Hawick given bye to last eight after Scottish cup tie against Glasgow Accies called off

That cancellation means the Scottish Premiership table-topping Greens get a bye to the competition’s quarter-finals and will begin their defence of a trophy they won for the third time last year away to Scottish National League Division 1 side Dundee on Saturday, March 16, with kick-off at 3pm.

A spokesperson for the Mansfield Park club said: “Unfortunately, we have been informed by Glasgow Accies that, due to a significant number of injuries, they are unable to raise a team to play us at New Anniesland on Saturday and thus fulfil our first-round Scottish cup tie.

“We therefore receive a bye and look forward to the Saturday after and a trip to the banks of the Tay to face Dundee in the second round.”

This is the second year on the trot that the Greens have skipped a stage of the competition due to second-tier Glaswegian opposition pulling out.

On their way to last May’s final, after beating Jed-Forest 34-7 at home in round one and Edinburgh Academical 23-12 away in round two, their scheduled quarter-final hosting Glasgow High Kelvinside was called off, sending them straight through to the semis and a 34-16 victory at Glasgow Hawks.

Hawick’s 31-13 victory against Marr at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium last time round landed them the cup for the first time since 2002 and third time all told, their other win having been in its inaugural 1996 final.

That third silverware success – half of a winning double after securing the Scottish Premiership title two months prior – lifted them up to joint second place, with Glasgow Hawks, in the cup’s all-time hall of fame and a sequel this year would see them go equal top, on four wins, with Melrose, Boroughmuir, Heriot’s and Ayr.