Motherwell's wait to return to action will have to wait a little while longer after tomorrow's Premiership clash with St Mirren was called off due to damage at Fir Park.
The freezing temperatures as low as -12 over the past few days and sudden rise today have caused pipes in the stadium to burst, flooding areas of Fir Park.
It means the Steelmen have had no option but to call off the clash, which was set to be their first competitive game simnce November 12 when they entered a five-week break for the World Cup.
On Wednesday chief executive Alan Burrows gave an idea of how conditions were affecting the surrounding areas at Fir Park, with a picture of drains just outside the stadium freezing up.
A statement from Motherwell read: "Motherwell’s cinch Premiership match with St Mirren has been cancelled due to extensive stadium damage and flooding caused by recent cold weather.
"With temperatures dipping to as low as -12 at Fir Park in recent days, three of the four stands have been without running water or heating in the spectator areas, with even toilets completely frozen.
"Whilst most of the pipework remains frozen, many of those that have started to thaw have burst, leading to extensive flooding damage that would be impossible to fix and make safe, particularly with weather warnings for more freezing overnight temperatures, ahead of tomorrow’s match.
"With that in mind, the club has notified the SPFL of our concerns and the match has been cancelled on stadium safety grounds."
Chief Executive Alan Burrows added: “It is extremely frustrating for everyone involved to have this off, particularly with a sold out hospitality and a big crowd expected in both the home and away stands.
“The staff at the club have been working hard with contractors all week to try and get ahead of this issue. However, the damage that we’ve sustained, and will take when it thaws further, is extensive and it will take us some time to fix and clean up ahead of next weekend’s match against Kilmarnock.
“We would like to apologise to any supporter who is inconvenienced by this announcement.”
A date for the re-arranged match will be notified in due course. Fans who have bought tickets, but are unable to make the re-arranged match, will be reimbursed.
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