Milne Cup match will go ahead after football associations agree new date

The Milne Cup fixture between Orkney and Shetland will now be played in September after the two associations agreed a new date for the historic clash.

Shetland Football Association last night announced the cancellation of the match after Orkney Amateur Football Association (OAFA) informed them that they were not sending a team north for the fixture this Saturday.

The SFA, on their Facebook page, had said that it was “unlikely” that the fixture would be played this year but today’s development caps a remarkable turnaround.

A statement issued this afternoon by the OAFA confirmed that Orkney will travel north to play for the Milne Cup at the Gilbertson Park on September 16.

This Saturday’s date clashed with a home match for Orkney FC in the North Caledonian League and the unavailability of the management team.

OAFA said it was a “very difficult” decision to postpone the match, apologised for the lateness in doing so, and thanked the SFA for facilitating the rescheduling, while re-affirming the importance of the historic clash to the association.

Read the statement in full in The Orcadian this week.