Bacup Borough manager Brent Peters (pictured above) is cursing the enforced winter break after his side's weekend cup defeat put paid to any realistic hopes of any silverware this season.
Borough's 2-0 reverse at Winsford United in the Vodkat League Challenge Cup was their first competitive game for six weeks and only their third game in almost three months, and Brent says that having to come back into action for such an important game after such a long layoff cost the club dearly.
"With the amount of weeks we had without competitive football, it was just like having a close season but then reporting back on the day your competition starts without implementing the couple of weeks to build fitness levels and playing pre season games to be ready for the start", he said.
"Due to the adverse weather, inside training facilities have been as scarce as hen's teeth, and although we have sorted facilities out it has been difficult. Arranging friendly games in order to reach match fitness has been out of the question, so if ever there was a game I did not want my lads to come back to, it was this one, especially bearing in mind the impact it would have on our season.
"Some cynics may point out that it was the same for the majority of other teams, however I disagree. Without taking anything away from a well deserved Winsford victory, our hosts up until the 16th December had been playing regularly, unlike ourselves.
"The lack of activity certainly showed as we did not just have one player who was not at anywhere near his best, and had ten players who were well and truly way off the mark in positional play, passing ability, quality, work ethics & competitiveness.
"The only positive to come out of the game was the debut of goalkeeper Steve Dryden, who was not in any way overworked but everything he did he did well, including making a good penalty save".
To complete a less than memorable afternoon, Brent had an unfortunate encounter with the local constabulary on the way home.
"I was stopped by Police on the motorway and given a fixed penalty ticket for speeding, but it was my lads who should all have been given a fixed penalty for loitering, it was such a bad day all round."
