Aberdeenshire forfeit match because they cannot raise a team

Aberdeenshire have been forced to forfeit today’s National League Division 2 match at Peebles after failing to raise a team.

As reported in this week, the Woodside outfit have been hit hard by Aberdeen Grammar’s decision to end a collaboration between the two clubs, which had seen a pooling of playing, coaching and training resources.

Aberdeenshire claim they have lost a number of players to the National League Division 1 club and, combined with Grammar fringe players no longer making themselves available, they have been left with just ten players and a front-row shortage ahead of this weekend’s match.

It is believed that Shire also fear they will be unable to fulfil next week’s home fixture against West of Scotland, raising question marks over the viability of their future in the third tier.

The Aberdeenshire coach Craig Parslow was quoted in local media as saying: “The collaboration ending has had huge consequences on the club. We won’t be fielding our first team or our second XV this weekend and, in the longer term, it is looking doubtful we will be able to raise a team.

“We have players who have decided to play for Aberdeen Grammar in the knowledge they will more than likely be playing Caledonia 2 [for Grammar 2nds]. At a push we had 10 players available for this week’s match against Peebles but we didn’t have enough front row players.”

Aberdeenshire have suffered a series of heavy defeats and Grammar have decided to no longer force fringe players to play for them.