According to Radio Scotland the Referee had telephoned Dens Park at noon and was told there were no apparant problems with the pitch. No early inspection was therefore carried out, although a hard overnight frost had left many council parks brick hard and unplayable.
The trouble was the Dens Road side of the park, where the sun doesn't get to the grass. A small area there was deemed dangerous for players wearing aluminium studs. The Referee gave Dundee some time to try to get the park in better shape but tons of sand made no real difference and he declared the game off. It was announced on Radio Scotland at 2.18.
Radio Scotland also alleged that Jim Duffy had been instrumental in making the decision that the pitch was playable and in an interview later Jim did say he had played in much worse conditions and thought it would have been OK by 3.00.
But such late decisions, not for the first time at Dens, are just not acceptable to fans. Football is supposed to be an entertainment, it's not satisfactory that cars and buses were allowed to leave Livingstone with no hint that there could be a problem with the pitch. I believe that if there's the slightest problem or bad weather conditions, and everyone knew the forecast for Saturday morning was hard frost, it should be compulsory for referees to inspect all parks by 12.00 at the latest. If the park isn't playable then, it's off, as simple as that.
In the old days, local referees were called in to make early decisions for the official match ref. 2 Scottish games called off on a beautiful, sunny day, because of frost is simply not good enough. It's time to give every SPL team two years to get undersoil heating installed. The only losers, as usual, are the poor, hard suffering fans.
I and many others await an explanation from Dundee for what seems a quite ridiculous situation.