Kilmarnock call on Gordon to Marshall their defence

Marshall had been six-and-a- half years at Parkhead, had been the No.1 choice, and did not let the side down.

The promotion first of Stewart Kerr then the rise and rise of Jonathon Gould left him in a deputy role more often than he would have wished, and it is understandable that he wanted to try his luck elsewehere. At 33, Gordon is close to the prime age for keepers these days and will be challenging the man in possession, Colin Meldrum, for the top spot.

Marshall played in Celtic's opening three matches of the season, but Gould displaced him for the Coca-Cola Cup second-round tie with Berwick.

He said: ''Nobody had to sell this move to me. I am delighted to get the chance to continue my career at Kilmarnock, a side bristling with team spirit.''

Said Williamson: ''We were disappointed to lose Dragoje but Gordon gives us good cover and his track record shows he will fill Dragoje's boots very well.''

Meanwhile, the race at the top and bottom of the premier division has run into familiar winter woes as two matches reschedueld for the weather-beaten north-east of the country tonight had to be called off again.

Aberdeen, mindful of the controversy caused by the late postponement of the game with Dun- fermline at Pittodrie on Saturday, did not waste any time in having the rearranged match put off.

Dundee United, who acted speedily to try to prevent Celtic fans making the journey to Tannadice at the weekend, were alert to the needs of the fans again and they, too, had the second attempt called off yesterday.

Pittodrie was snowbound after violent storms hit the area and there was also a danger of flooding in the event of a thaw.

Said a spokesman: ''One look at the ground was all that was needed to call the game off.''

Aberdeen had suffered a lot of criticism, from angry Dunfermline fans in particular, after the game was postponed an hour before the kick-off on Saturday.

Said the official: ''Lessons have been learned and we will make sure we do everything we can to ensure there is no inconvenience for travelling supporters.''

Arbroath referee Gary Mitchell called off the Dundee United/Celtic game at lunchtime after a blizzard hit the town in the morning.

Snow began to lie on the Tannadice pitch despite the undersoil heating and United asked the Scottish League for an early inspection.

Both games have been provisionally rescheduled for next week, United v Celtic on Tuesday, and Aberdeen v Dunfermline on Wednesday, subject to there being no postponements or replays being required in this week's Scottish Cup ties involving the clubs.

Dundee United manager Tommy McLean said: ''We wanted the game played because we would hope to avoid building up a backlog of fixtures, but this was the right decision.

''The pitch was a problem but the call-off is also sensible when other aspects are taken into account. It certainly isn't right to ask people to travel when there is clearly a big question over safety.''

United's Maurice Malpas will be able to play against Aberdeen in Saturday's Scottish Cup third-round cup tie at Tannadice.

The defender is serving a two-match suspension which would have been completed if the Celtic game had gone ahead but the ban applies only to league games and Malpas can play in the tie. He will complete the suspension in the following league game.

Celtic captain Tommy Boyd, who would have been suspended from the league game at Tanna-dice, is also free to play in the tie with Morton at Parkhead. However, he will then have to miss three league games, starting with the United game if it goes ahead next Tuesday.

Livingston will hold a pitch inspection at noon today to decide if their second-division match with Inverness Caley Thistle can go ahead at the third attempt.

Scotland Under-21 midfield player Darren Young returned to Aberdeen yesterday after a short sabbatical intended to reduce the danger of his career being prematurely ended by burn-out.

The teenager was despatched to the sunshine in Tenerife for a week to recover from the rigours of the premier division.

It was a novel approach to an old problem by the Pittodrie management.

There are other avenues to be explored in the quest to re-establish the club as a major force.

Next month, assistant manager Paul Hegarty will examine the youth set-up at Barcelona and attend a four-day seminar where Scotland manager Craig Brown will be one of the speakers.

Youth development is a priority at Pittodrie and the welfare of the current crop of youngsters is of equal importance.

Young, from Cambuslang, enjoyed only three weeks break last season when he was a regular in the first team and the demands placed upon him eventually took their toll.

He admitted: ''I was involved in the Toulon tournament with the Under-21 side and played in a lot of games. I realised that I was getting jaded, especially when injuries kicked in at the start of this season. People say it's natural for a youngster to play a lot of football. I have done it. But it is difficult when you are involved every week and come up against someone like Paul Gascoigne.

''But, to be honest, I thought it was a wind-up when the manager asked if I wanted to go on holiday.

''The break served its purpose and I believe there should be a winter shutdown to help every player.

''Now, I feel refreshed and I am desperate to get back in the first team again and show what I can do.''

Hegarty's last visit to the Nou Camp was with Dundee United and ended in a famous victory in the UEFA Cup.

He added: ''Basically, we are going there to study their set-up and take on board any ideas which will be helpful to our development.''