Furious Stirling Albion chiefs have hit out at promotion rivals Dumbarton after the Binos suffered a second 11th-hour postponement at the Rock this season on Tuesday night.
The original fixture back in January had been cancelled shortly before kick-off after a late inspection was called, with the Binos squad and many supporters on their way to the stadium.
Frigid temperatures in the lead-up to this week’s hotly-anticipated rearranged fixture had raised questions over the state of the playing surface at the Rock - but no word was given until both clubs’ social media made the announcement around 6pm.
It led to a furious response from Binos fans – with many once again already in Dumbarton when the news was shared.
After calls for answers from the Sons by fans of both clubs, Albion released a statement on their website on Wednesday evening confirming the club had written to the SPFL.
The statement said: “Yesterday evening Stirling Albion were due to play Dumbarton away with a kick-off at 7.45pm.
“The club were informed by our team manager at 6pm that the referee had called the game off due to a strip of the pitch in front of the main stand being frozen.
“The referee attended at the normal time match officials arrive to officiate a match but had to call the game off at 6pm when he found part of the pitch frozen and unplayable.
“We immediately put this information out on the club’s media channels and informed the supporters’ club who were en route to the game.
“The arrangements for an inspection are wholly a matter for the home team, the away team has no role to play, other than being advised if one has been arranged with the football authorities in advance of the match.
“We have written to the SPFL expressing our discontent with our opponents handling of this situation, which caused inconvenience and cost to the team and our loyal travelling supporters.
“We will communicate details through our usual channels once a date for the rearranged fixture has been agreed.”
A request for the match to be replayed next Tuesday was approved by the SPFL - with ticket prices reduced for the clash in recognition of the “disappointment, frustration and inconvenience” from the postponement.
Stirling Albion manager Darren Young was critical of the circumstances around the call-off, saying: “We got there about 5.15/5.30pm and there was nobody there – no groundsman or staff – and when we went on the park, there were bits of it that were solid so it was never going to be on.
Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area.
“Apparently there was a groundsman there during the day, but I don’t know how anyone can look at that and think it would be on.
“There was a three or four-metre patch that was just solid – their players were raging as well and it was just a bit of a joke.”
The Binos were entering Tuesday night’s match on an eight-match unbeaten run in the league and boasting a squad that is the healthiest it has been for several weeks.
It’s now a waiting game to see if the weekend’s match at home to Bonnyrigg Rose can survive the weather, with more freezing temperatures and snow expected in the days leading up to the match.
If the match beats the weather, it’s a 3pm kick-off at Forthbank.
