The SPFL have announced that two Scottish Championship matches - originally scheduled for Saturday, January 11 - will now be played at a later date.
The upcoming fixtures involving Greenock Morton against Raith Rovers and Livingston hosting Airdrieonians have been moved due to anticipated adverse weather conditions.
The SPFL has, at the request of the club's, opted to adjust both games ahead of time in response to forecasts of continued freezing temperatures across the country.
Morton's encounter with Raith will now occur a day later, on Sunday, January 12, at 3pm, when warmer temperatures are predicted. Meanwhile, Livingston's showdown against Airdrie has been shifted to Tuesday at 7.45pm.
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On the change, a Morton statement said: "Following discussions with the SPFL and opposition, we can confirm that this weekend’s William Hill Championship match against Raith Rovers has been moved 24 hours to Sunday 12th January at 3pm.
"Following last Saturday’s postponement, temperatures have dropped further this week and are set to remain close to or below freezing between now and Saturday. Friday through to early Saturday morning is set to be extremely cold. With the current forecast in mind, and despite the fact covers have been on the pitch since Monday morning, the match would have almost no chance of going ahead on Saturday.
"Temperatures are forecasted to rise on Saturday afternoon through to Sunday and rescheduling the fixture by 24 hours gives it a much better chance of going ahead. It is preferable to aim for the game to be played this weekend, rather than having to reschedule the game for a midweek date. We have also aimed to make this decision as early as possible to give supporters as much notice as we could.
"Originally scheduled for Saturday 11th January at 3pm, this match will now take place on Sunday 12th January with a 3pm kick-off."
Livingston commented explaining why they couldn't also follow suit and schedule for the Sunday.
"The recent heavy snow in Livingston, coupled with the expected freezing temperatures in the coming days, Saturday’s clash with Airdrieonians has been rescheduled for Tuesday 14th January at 7.45pm," an update read.
"Despite covers being down on the pitch, and our maintenance team working incredibly hard over recent days, the already cold temperatures coupled with forecasted temperatures of between -7 and -10 over the course of Thursday and Friday means that we had real doubt of their being enough of a thaw to allow for the game to be played on Saturday as planned.
"As such, with the agreement of Airdrieonians and the SPFL, we looked to move the game to the Sunday with temperatures expected to be much better, but a number of external matchday partners were unable to accommodate for then, meaning we’ve had to go into midweek instead.
"An early agreement on the rearranging of the fixture also allows the club to save on some costs which would have been incurred by waiting for the formality of postponing on Saturday, and means our opponents also have plenty of advance notice.
"Tickets for the original fixture date remain valid.
"Our thanks to Airdrieonians and the SPFL for their cooperation on a swift and prompt solution."
