Ref: I had no choice but to ice the game

REFEREE Barry Cook insists he had no option but to declare Hamilton’s artificial pitch unplayable and call off the visit of Kilmarnock.

Freezing conditions in Lanarkshire saw the official called to the SuperSeal stadium at around 5pm for an initial inspection but over an hour later the game was called off.

Cook told BBC Radio Scotland: “I got a call from Hamilton to come in for an inspection round about five o’clock.

“I think the guys have been working hard on the pitch all day to clear the snow.

“But there was still a little bit of snow and ice on the pitch and underneath is hard and very slippy and ultimately it is about the players’ safety.

“I had a discussion with both managers and we have been out on the pitch but the conditions haven’t improved and there was really only one decision to make which was to postpone the match.

Hamilton manager Martin Canning claimed the pitch would have been playable by the 7.45 pm kick-off.

“It’s disappointing,” he told BBC Scotland website. “Given time, another half an hour on the pitch, it would have been fine.

“We played on the pitch against Ross County and it was probably slippier than it is, but the referee has got to make a call.

“The temperature is dropping, but there’s enough salt on the pitch so I don’t think it’s going to get any worse. It’s going to get better.”