Duncan Ferguson's scheduled first match as Glentoran manager against Ballymena United has been postponed following a waterlogged pitch at the Oval. The Everton legend, who was confirmed as the Glens' new boss on Monday, had been set to take charge of the team for the first time on Saturday afternoon.
Glentoran were due to host the Sky Blues with kick-off set for 15:00 BST. However, following a midday pitch inspection at 12:00, the condition of the surface forced the decision to call the contest off.
The cancellation comes as severe conditions impact the region, with a yellow Met Office weather warning in place across Northern Ireland from 10:00 BST on Saturday until 12:00 GMT on Sunday. Furthermore, an amber weather warning has been issued for Saturday night, with strong winds reaching up to 75mph expected. The turbulent forecast had already affected the local schedule on Friday, when Saturday's planned Women's Challenge Cup final between Glentoran and Cliftonville was also postponed due to the weather warning.
Ferguson, who recently vowed to give the Glens everything after taking on the shock role, will now see his first game in charge delayed until next week. The new manager will instead make his debut away from home against Coleraine on Friday, 30 October, with kick-off scheduled for 19:45 GMT live on BBC iPlayer.