Storm Boelo has thrown the Scottish football calendar into disarray, with a series of SPFL and Scottish Cup fixtures postponed and travel disruptions affecting supporters across the country. The Met Office has issued fresh warnings for Sunday's Premiership matches, including Celtic's trip to Hibs and Hearts' visit to Motherwell.
Postponements and Abandonments Across Scotland
The first casualty was Friday night's Scottish Cup second round tie between Penicuik Athletic and Clyde, which was scrapped. That set the tone for a weekend of disruption, with the Championship clash between Morton and Ayr United at Cappielow also called off.
The Scottish Cup card was particularly badly hit. Cove Rangers' home game with East Kilbride initially got the green light but was abandoned around the half-hour mark with the visitors 1-0 up. Threave Rovers against Pollock was called off an hour before kick-off following a second pitch inspection, while Hill of Beath vs Musselburgh Athletic suffered the same fate. Johnstone Burgh's clash with Formartine United was postponed until next weekend.
Amber Warning and Travel Chaos
The Met Office has an amber weather alert in place for large parts of Scotland, with rain and winds of up to 80mph hitting some areas. For Sunday, an amber wind warning is in force between 9pm Saturday and 9pm Sunday in Leith, where Hibs host Celtic at Easter Road. Motherwell, who face Hearts at Fir Park, are expected to see gusts of between 60mph and 70mph.
The public have been warned that strong winds could cause flying debris and damage to infrastructure, potentially disrupting journeys to matches. The high winds are expected to hit Scotland worse than the rest of the UK on Sunday, with people urged to avoid or delay travel to affected areas.
Celtic fans travelling from Ireland face disruption after a number of flights from Dublin Airport were cancelled. A statement from airport bosses read: "Strong winds associated with Storm Boelo have resulted in a small number of cancellations and some minor delays at Dublin Airport so far today."
Rail Disruption and Travel Advice
ScotRail services face cancellations, with Network Rail altering its travel advice. Services from Glasgow Central to Kilwinning will be suspended from 9pm on Saturday, before the Oban and Mallaig to Glasgow Queen Street lines follow from around 10pm. Both lines will remain closed on Sunday until a safety inspection can take place.
Speed restrictions will be in place across large parts of the network from late Saturday into Sunday. Network Rail says passengers should expect significant disruption and are being urged to plan ahead. Customers holding tickets for Saturday, 24 October or Sunday, 25 October may travel on any service on Saturday, 24 October, or use their ticket once routes reopen, including on Monday, 26 October.
Despite the conditions, a full Premiership fixture card went ahead at 3pm on Saturday, with Rangers' clash with St Johnstone among the games battered by rain.
