 The thaw has resulted in "significant water damage" at Ibrox
The freezing weather has once again hit the Scottish fixture list, with 16 from 21 senior games postponed. Scottish Premier League games at Aberdeen, Hamilton, Rangers and St Johnstone have been called off. First Division matches at Queen of the South, Raith and Ross County are off while Falkirk failed an inspection. And in the leagues below the games at Dumbarton, Ayr, Brechin, Albion Rovers, Berwick, Clyde, Stenhousemuir and Stranraer have succumbed to the freeze. Stenhousemuir's match against Livingston at Ochilview in the second division failed an 1100 GMT pitch inspection. However, Alloa's match in the second division against Airdrie United at Recreation Park goes ahead. and while Falkirk's home match against Partick Thistle passed an early pitch inspection, the match was called off at 1400 GMT. All of the games in the Highland League are off. Rangers v St Mirren was called off on Thursday after water damage caused by burst pipes at Ibrox. Snow fell in Aberdeen on Thursday and a statement from the SPL read: "The extreme weather conditions currently in the North East and its forecast continuance over the weekend led to police concerns about spectator safety travelling to and around Pittodrie Stadium. A new date will be announced in due course." Regarding the call-off at Rangers, the SPL said: "The thaw following the recent extreme cold has led to significant water damage in various parts of the stadium. "The extent of the damage is such, there is no prospect of repairs being completed before the weekend." In Perth, the McDiarmid Park pitch is not a cause for concern, having been covered over the course of the bad weather, with snow and ice removed. However, surrounding areas pose a hazard for travelling supporters. The Scottish Football League has lost 49 fixtures to the weather this season. A spokesman confirmed to BBC Scotland that those fixtures are manageable within the current calendar. However, should they suffer further postponements after the new year they would have to reassess that situation.
Matches off on Saturday 18 December Scottish Premier League Aberdeen v Motherwell Hamilton v Celtic Rangers v St Mirren St Johnstone v Dundee Utd First Division Queen of the South v Morton Ross County v Dunfermline Raith v Cowdenbeath Falkirk v Partick Thistle Second Division Ayr v Forfar Brechin v East Fife Dumbarton v Peterhead Stenhousemuir v Livingston Division Three Albion Rovers v Annan Athletic Berwick Rangers Clyde v Arbroath Stranraer v East Stirlingshire
Highland League Cove Rangers v Keith Fort William v Fraserburgh Huntly v Nairn County Turriff United v Inverurie Loco Works Wick Academy v Buckie Thistle Deveronvale v Formartine United Lossiemouth v Rothes Brora Rangers v Clachnacuddin Forres Mechanics v Strathspey Thistle Tuesday 21 December Second Division Forfar v Alloa
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