By Ian Roache

DUNDEE UNITED have reluctantly decided they must bite the financial bullet and play their Scottish Cup fourth round tie against Clyde tomorrow night.

The Tangerines arrived at Broadwood on Saturday to discover that, despite earlier assurances the pitch would survive the frost, the game against the Bully Wee had been postponed.

Referee Mike Tumilty’s decision came as a cash blow to both United and the hosts, with the scheduled Sky coverage due to earn each club £82,500.

Frantic negotiations over the weekend failed to find a date that suited the TV company and the teams.

The broadcaster’s only free slot this week is Thursday night due to commitments to show other fixtures, but that is deemed too close to Aberdeen’s visit to Tannadice two days later.

United feel they cannot contemplate moving the Dons game to the Sunday as tickets have been sold and hospitality booked.

They believe it would be unfair on both sets of fans and would not be without financial repercussions, with approximately £40,000 the estimated cost of switching that game.

Had United and Clyde hoped to go into the following week, that prospect faded when Aberdeen drew with Falkirk in the cup on Saturday because their replay will now take place at Pittodrie a week tomorrow.

So the Dons would almost certainly refuse permission to move the Tannadice meeting should they be approached.

That comes on top of SFA reluctance to pencil Clyde-United in for that week anyway because of the chance of the game going to a replay and causing further havoc with the fixture list.

Tangerines chairman Eddie Thompson is understandably frustrated at having to lose out on such substantial TV income and is also sympathetic to Clyde’s plight.

The first division side’s directors are so keen to get the Sky windfall they have stated their own willingness to play on Thursday then face Dundee at Broadwood on Saturday.

However Thompson feels United have been left with no choice but to play the cup tie tomorrow night, the official SFA date for the rescheduled match.

“We will be contacting the SFA and the TV company in the morning to say we see no alternative to the game going ahead on Tuesday,” he said last night.

“Of course I am sorry about losing out on this money which, let’s face it, every club in the country would have been delighted to receive.

“However, we feel we have looked at every possible date for this game and concluded we have no choice but to go ahead on Tuesday.

“My manager Craig Levein could not be asked to put a team out for a cup tie on Thursday just 48 hours before such an important league game.

“We also could not move the Aberdeen match to the Sunday for various reasons.

“Tickets have been sold and this fixture is our biggest of the season for attendance and revenue, even greater than the games against the Old Firm.

“We expect in the region of 5000 away fans and would you get as many travelling for a Sunday game? I don’t think so.

“Most importantly, I do not think it would be fair on our own supporters to switch at such short notice. Aberdeen’s draw at Falkirk means they would need to be playing Sunday-Tuesday and I don’t think they would contemplate doing that for the same reasons we wouldn’t consider Thursday-Saturday.

“I really feel for Clyde in all this and we have tried our best to help but our considered view is there is no option but to play the match on Tuesday.”

United manager Levein felt the problem could have been avoided had Saturday’s game not had a 12.45pm kick-off time.

He said, “Parts of the pitch were soft, others hard, and it would only take a player slipping and falling on his head for there to be a serious injury. In my day we would play on concrete, but times have moved on.

“The irony is if the game had been later it may have gone ahead because the pitch improved with time. But it was the right decision.”

Ref Tumilty said, “When I inspected the pitch there were solid parts that would have endangered the players’ safety and that was my biggest concern.”

Meanwhile, United have not received any fresh bids for captain Barry Robson, although interest could come from an English club this week.

Rescheduled games (all 7.45 kick-offs): tomorrow: Clyde v Dundee United, Huntly v Dundee, Livingston v Cowdenbeath, St Johnstone v Raith Rovers. Tuesday 22nd: Airdrie United v Kilmarnock, Cove Rangers v Ross County, Partick Thistle v Dunfermline. Wednesday 23rd: Rangers v East Stirling.

Replays: Tuesday 22nd: Aberdeen v Falkirk, Brechin City v Hamilton Accies, Motherwell v Hearts. Wednesday 23rd: Gretna v Morton.