Tonight’s Eircom League Cup Final first leg match between St Patrick’s Athletic and UCD has been postponed due to a frozen pitch at Richmond Park.
The game was due to kick off at 7.45pm but officials at St Patrick’s Athletic deemed the pitch unplayable after a lunchtime inspection. The tie has been rearranged for next Tuesday, January 23rd but FAI officials must decide on a set date for the second leg.
Eircom League secretary, Donal Crowther, yesterday admitted that 19 Premier and First Division fixtures - nine of which are still outstanding - had suffered this winter as a result of the severe weather conditions.
Saturday’s Premier League clash between Finn Harps and Bohemians was postponed 90 minutes before kick off, much to the annoyance of Bohemians manager Roddy Collins who, like the fans, had endured a long and unnecessary journey to Ballybofey.
The game had been refixed for this evening but was postponed yesterday. No date has been set for the game. The FAI do not expect the game to take place before the start of February.
Similarly, the following day’s Shelbourne and Derry City match at Tolka Park was called off one hour before the scheduled 5pm kick off.
FAI treasurer, Brendan Menton, recently called on all 22 Eircom League clubs to consider radical alterations to the prevailing seasonal setup. Menton, among others, would welcome the possibility of a summer league campaign.