Hibs press call cancelled as speculation intensifies of another Ross County call-off

Hibs are due to face Ross County on Wednesday.

The club have been hit with a flurry of positive covid cases, with a player and a member of the coaching staff contracting it last week, another two identified at the weekend, forcing Saturday’s match to be rescheduled, and on Monday it was revealed that another couple have tested positive.

With injuries also limiting options, manager Jack Ross was expected to travel north with a severely debilitated squad, relying heavily on the club’s U-18 players.

The decision to force the teams to face up at the Global Energy Stadium so soon after the initial outbreak, when the number of cases was always likely to rise, angered the Easter Road club, especially as it meant fans would be asked to make the lengthy seven-hour round trip twice in the matter of days.

But now that the pre-match media arrangements have been cancelled, questions are being asked about the viability of the fixture.

If Hibs are unable to fulfil the fixture, it will be up to the football authorities to decide whether a further postponement is possible or, following an eye-witness report alleging that not all safety protocols were followed in the team hotel, whether there should be an investigation and a possible foreiting of the points.

If there have been more cases there could be implications for the Leith side’s international stars, with Kevin Nisbet named in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the vital World Cup qualifying double header, away to Moldova and then at home to Denmark, while Martin Boyle is due to meet up with the Australian squad for matches against Saudi Arabia and China and Alex Gogic will be hoping he can yet play his part for Cyprus in the head to heads with Russia and Slovenia.