Fixture mountain for Tangerines to climb

Dundee United hope to kick-start their jam-packed programme of matches when they travel to face Queen of the South tomorrow.

The Tangerines, who haven’t played since they lost to Livingston on February 23, suffered the latest in a long line of postponements on Saturday when their Championship clash with Brechin City was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Glebe Park.

The United party, led by manager Csaba Laszlo, arrived at the Angus ground just after 1.30pm and by then the game was already in serious doubt.

Laszlo only needed one glance at the playing surface to make his mind up that it was a non-starter, and the postponement was confirmed by referee Barry Cook around 10 minutes later.

The rain was a lot heavier than forecast and it was tough on the City ground staff and officials who had checked the park in the morning and all had been well.

They were still working on it when the teams arrived but their efforts were in vain.

It adds another game to United’s fixture pile-up, and they still have to cram 13 matches into what’s left of the season.

It is now Tuesday-saturday for the foreseeable future, starting at Palmerston tomorrow night.

After playing the Doonhamers they face Inverness (h) on Saturday, Queens (h) again on the 20th, Dunfermline (h) on the 24th, ICT (a) again on the 27th, Morton (a) on the 31st, Dumbarton (h) on April 3, the Sons again (a) on the 7th, St Mirren (h) on the 10th, Falkirk (h) on the 14th, Queens (a) for a third time on the 21st and finally Livingston (h) on the 28th.

The rearranged Brechin match will have to fit into one of only two free midweeks, either on April 17 or 24.

That leaves United playing every three or four days each week bar one between now and the end of the regular season.