Penicuik Athletic v Clyde back on for Tuesday after storm damage
Penicuik Athletic and Clyde will finally play their Scottish Cup second round tie on Tuesday, after it was called off earlier in the week. The match is at Montgomery Park, the Penicuik club's home ground, with kick-off at 19:45 GMT.
The tie was first set for Friday, but the pitch was waterlogged and the game could not go ahead. Clyde announced the postponement and then confirmed the new date. The problem was not just the rain. Storm Boelo brought high winds that left branches and other debris across the playing surface.
Those branches did more than land on the grass. According to the BBC, debris covers about half of the pitch, and some branches came down upright and stuck into the turf. Clearing that is slow, careful work.
The club asked for help. Penicuik issued a "HELP NEEDED" appeal for volunteers to clear the pitch on Monday night, and around 30 people offered to start the job. Montgomery Park sits on Carlops Road in Penicuik, and the club's president, Andy Penman, is among those leading the effort.
The tie is a big occasion for a small club. Around 1,300 tickets have been sold, which fills the ground to capacity. Anyone who cannot get to the game can watch it on BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website. Adult tickets were priced at £12 and under-16s at £5.
Penicuik sit ninth in the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division, the regional league below the Scottish professional divisions. Clyde are a step higher, level on points with Stranraer at the top of League Two, the fourth tier of Scottish professional football. Clyde are a long way from being in a comfortable position, but on paper they are the bigger name. Scottish Cup ties often turn on that kind of gap, and a pitch covered in debris is no help to either side.
Penicuik have a good record in this competition. They beat Kilwinning Rangers in the first round this season. Back in 2019 they beat Stenhousemuir 3-0 at the same stage of the cup.
The winners will not get a rest. They will play East Kilbride, who sit fourth in League One, in the next round. For Penicuik, a win on Tuesday would mean another home-area crowd and a chance to test themselves against a higher-ranked side. For Clyde, it would mean the longer trip and a tricky night in the cold.
Tuesday's game has already had a rough few days. Volunteers and a capacity crowd are waiting for the same thing: a proper football match, played on a cleared pitch, with the cup on the line.
