RICKI Lamie has advocated a summer football calendar in the wake of Morton’s Scottish Cup clash with Beith Juniors being postponed due to inclement weather.

Ton were scheduled to square off against the Ayrshire outfit on Saturday, but were forced to delay the fixture by a week after Bellsdale Park failed a pitch inspection on Friday.

And Lamie insists that the fixture congestion that will stem from Saturday’s call-off is just another reason that summer football should be introduced here in Scotland.

He told the Tele: “This time of year [call-offs due to weather conditions] can be expected, especially in December/January kind of 
time. 

“But you’re going to have to catch up with the fixtures so it’s not ideal for anyone. 

“There will be fixtures, I’d imagine, that will be off fairly regularly in the next couple of months.

“The next thing you know you’ve got a backlog of games and midweek stuff. You wonder why they’ve still not brought in summer football.”

Asked if he would support a bid to bring in summertime scheduling, Lamie said: “Massively. We actually had a conversation about that the other day. It wasn’t unanimous but I’d say three quarters were all for it. 

“I just think it makes sense. I don’t see why you wouldn’t.

“Even from a young age at a boys’ club or whatever, you’re down playing on the pitches during the summer when you’re off school and it was always luscious grass, the sun’s out and all the season’s are taking a break — it just doesn’t make sense.

“I remember in my younger days, it got to April/May and you were playing three and four games a week to try and catch up with your winter fixtures — because you could go five or six weeks without playing a game.

“And you don’t always have brilliant groundsmen like Mark Farrell to try and get your games on!

“I’m yet to hear an argument against it that, to me, makes sense. Obviously there’s those with kids and would like to go away on holiday, but even with that argument, the kids don’t get off school until halfway through June, and by that time we’re back training.

“The amount of positives it’s got going for it, you’ve got the luscious parks, weather, and I think it must surely be more attractive to fans as well.

“I don’t imagine even the most faithful of supporters up and down the country would prefer turning up in jackets, hats and gloves trying to brave the weather.

“You live in hope.”

The defender admits that Saturday’s postponement didn’t suit anyone and that the lack of a game might also be detrimental to the form his side have hit in the last few months.

But Ton boss Jim Duffy had his players take part in a light training session on Saturday to account for the loss of competitive action — and Lamie reckons that’s a good thing.

He added: “We were in on the Saturday morning for a session to keep the legs ticking, but it’s a shame because it was a wee bit milder. 

“It wasn’t exactly Barbados at Parklea, but I didn’t ever really think we were going to get the Beith game on.

“There is that bit of momentum and confidence that you’d want to keep going, regardless of whether it would be a league or cup fixture.

“Any time you go a week or two without playing, you naturally get a wee bit lethargic — it’s just nature.

“But I would actually imagine the gaffer might look at trying to get a wee bounce game some time next week, even if it’s just between ourselves to keep the legs ticking over.”