The Glasgow Rangers' Irn-Bru Third Division game against Elgin City has been canceled because too many tickets were sold.

The Gers were set to travel north for Sunday's clash at Borough Briggs, but things took a sudden turn.

A statement from the Scottish Football League read: "Following today's pre-ops meeting for the above match, it has come to light that there has been a substantial oversale of tickets for this fixture (conflicting reports say up to 4,500 tickets were sold with the ground’s capacity less than 1,000) and Elgin City Football Club could not confirm the exact number of tickets which have been sold for this match.

"Therefore, on the grounds of public safety and in close consultation with all parties, this match has now been postponed.

"Further information regarding tickets which have been sold will be provided as quickly as possible. Elgin City FC would like to apologize sincerely for this disappointing outcome."

The Rangers accepted Elgin's apology. However, manager Ally McCoist expressed disappointment at the postponement.

"We are disappointed the match has been called off at such short notice and I know Elgin are as well," he said. "This was due to circumstances outwith our control but we were informed a short time ago that there was no way the match could go ahead on safety grounds."

In consultation with both clubs, Moray Council, Grampian Police and the SFL made a joint decision to postpone the game.

"We are extremely disappointed to have to ask the club to cancel the game. It is certainly not a decision anyone involved has taken lightly,” a Moray Council spokesperson said. “We know how thousands of fans have been looking forward to the match, but there is a real risk to their safety here."

The Glasgow club may have been sent to Scotland’s lowest division due to bankruptcy in 2012, but they haven't lost support among their fans. Their first home match in Division 3 against East Stirlingshire attracted a crowd of 49,118 at Ibrox, a world record for a football match in a fourth-tier league.

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