How Storm Eowyn impacted Hearts, Hibs and Scottish football with three clubs suffering stadium damage

Storm Eowyn has swept through the nation and the morning after the night before is now in full swing.

Raging winds and swirling rains battered Scotland on Friday and rare red-weather warnings brought a halt to much of daily life. That has now passed but a trail of damage has not been left in its wake.

With a packed Scottish football calendar on Saturday, it’s hardly ideal timing. Hearts host Kilmarnock in Gorgie while Hibs have made a long trip north amid the weather to take on Ross County.

Some have escaped some storm headaches, others have been left with thinking to do. Here’s how the likes of Hearts, Hibs and others were hit by Storm Eowyn.

Hearts

The club’s ‘B’ team had to postpone their Friday night clash in the Lowland League with East Kilbride amid the storm. Due to the introduction of the red weather warning too, the decision was taken to close the Clubstore, Ticket Office, Hearts Museum and Memorial Garden.

Hibs

Hibs dodged the storm with an early dash to the Highlands ahead of the game with Ross County. They’d hit the road at 8 am and head coach David Gray said: “It felt like four in the morning, because it was so dark! But the weather warning was between ten and five. So we left Edinburgh at eight o'clock this morning. Not too bad. We managed to get away right over the central belt, two hours away before that kicked in. And to be honest, once we were away from the city, it was actually OK, we definitely made the right decision to get away before the worst of the storm.

“Because just before I came on this call, we’re actually a couple of minutes late because my wife just called to say our fence had blown over. So that's not ideal. I’ll need to get back and fix that. Sunday - that's the job for Sunday morning. Am I good with a drill? I’ll try. I wouldn't say I'm any good with it, but definitely a try, let's just say. So, we'll see what happens.

“A normal preparation for this game would have been coming in this morning, train this morning and then get on the bus and head up to Ross County. Clearly that wasn't going to be an option. One, you would never get training done with the wind, and also the red weather warning not allowing you to be on the roads for between ten and five. So we took the decision last night, once we got a clearer idea of the bus company and everything else, that it could be possible.

“We got up earlier this morning, got out of the city and out of the central belt earlier, and then we've arrived up in Inverness already, which is good, so we've managed to get the travel done. And then we're going to train up here, just do a light session up here to get the travel out of our legs, so we've done everything we can to make sure we're ready and everything will be set for tomorrow.

“As I say, that reduces the risk of having to put it off until later or not having to travel on the day, so really grateful we're able to get up safely and out of the way. I hope everything's alright and back down there, because it's actually not too bad up here, to be honest.”

Arbroath

The League One clash between Arbroath and Kelty Hearts has been postponed due to stadium damage at Gayfield. A statement reads: “Arbroath FC's William Hill League One Fixture against Kelty Hearts scheduled for 5:30pm tomorrow has been postponed. Following safety concerns due to considerable damage to the Main Stand Roof following Storm Eowyn, a meeting held between Arbroath FC, the SPFL and Police Scotland, it has been decided that due to the risk and the safety of supporters and players, the game will be postponed.

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused, and we thank supporters for their understanding. Whilst we appreciate this will be disappointing for our fans, the safety of all Arbroath and Kelty supporters, staff and players is of paramount importance. Information for the rearranged fixture will be posted when confirmed.”

Greenock Morton

Pictures emerged on social media of the Championship side’s Cowshed end at Cappielow missing parts of its roof. General manager Dale Pryde-MacDonald said: “Today’s storm has caused significant damage at the stadium and also to our local community. Due to the conditions still being challenging a full and accurate assessment of the damage will be conducted in the coming days. I have been in dialogue with our insurers across the day and we will work closely with them to ensure that we can manage the fall out from today’s storm.

“We understand supporters will be concerned by the severity of the images they have seen in relation to the Cowshed stand, and we will continue to provide updates as and when they are available in relation to the issues that have been/will be identified over the coming days. Given the lack of fixtures since the turn of the year, the recent gas leak at Cappielow and today’s storm it has been a frustrating start to 2025 but we will continue to face these challenges head on and as positively as we can. Finally, I hope everybody manages to navigate through the storm safely and without any issues.”

Celtic

Premiership champions Celtic are facing having to call off their home game vs Dundee due to damage at Parkhead. A statement reads: “Unfortunately severe weather conditions have caused some damage at Celtic Park. Our stadium and safety staff are currently unable to fully assess the extent of the damage due to the ongoing extreme conditions.

“In light of this and in order that we communicate fully and openly with our fans, in the interests of supporter safety, we are unable to confirm at this stage whether the match between Celtic and Dundee (Jan 25) will be able to proceed. Of course, we will be doing all we can to ensure that it does. A full assessment and decision will be made as early as possible (Saturday) and we will update our supporters as soon as we can. We thank our supporters sincerely for their understanding.”