When a goalkeeper takes five minutes to take a goal kick you know he’s either time wasting to the extreme or the wind is howling at Arbroath’s Gayfield Park.
Both sets of players did well to play as much football as they did but, with the conditions showing no sign of letting up, the referee decided to call a halt at half time with the game finely balanced.
Rangers had the wind at their backs at kick-off and soon had the Dundee defence under pressure. A misplaced pass along the back line presented real danger but Andy Black was alert and cleared the ball away.
A piece of superb skill down the right touchline by Craig Wighton saw him skip past left back Ross McCrorie but his cross couldn’t quite reach Ross Cunningham.
The Dark Blues had to make a substitution after 20 minutes, Kerr Waddell being replaced by Sean Gallacher, with Calvin Colquhoun slotting into central defence alongside Matty Allan.
Manager Eddie Johnson will need to learn semaphore before the next game at Gayfield as his instructions to his players were being blown away in the wind.
McCrorie put in a great tackle on Max Avolio to stop the winger scoring and on 24 minutes Rangers took the lead.
Arvid Schenk could only parry a fierce drive and Ryan Hardie was on hand to hit home the rebound.
Dundee responded and again Avolio was tackled on the point of shooting after a good move involving Wighton and Ryan Gemmell.
On 35 minutes Rangers were given the chance to extend their lead when Ryan Sinnamon was upended in the box and they were awarded a penalty but Schenk pulled off a terrific diving save to prevent Hardie scoring his second.
Schenk then brought off another fine save from Hardie’s 20-yard drive.
The final straw for the referee came when Schenk’s goal kick blew back behind him for a corner and, from the corner the ball went out at the other side for a throw-in.
The whistle blew for half time and, a few minutes later came news that the game had been abandoned.
Dundee: Schenk, Black, L Gibb, Allan, Waddell (Gallacher 20), Colquhoun, Avolio, Gemmell, Wighton, Cunningham, Cameron. Subs not used: Gourlay, Brown, A Gibb.
Rangers: Robinson, Sinnamon, McCrorie, Faure, Zaliukas, Hutton, Templeton, Murdoch, Hardie, Roberts, Ramsay. Subs not used: Kelly, Gibson, Whiteside, Ogen, Brownlie.
Report: Jim Davie.
