According to a report in the Daily Mail, there’s still a strong possibility St Mirren won’t be able to field a team against Celtic tonight.
The Daily Mail reports [print edition 22/12/21 p.69] that St Mirren, who asked for a postponement, are facing a nervy morning waiting for PCR test results to come back.
The report states that a “number” of Buddies players have been identified as close contacts of those with Covid-19. Therefore, it’ll be anxiety this AM for St Mirren, who are already stretched razor thin ahead of Celtic visiting tonight. The Sun state that it could be down to just one more player being ruled out.
Celtic, for their part, have asked for the winter break to be moved forward. St Mirren were one of the clubs who, according to the Scottish Sun, agree with Celtic’s proposal.
The Daily Mail state that the SPFL are keeping a close eye on the situation. St Mirren are due to earn £55,000 from gate receipts for tonight’s game, with 4,000 Celtic fans due to travel. That’s despite new Covid-19 restrictions coming into effect from St Stephen’s Day.
How it’s safe to go tonight, but not the day after Christmas, is anyone’s guess.
SPFL rules state that if a team has 13 fit players, including a goalkeeper, the match must go ahead. St Mirren have brought back teenagers from the SLFL to attempt this, but the signs aren’t particularly good for manager Jim Goodwin.
St Mirren in dire straits with Celtic heading to Paisley; this is farcical
We understand there are rules, financial implications and of course, three points at stake for Celtic here. But this is utterly farcical.
Tonight’s game has the risk of being a complete joke. Celtic have international players available to them, are on a fantastic streak of results, and have just won a League Cup. St Mirren might have to play their kids, with at least 8 first-team players missing.
Even from the most biased Celtic perspective; is this worth it?
4,000 Celtic fans will head to St Mirren Park tonight, something they won’t be allowed to do just days later. Meanwhile, St Mirren have been left absolutely threadbare.
Again; surely common sense has to prevail at some point. The SPFL have to consider the implications of this, the safety for players and supporters, and the potential long-term effects.
Tonight could be one of the stranger spectacles we’ve seen in recent years, and given the uniqueness of Scottish football, that’s some going.
We’ll have more on this as the story updates.
Read more: Kyogo and his brilliant reaction to Celtic League Cup triumph
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