Celtic’s hopes of cutting the gap to Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership to three points have hit a snag after their trip to Aberdeen was postponed less than four hours before kick-off.
Martin O’Neill’s side had been due to visit Pittodrie on Wednesday evening, but a 4 pm pitch inspection carried out by fourth official Greg Souter, following what the hosts called “prolonged rain over the last few weeks”, found the ground to be too waterlogged for the game to go ahead.
Scouter told reporters: “There was an area of concern raised about the bottom end within the penalty area. I’ve had a look at it, there’s extremely soft mud, it’s moving when you put studs in it, and there’s a concern for player safety when they’re running in it that their studs will just slip.
“The ball’s not bouncing in that area either. Player safety is paramount, and that’s not something I could ensure. It’s not one I thought was in doubt; it’s a fairly straightforward decision.”
A new date for the fixture is yet to be announced.
