HELLENIC LEAGUE: Highworth set for fixture congestion (From Swindon Advertiser)

HELLENIC LEAGUE: Highworth set for fixture congestion

7:00am Friday 10th February 2012 in Local By Ned Payne

THE full programme of Hellenic League fixtures could be called off today if the predicted snow of last night and this morning arrived as expected.

That would be the second weekend in a row that the entire set of fixtures have been postponed, after frost seven days ago ensured all the matches were called off a day early.

The Hellenic League emailed its member clubs 24 hours in advance, stating that all matches were off, and the same may well happen today.

Another Saturday off may not affect some teams unduly, but for Highworth it is not ideal timing.

Dave Webb’s men have only played 25 league games, the least of anyone in the Hellenic Premier, and have only fulfilled three league matches in 2012.

And the manager admitted he was frustrated ahead of another weekend spent away from the football field.

“It’s likely to be off, but what can you do?” he said.

“We wait for this bad weather every season and you know you’re going to have two or three weeks of inactivity.

“We never seem to learn the lesson about getting games in early in the season.

“We’ve got 15 league games to play and potentially six in the cups if we get to the finals and win both.”

The Elms chief added that even a small extension to the campaign would not ease his worries as his side aim to catch up on their fixtures.

“They extended the season by a week last year and we still had to play four times a week on one occasion,” he continued.

“When we get to March this season we’re going to be playing three times a week, and the catch-up games you would normally win, you might end up losing. That’s the frustration.”

Meanwhile, Dave Turner might have conceded defeat in the battle to get his Wootton Bassett side back up to the Hellenic Premier, but the boss says they are still be targeting a top-five finish in Division One West.

Bassett, who are scheduled to play Clanfield tomorrow afternoon, are currently seventh in the standings, but Turner said: “I think we can class ourselves as one of the big teams, because I still think we will be a top five side by the end of the season.

“To do that we have to play well over the next 10 games to do it, but if we win more than we lose I think we will have done enough.”

Elsewhere in the Hellenic League tomorrow, Shrivenham, Fairford, Cricklade, Purton, Malmesbury and New College are scheduled to be in action.

However, the cold weather is likely to mean another Saturday off for our local sides.