ATHLETIC boss James McPake said that the club “tried everything we could” to ensure that Monday’s scheduled clash with Falkirk went ahead.

The first game of 2023 at KDM Group East End Park was postponed around three hours before kick-off after the playing surface failed an inspection.

Low overnight temperatures had raised doubts over whether the eagerly-anticipated clash between the two rivals would go ahead, with the Pars informing fans that a fault had been detected within their undersoil heating system ahead of the game, despite successful tests in the run-up to the match.

A large crowd had been expected to watch Dunfermline, who remain top of League One, aim to extend their seven-point advantage over the third-placed Bairns, but the pitch was deemed frozen when checked at midday.

“We were looking forward to playing but, when something happens that you can’t control, you just look ahead to the next game, and that’s obviously the team that are second,” McPake told Press Sport ahead of his team’s trip to FC Edinburgh.

“We play them on Saturday so it’s another big game.

“We’ve all been used to that situation (where teams aren’t in action), whether it be a cup weekend, an international break, obviously in different leagues, but we’ve had these situations before.

“It’s obviously disappointing when you do prepare all week and set a team up for a game and you don’t play it, but sometimes you can’t help that.

“I know we tried everything we could to get the game on. That gets done, whether you play it or you don’t, then you move on to the next one, which is this weekend.”

Defender Aaron Comrie commented: “There’s been breaks in the season and, with the league business, you want to go week-to-week and get the matches played.

“You see Edinburgh; they catch up on points. I know we’ve got the games in hand but it was definitely disappointing for the game to be off.

“I think all the boys were looking forward to it, it was set to be a good crowd as well, so it was unfortunate.”

The postponement of the fixture, which will be rescheduled in due course, means that their next scheduled home match – with Peterhead on January 14 – would take place six weeks after their last, a draw with Queen of the South on December 3.

After the call-off was announced, the Pars released a statement, which read: “Everyone at Dunfermline Athletic was hugely disappointed with today’s postponement due to a frozen pitch ahead of what was one of the most anticipated games in Scotland this afternoon.

“Ahead of the fixture, our undersoil heating was tested numerous times during December, however, following a failure within the boiler of the undersoil heating system on the morning of December 31st, it proved unable to fix.

“Despite the best efforts of the ground staff this morning, the pitch failed a 12 noon inspection.

“The club would like to apologise to all supporters for any inconvenience caused and will communicate the rearranged fixture details in due course.”

This Saturday, McPake takes his team to Edinburgh ahead of Tuesday’s SPFL Trust Trophy quarter-final at Dundee, with the capital club a point behind the Pars, having played two games more.

He added: “We were comfortable when we went to Edinburgh earlier in the season, then they made it really tough for us at East End Park.

“It’s a big game for them, it’s a big game for us, and when you take everything back, it’s another three points for one of the clubs.”