Hibs anger as Dee get advantage of call-off
Monty’s men will ‘play blind’ against Motherwell
Hibs believe Dundee have gained a sporting advantage by postponing last night’s Scottish Premiership game against Rangers. And they’ve voiced strong objections to the SPFL over a scenario branded ‘embarrassing’ by the furious Ibrox outfit.
The Dens Park pitch failed a 3.30pm pitch inspection yesterday, creating a fifth call-off of the season at the home of the Dark Blues, who now face disciplinary action. The game has been rescheduled for next Wednesday night. But the postponement of that clash until after the final round of pre-split fixtures has undermined the sporting integrity of the league programme, according to Easter Road insiders.
It is understood that the SPFL were presented with two alternative venues – both top-flight grounds – capable of hosting the fixture in the event of Dens Park being too waterlogged to fulfil their penultimate scheduled game before the split. With Dundee in a three-way fight for the sixth and remaining spot on the right side of the top division’s halfway cutoff, the other clubs still in with a shot of overtaking the Dark Blues – Hibs and Motherwell – were concerned that another delay would give Tony Docherty’s men an obvious edge. Now, not only have Dundee been afforded more preparation time for Saturday’s trip to Aberdeen. But, even if they slip up at Pittodrie, they’ll host Rangers next Wednesday knowing exactly what they need to finish inside the top six.
When Hibs and Motherwell meet at Fir Park in round 33 of the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, by contrast, they’ll effectively be playing blind. Dundee’s inability to get the Dens Park pitch up to scratch, then, has eased the pressure on them over the closing pre-split stretch.