The much-hyped Petrofac Training Cup clash between holders Raith Rovers and their Fife neighbours Dunfermline turned out to be a damp squib.
A freak thunderstorm about half an hour before the scheduled kick-off time left the East End Park surface in an unplayable state and, despite the valiant efforts of the Pars’ ground staff to clear the vast areas of standing water from the pitch, referee Steve McLean was left with no option but to call the game off following his 3.30pm inspection.
Postponed matches in July are something of a rarity, even allowing for Scotland’s irregular weather patterns, but Saturday’s events took everyone by surprise and the game has now been rearranged for Tuesday August 5.
“I think perhaps the firmness of the pitch at this time of year contributed to the problem,” said a clearly disappointed Dunfermline manager Jim Jefferies following the postponement.
“It meant that the rain took longer than normal to drain away. It was a great effort by the ground staff and the referee gave us as much time as possible, but in the end he has to think of the safety of the players.
“I wanted the game to be rescheduled for this Tuesday night, but the police commander told me he needed more time to prepare due to his officers being required at the Commonwealth Games.”
Despite his new-look squad having been hit by injury and suspension, Raith boss Grant Murray took no great comfort from the postponement.
“I wanted the game to go ahead today,” he said. “As holders of the trophy we had all been looking forward to this one since the draw was made and there’s been a fair bit of publicity with us being the holders and it being a Fife derby.
“But the referee had a decision to make and you could see the water that fell in such a short space of time and the amount that was lying on the pitch.
“There’s no guarantee that we won’t still have the same team selection issues to deal with in just over a week’s time.
“There are always a lot of knocks and niggles at this time of year.
“The referee had a decision to make and even if he had allowed the game to start, any further rainfall would probably have resulted in an abandonment.”