Bad weather taking toll on Penicuik

The third-round tie at Central Park has been postponed three times already and is in doubt again tomorrow following the combination of snow and ice this week. “There’s no other reason than the pitch being unplayable that the match has been called off three times now,” said Penicuik secretary Neil Gordon.

“Kelty are in the same boat as us. They are desperate to get it played and they waited as long as they could last week to see if it was playable.

“There’s an unwritten rule that if a tie is called off three weeks in a row then a club has to try and seek an alternative park. However, due to the weather and the state of other parks at the moment, that’s  not an option for Kelty at the moment.

“We would love them to come to Penicuik but, if the boot was on the other foot, I wouldn’t be keen to give up home  advantage in the Scottish Cup.”

The winners will host either Cumbernauld or Forfar West End on January 19, by when Gordon is hoping Penicuik have been able to get some much-needed money coming back into the club. “We are desperate to get this tie over and done with,” he added. “The big thing a lot of people don’t realise is that, while this game is being postponed, we are still having to pay wages without any gate income. It is a drain on the club. I’m not bleating for  Penicuik here.

“It’s a problem in general for Junior football.”