Livingston v Aberdeen: Scottish Premiership match off because of frozen pitch

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Tony Macaroni ArenaImage source, SNS
Image caption,

The Tony Macaroni pitch was frozen in sections prior to kick-off

Livingston's Scottish Premiership match against Aberdeen has been called off because of a frozen pitch.

The artificial surface in West Lothian was deemed unplayable by referee Steven McLean less than two hours before the scheduled 16:00 GMT kick-off.

Temperatures in the town reached -6C on the morning of the game, and the home side said club staff worked up to 36 hours before kick-off on the pitch.

No date for the rearranged match has yet been confirmed by the SPFL.

Livingston manager David Martindale told BBC Sportsound the referee felt it "wasn't safe" and that he "agreed".

"I'm a wee bit gutted to be honest, because we've been working on the pitch since about 9am yesterday morning, personally myself and wee Derek [White] and a couple of the other boys," he said.

"We all muck in together here, I was in and my eight-year-old daughter was in helping us last night as well. We had contractors in until 1:45am this morning, and back in at 7:30am this morning.

"We kept in contact with Aberdeen and they were happy to travel knowing the game could be put off. There's been a massive improvement on the park, but I think about 5% or 10% the referee felt wasn't safe, and to be honest, I've got to agree with him."

The home side were aiming for their fifth win in a row since Martindale took charge - a feat last achieved by a manager in the top flight in 2015 by Hearts manager Robbie Neilson.

Aberdeen, meanwhile, were hoping to cement their position in third place, having only lost one of their past 13 matches.

Live: Wednesday's Scottish Premiership

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