YM boss fears postponements will damage promotion push

Horsham YMCA manager Peter Buckland fears the fixture pile-up could damage his side’s promotion charge.

YM are third in the table and are still going strong in three cup competitions.

Buckland said: “I would like to think not but I fear it will (affect promotion chance).

“You get to know your own players intimately when you have them for as long as I have, and I know some are slow to get started if they have an injury or miss two or three weeks.

“I try to keep the games going but it is not the same as competitive football.

“Our pitch isn’t bad compared to some but even that has been like a lake sometimes.”

Broadbridge Heath secretary Andy Crisp explained their home pitch at the leisure centre will only host 13 more matches, but further rain will cause problems.

He said: “The pitch is still waterlogged, the water level is high. It looks nice from the side but you try walking on it and it is still squelching.

“If it does carry on then it will become a problem, but at the moment we are still okay, fingers crossed.”

Storrington secretary Keith Dalmon said: “It is not helping financially.

“The worst thing is we have got a bar and if we don’t open it the beer goes off.

“We have beer open, sitting and rotting and then we have to throw it away.

“But we survive and we will survive this, I’m sure.”