Forfar Athletic chiefs have admitted the cold snap has been a “huge blow” to the club’s finances, as Sunday’s Angus derby looks likely to be called off.
Dick Campbell’s side has not played a home game since November 6 and directors will today evaluate the Station Park pitch ahead of the planned second division meeting with Brechin City.
The Loons already face a backlog of fixtures in the New Year, which could see them lose thousands in hospitality revenue, and club secretary David McGregor admitted he is concerned “the worst of the winter could be still to come.”
He said, “I’m not saying the Brechin game will definitely be off yet but even if it isn’t we’ve already lost three home games due to the weather, which has been a huge blow to our cashflow.
“Like many clubs, we haven’t had any match-day revenue since the start of November and if Sunday’s game gets postponed this will make things even worse.
“For some of those games, we were fully booked for hospitality and we’re unlikely to get the same income if the game is being played midweek.
“We also have a situation where we could be playing every Tuesday and Saturday for several weeks at the end of the season.
“That’s really tough on fans without season tickets because they’ll have to stump up twice a week.”
McGregor added that Sunday’s match was “vital” for the club, as New Year derbies generally draw larger than usual crowds.
He also insisted it was important that the players were given essential match practice, as the only game they have taken part in over the last two months has been a friendly with a junior club played on an all-weather pitch.
He said, “We’ve struggled in this respect but the manager has been great and had worked extremely hard to ensure the players have trained twice a week as often as possible.
“However, nothing compares to playing an actual game and the only time the players have got 90 minutes was in a friendly against Spartans.
“The one thing that has been a huge bonus is that our grant from the SFA is increased, otherwise we would be struggling even more.”