Scottish fifth-tier club Johnstone Burgh face the unusual task of playing two separate cup ties on the very same day, with their matches scheduled to kick off just half an hour apart. The team must assemble two separate squads to play away against Tayport in the Scottish Communities Cup third round at 14:30 GMT and against hosts Dunipace 65 miles away in the Lowland League Cup first round at 15:00 on Saturday, 21 November.
Exhausted Alternatives and Unyielding Schedules
Neither of their opponents, nor any other clubs scheduled to face them on alternative weekends, agreed to move away from traditional Saturday afternoon kick-off slots. According to a statement posted by Burgh on X, the club investigated every conceivable option to avoid the clash because their calendar is already packed.
The club attempted to reschedule league fixtures and South Challenge Cup ties, proposed traveling to Tayport during the week, suggested playing Tayport on a Friday evening or Sunday afternoon, and most recently offered to play the Communities Cup match either right before or immediately following their Lowland League Cup fixture. Furthermore, Burgh offered to give up their portion of the gate revenue to compensate for any inconvenience caused by shifting the match times. Despite exhausting all available alternatives, no agreement could be reached to play outside of Saturday afternoon.
Team Standings and Previous Postponements
Burgh currently hold eighth place in the newly formed Lowland League West following their promotion from the West of Scotland League Premier Division. They would normally be favored in both cup ties if they could deploy their full, strongest squad. The club previously captured the Scottish Communities Cup two seasons ago when the tournament was known as the Scottish Junior Cup.
In comparison, Dunipace occupy the second-to-last spot in the Lowland League East, while Tayport compete a tier lower in sixth place within the Midlands Premier League. All three participating clubs previously experienced match postponements due to their advancement in the second round of the Scottish Cup. Tayport ultimately fell to Stranraer, Dunipace suffered a heavy defeat against Largs Thistle, and Burgh’s home fixture against Highland League team Formartine United was postponed and rearranged for this upcoming Saturday.
Expressing deep frustration, Burgh stated they are extremely disappointed that their best efforts failed to secure a reasonable solution allowing them to compete in both fixtures with their strongest available players. The club thanked Tayport and the other organizations for considering their proposals while acknowledging that teams prefer maintaining traditional Saturday afternoon match times. Finally, Burgh reassured their fanbase that every possible avenue and workable solution was thoroughly pursued.
