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Peterhead chairman Rodger Morrison unsurprised by lower-league shutdown

by Jamie Durent
14/01/2021, 12:34 pm
Peterhead chairman Rodger Morrison.
Peterhead chairman Rodger Morrison.

Peterhead chairman Rodger Morrison was not surprised by the shutdown of football below the Championship.

Morrison believes the lower-league clubs have been made to pay the price for Celtic’s controversial trip to Dubai, which has seen 13 players and three staff required to isolate.

All fixtures in leagues below the second tier have been postponed for the next three weeks, wiping out fixtures for the remainder of January.

Peterhead had been due to play Stenhousemuir in the Scottish Cup on Tuesday night, as well as having League One games against Airdrieonians and Dumbarton shelved. A potential Scottish Cup tie against Kilmarnock, due for January 30, will also have to be pushed back.

Blue Toon chief Morrison said: “I wouldn’t say it’s unexpected but I do think we’ve been the sacrificial lamb on the back of the Celtic thing.

“I’m back to the same thoughts of the way we operate at a lower level. You feel like a stranger at away games, standing on your own with no contact with the opposing directors, but we’re really operating safely.

“I do feel we’ve been operating in a safe manner, with what we’ve agreed to and what we’re doing. It has been a bit of a lifeline for people – at least they could have a streamed game on a Saturday. Now that’s gone.”

Morrison also echoes the thoughts of his manager Jim McInally, in that it should not just be the lower leagues in Scotland which are paused.

He also questioned whether it would just be for a three-week period. The shutdown has been brought in while mainland Scotland is under level four of the Scottish Government’s coronavirus restrictions, which has seen all non-essential businesses close and warn against all-but-necessary travel.

Morrison added: “The scary thing is, is it just for three weeks? I don’t know. I’ve got the Cock & Bull restaurant at Balmedie and our management planning is we’re not going to be open until the end of April, beginning of May.

“They probably won’t shut down the football altogether because it’ll be fresh in their mind what happened the first time around. Here’s hoping it’s just three weeks but I do have my doubts.”