as Storm Malik leads to stadium damage

Three Scottish football fixtures were postponed and stadiums were damaged as Storm Malik battered the country on Saturday.

The Premiership matches between Aberdeen and St Johnstone and Dundee versus St Mirren were both called off after strong winds led to safety concerns around each stadium.

Dons commercial director Robert Wicks confirmed that damage to Pittodrie had left the club with no option but to cancel the game.

Posting picture of the damage on Twitter, he wrote: "Nobody should be in any doubt that it was the right decision to postpone the match today. There is damage across the stadium and no way it could be repaired before kick-off, not to mention serious risk for fans & staff to travel from across City and Shire with chaos on the roads.

Aberdeen v St Johnstone has been postponed over safety concerns surrounding Pittodrie due to high winds caused by Storm Malik. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)

“Once we knew from an operational point of view it was going to be off the ticket office wanted to get a head start to try and give fans as much notice as possible.

“Same applied with the sales team calling all hospitality guests and sponsors.

“The Police then took the initiative to announce it on their media channels given the situation on the roads and we followed once we had formal SPFL approval.”

A statement on the Dons' website read: "We have been working closely with emergency services and the SPFL throughout the morning, closely monitoring the situation in the hope that conditions might improve to allow the game to be staged, but ultimately the safety of supporters, players and staff is our paramount concern and we would ask everyone to continue to adhere to the guidance being given by Police Scotland."

The Championship fixture between league leaders Arbroath and Partick Thistle at Gayfield also fell victim to the weather as gusts in excess of 70mph prompted the Met Office to issue an amber weather warning.

The Falkirk Stadium was also damaged by Storm Malik with the East Stirlingshire FC v Gretna 2008 FC game due to take place at the ground postponed.

Parts of the roof and the surrounding fencing area were blown off and with fears for spectator safety, the Lowland League match was called off.

Annan Athletic v Stirling Albion was also subject to a delayed kick-off due to the closure of the M74.

Don't miss out on a 30 per cent discount on an annual sports subscription. We have a special offer throughout January where you can get a reduced package. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions/sports for more details