SFA asks clubs to make early inspections

The SFA would like some home clubs to be making decisions on the state of their pitch and the surrounding areas of the stadium as early as today as the extreme weather continues to play havoc with the fixture list on both sides of the Border.

Only six matches survived in the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League between Saturday and Monday night, while tonight's Carling Cup semi-final clash between Manchester City and Manchester United was called-off yesterday afternoon due to snow.

The SFA has urged clubs to give supporters even more warning if possible, with weather forecasters predicting little improvement in the coming days.

"In the interests of supporter safety and convenience, inspections will take place from tomorrow (Wednesday] onwards and clubs have also been advised to liaise with their local authority with regard to the surrounding areas of their grounds.

"Under the Scottish FA cup competition rules, pitch inspections can be carried out no later than four hours prior to kick-off, but given the weather forecast for the week ahead, it is prudent for inspections to be carried out as quickly as possible."

The SFA yesterday issued alternative dates for each scheduled fourth-round clash this weekend. If matches are called off, and fail to be played on the date set for the rescheduled tie - which in most cases is either next Tuesday or Wednesday - then an attempt will be made to play the tie on the following Monday and Wednesday. As usual, attempts will then be made on each Monday and Wednesday until the tie is played. Due to the Scottish Cup, only two fixtures - at Berwick Rangers and East Stirlingshire, who play on the artificial surface at Stenhousemuir's Ochilview - are scheduled for this weekend in the SFL.

Both are in doubt, with the impact of ice and snow on the stadium footprint as significant as the condition of the pitch itself. Only four matches have been played in the bottom three divisions since Boxing Day, but David Thomson, SFL operations director, is not yet overly concerned. Due to SFL rules, no club is compelled to play those matches which have been postponed until after the last Saturday in February. This was due to a request made by club to be able to re-schedule fixtures for when conditions are likely to be conducive to attracting spectators.

"There is still a sufficient number of midweeks left to play those matches that are out-standing," said Thomson. "There is no need to panic yet. But should it continue then it could cause problems."

It is not just football that is being effected by the cold snap. Saturday's Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country race, scheduled to be run through the city's Holyrood Park, is still on track, but might be forced to adopt a different route. The race – which is expected to feature Ethiopian stars Kenenisa Bekele and Gebre Gebremarium – will be preceded by a 5km run, with more than 2,500 participants.

"Edinburgh City council is assessing the current route and working to clear it," a spokeswoman for Nova International, promoters of the event, said. "But we are looking at the possibility of a different route. We ask spectators and participants to refer to the event website."