St Johnstone have been given a warning by the Scottish Premier League over the late postponement of their match against Rangers on 20 February.The Perth club avoided severe punishment because it was looked upon as a first offence that the McDiarmid Park pitch was unplayable.
SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "They put their hands up and admitted it was their fault.
"It is clear what went wrong. There was a mechanical issue."
The SPL requires clubs to have a system of undersoil heating installed, but that did not prevent Saints' match against Rangers being postponed only an hour before kick-off.
Referee Mike Tumilty made the decision as parts of the pitch had not thawed after an overnight plunge in temperatures.
It is a first offence and the board has issued a warning and there will be no further action taken
SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster
St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes could not at the time hide his surprise that their system had failed to cope, although he and Rangers counterpart Walter Smith agreed that the decision to postpone had been the right one.
"On the basis of it, it is a first offence and the board has issued a warning and there will be no further action taken," said Doncaster.
The SPL board also discussed a variety of pitches over which there have been concerns and the league will continue to monitor these over the coming weeks.
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Motherwell's Fir Park has been criticised for the second season running, while Celtic recently privately expressed concerns about Falkirk Stadium's surface.
Hibernian's Easter Road and Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium have also been criticised.
The SPL has been monitoring the condition of the pitches while stressing that the severity of the winter had increased the problems being faced by groundsmen.
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport