Motherwell’s Ladbrokes Premiership match with Kilmarnock has been abandoned due to fog.
The match reached half-time at 0-0, but was called off one minute into the second half as visibility did not improve.
A new date will be announced shortly.
It was cruel on ‘Well, who looked the more likely bounce back and return to their winning ways.
With Sunday’s defeat the first since Kilmarnock’s at Fir Park on Boxing Day, the Steelmen had the perfect opportunity to get back on the winning track and claim their first points of the season from the Rugby Parkers.
Stephen Robinson was able to revert to his favoured and consistent line-up with Curtis Main fit to lead the ‘Well attack. Incredibly, a heavily bandaged Tom Aldred retained his place despite having eight stitches inserted in a head wound at Celtic Park.
Killie looked determined to end their miserable run of seven games without a win and in a positive start Eamonn Brophy had a few speculative attempts at goal.
Neither side appeared comfortable on the artificial surface but ‘Well were the more unsettled, with a series of misplaced passes and a degree of apprehension about their play.
After 16 minutes, Brophy’s 20 yard drive took a deflection off Alex Gorrin but went down the middle of the goal a give Mark Gillespie an easy first catch.
Having been camped in their own half for the first 20 minutes, ‘Well should have then opened the scoring. David Turnbull whipped in a free kick which found Aldred unmarked eight yards from goal but he powered his header down and wide of the post.
An in-swinging cross from Gorrin intended for Jake Hastie proved a problem for Daniel Bachmann, who only just cleared the ball off the the ‘Well winger’s head at the expense of a corner.
Turnbull’s flag kick again found Aldred who rolled the ball back to Gboly Ariyibi, whose low drive zipped across the surface but was well saved by Bachmann at full stretch.
Steadily Motherwell gained the impetus and with Aryibi proving to be a tricky handful the play was generally towards the Killie goal.
Ten minutes from half time, the ball found its way to Richard Tait 30 yards out and in plenty of space to fire a controlled shot towards goal but it posed little problems for Bachmann.
As half time approached and the evening mist swirled around Rugby Park reducing visibility, Brophy had another crack at goal but Gillespie got his body firmly behind the striker’s shot to save.
Just before the break, Ariyibi worked his way to the byline, before a deep cross found Hastie but at full stretch he couldn’t direct the ball back toward goal.
As the mist thickened over the interval, there were severe doubts about the game lasting 90 minutes. Referee John Beaton brought the teams out for the second half but within a couple of minutes stopped to have a word with the managers before temporarily halting play.
In the hope that the fog would lift, the players darted in and out of the mist to keep warm, before heading back to the dressing room for another five minutes – in a final attempt to determine if visibility would improve.
However, it was to no avail as both sets of supporters, deprived of seeing more than half a pitch length, had to settle for the match being abandoned.
