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Both away fans and quite a few Lichties who travel regularly from farther afield have now incurred expense and inconvenience to turn up for scheduled games to find them off. The club has to survive without gate and related money for another couple of weeks.
In years gone by and when winters were harder, you were almost guaranteed that games at Gayfield would go ahead. Unless there was deep snow or hard frost or, once or twice, thick fog, matches would proceed. Sometimes the rest of the fixture list had to be decided by the pools panel yet by the end of the winter Arbroath would often have played more games than their rivals
No more it seems. Although junior games have gone ahead in town while those at Gayfield were cancelled, refs now just take the easy option, covert their back and cancel. Despite the fact it's a winter game, any excuse is now used - moderate rainfall, a hint of frost, a strong breeze. No matter - call it off. To hell with the clubs and to hell with the fans who are expected to do it all over again. The ref takes his fee anyway
Drastic solutions are now needed - a plastic pitch, a thick windbreak of trees - otherwise winter football at the Stade Gayfield, despite global warming, may become an endangered species