Johnstone Burgh, a non-league side in the Lowland League West, will play two cup matches at the same time on November 21, a scheduling situation described as a first for Scottish football. Both fixtures are away from home: a Scottish Communities Cup tie against Tayport and a Lowland League Cup tie against Dunipace, with kick-offs set just 30 minutes apart.
The club said it exhausted all avenues to rearrange one of the games and has been forced to split its squad in two to fulfil both fixtures. The unusual arrangement follows a growing problem with fixture scheduling in the lower leagues, where the volume of cup competitions has created clashes.
Previous scheduling clash
Last week, Armadale Thistle were forced to play two home games in one day, kicking off against Dundonald Bluebell at 2pm before hosting Stonehaven FC in the Scottish Communities Cup, formerly known as the Junior Cup, at 7.45pm the same day. Johnstone Burgh's situation goes further, with both of their away cup ties set to be played at the same time.
Club statement on efforts
In a statement, Johnstone Burgh said: "We would like to update our supporters on the ongoing situation regarding our Scottish Communities Cup tie against Tayport."
The club explained it had explored every possible option to find a solution allowing the tie to be played outwith a Saturday afternoon, as its schedule is already full. Attempts included rearranging league fixtures and South Challenge Cup ties, travelling to Tayport midweek, playing Tayport on a Friday night or Sunday afternoon, and offering to play the Communities Cup tie immediately before or after the Lowland League Cup fixture. The club also offered to forfeit its share of the gate money to help cover any inconvenience caused by rearranging the fixture.
No solution found
Despite these efforts, the club said it was unable to reach a solution, meaning the Communities Cup tie and Lowland League Cup tie must be played on the same day, at the same time, on Saturday 21st November. The statement added: "We are extremely disappointed that, despite our best efforts, we have been unable to find a reasonable solution that would allow us to compete in both games with our strongest available squad."
The club thanked Tayport and the other clubs it spoke to for considering the options, noting that clubs want to stay within traditional Saturday afternoon kick-off times. It reassured supporters that every avenue has been explored and every effort has been made to find a workable solution, adding: "It certainly hasn't been for the lack of trying."
