SPFL call-off: Arbroath v Hamilton bites dust after Covid outbreak

The Championship match between leaders Arbroath and Hamilton Accies scheduled for Wednesday evening has been postponed due to a Covid outbreak at the Lanarkshire club.

A covid outbreak at Hamilton has led to postponement of their fixture at Arbroath on Wednesday (Photo by Sammy Turner / SNS Group)

Accies submitted a request to the SPFL for the Gayfield meeting to be called off due to a combination of Covid cases, close contacts and injuries leaving them without enough players to fulfil the fixture.

The request has been accepted by the league with an SPFL spokesman confirming: “After reviewing the information provided by Hamilton Academical, their cinch Championship match away to Arbroath on Wednesday December 29 has been postponed. A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.”

Arbroath apologised to the 500 supporters who had been successful in the ballot to attend the match.

“We are truly sorry for any inconveniences, unfortunately this situation is out of our control,” a club statement read.

Accies chairman Allan Maitland had earlier confirmed the club's request for the postponement.

“We’re really short tomorrow night, so we’re currently trying to get the game cancelled,” he told the Daily Record.

“We have so many people out it’s unbelievable.

“We have three injuries from Sunday, and you saw how weak the team was on Sunday. Ronan Hughes, Miko and Matty Shiels are out, and that was already a weakened team.

“It gives us nothing. We’ll see what happens. There are also some Covid issues flying about.

“We’ve made an application, so we’ll just need to wait and see how it goes.”

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