Kilmarnock forced to forfeit League Cup match after squad told to self-isolate

Kilmarnock have lost against Falkirk, although not on the park. The Scottish Premiership side have been forced to concede the points to the Scottish League One outfit after their whole first-team squad were advised to self-isolate.

The Ayrshire side were rocked by the news that six people had tested positive for the coronavirus at the club, meaning the match against Motherwell on Friday was postponed due to the relevant authorities advising the whole first-team squad to self-isolate.

Kilmarnock said they asked the SPFL to postpone the match but the body rejected the request and awarded the Bairns a 3-0 win.

A statement from Kilmarnock read: "The SPFL Board have confirmed that the punishment for not fulfilling this fixture is the award of a 3-0 win to Falkirk FC. The only way to fulfil the fixture on the original date (October 6) would be to field a team consisting of players from our U18s squad".

However, manager Alex Dyer was against the idea of playing the kids as he "did not feel comfortable fielding an entire team of teenagers, all of whom have no first-team experience while very few have sampled Reserve football".

Kilmarnock are scheduled to play Dunfermline next week, meaning that the first-team players won't be available for that match either. A decision has not yet been made about that fixture.

The Scottish League Cup operates as a group stage format with the winners automatically going through to the next round. The best runners-up join them in the next phase. 3 points are awarded for a win, 2 for a win on penalties, and 1 for the team that loses on penalties.

Killie are in a group with Falkirk, Dunfermline, Clyde, and Dumbarton.

 

October 5, 2020