Buckland prefers '˜continuity' to being left out in the cold after frosty week for Horsham YMCA

Horsham YMCA manager Peter Buckland has admitted an enforced break does not suit his team with them sitting top of the Southern Combination League Premier Division.
Game off at Horsham YMCA. Pic Steve Robards SR1806075 SUS-180303-162824001Game off at Horsham YMCA. Pic Steve Robards SR1806075 SUS-180303-162824001
Game off at Horsham YMCA. Pic Steve Robards SR1806075 SUS-180303-162824001

YM were scheduled to host third placed Chichester City on Saturday, however, due to severe weather conditions throughout the week the game was postponed.

The game was officially postponed on Friday, however, after an astonishing reverse in weather saw temperatures rise and snow disintegrate, Buckland revealed his side’s pitch was in fact playable.

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The YM boss said: “Personally the way I manage and the way my team is I prefer to keep going, I would’ve much rather be playing, I have a full squad of 18 available on Saturday who are all chomping at the bit to start.

“They’re all competing for places and they train hard so I would’ve preferred the continuity if I’m honest as the games will stack up now.

“It’s a similar story for everybody, the weather really caught us with our pants down to be honest.

“We like many clubs cancelled it on the Friday because it was awful weather, but Saturday at 1pm our pitch was 100 per cent playable.

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“I can’t point the finger at anybody at the club, the groundsman in particular, because when we pulled the game on Friday lunchtime it was covered in snow.”

YM will now turn their attention to this week’s fixture as they host 11th placed Crawley Down Gatwick, who recently drew with Haywards Heath and furthermore beat YM 2-1 in the reverse fixture back in October.

Buckland commented: “I’ve said many of times I would rather have points on the board than games in hand, we have Crawley Down away and that’s always a tough game.

“They beat us at home earlier in the season down at our place, they came down and did the business but we know most of the people there, including the manager Paul (Cooper), who was at YM himself.

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“We will have our work cut out it’s one of the more difficult games we have left.”

With two recent additions Buckland said they are not looking to bring anyone else in for the run-in and he is content with his side.

He added: “We haven’t lost anyone and we have got in Tony Garrod and Ollie Moore and that is the full squad of 18 now, we won’t be making any more changes in or out that I can control any way, until it’s all over.

“We have to take each game as they come, there are still ten games to go, you can look at it like that or the other way of looking at it is there is a quarter of the season left.

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“There is a quarter of the season left and there will be twists and turns all over the place, teams will lose when they are expected not to.

“Teams will win when they aren’t expected to and I don’t exonerate us from that behaviour either.

“We will tread on a banana skin somewhere along the lines like others have, so it is take one game at a time and before you know it, it will be mid April and we’ll know if we’ve won it or not.”

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