Like many managers around our league, Eccleshall manager Dave Dale is hoping that the winter weather will soon take a turn for the better and enable him to focus his squad on the remainder of the season.
 
The Pershall Park side once again had an idle Saturday at the weekend with their Division One game at Daisy Hill being postponed, and Dave says that the long lay off has been difficult to cope with.
 
"The turn of the year is a traditionally a difficult time of the season.  Games are called off due to weather issues, players fitness can be questioned depending how they have looked after themselves over the festive season, and you have family commitments and holidays too.  Also you have the problem of where you train when the weather is bad and outdoors becomes a no go area due to unsafe grounds.
 
"We are used to all of that each season, but no one could have had any inclination as to how long a lay off we were going to experience.  Apart from our home game against Chadderton on the 23rd January we have not played a competitive league game since the 5th December, and it has been a really frustrating time.
 
"I was listening to the Port Vale Manager Mickey Adams on the radio the other day, who was obviously having exactly the same problems as we had with training, with no suitable surface to train on.  For a pro club it is vital for them to continuously work on set plays and phases, and I think they were thankful to Nantwich Town who had let them use their astro area.
 
"For our part we braved the arctic conditions a couple of times at Longton Rugby club, managed to grab a couple of slots at Fenton Manor to help blow the Christmas pud away, and have continued to keep training together in recent weeks at Holden Lane High School, which is not ideal but it is better than nothing.
 
"There is a school of thought, especially from European managers both pro and semi pro, who feel that a winter break gives players a rest both mentally and physically and brings them back sharper. For us at Eccleshall we just want to play football and get back on track as soon as possible".
 
The club has played only 15 of their 32 league fixtures, including that defeat at home to Chadderton, but they got a boost a few days before that encounter when they won 2-0 at Norton in the Staffordshire Vase.  It was a result that Dave says was pleasing for a number of reasons.
 
"At Norton it was a game which we thought would be a physical one, and we were not disappointed.  There was no room for any player who was not up for it on a bitterly cold evening, but we got the result we wanted, keeping a clean sheet at the same time.  Our goals came from Carl Williams and Lassana Siddibe and credit goes to the whole squad, including those who did not get on, for their very professional attitudes. We now travel to Walsall Wood or Bloxwich in the quarter final, which is a tie to look forward to".
 
Squad wise, Dave feels the players he has at his disposal are well equipped to finish the season strongly.
 
"Our squad at present, when all players are fit, is quite strong but I think you need around 20 players with the ability to play at the required level to cope with the many issues that come up week to week.  There are always injuries, suspensions or work commitments to contend with that knock out three or four players each week.
 
"The attitude of our squad at present is very good and it is good to work with players who want to achieve things and improve the way we play. We have at present a number of players from the South of the County, including new signing Mark Bradbury from Stone, who were pleased to get back with us at Eccleshall as he has the potential to be a good capable player for us.  He is a fit lad and wants to play football.
 
"Last season he was with us and I felt stood out well at times during training, but unfortunately he left us to move to Stone Dominoes where he played a couple of games at Holker and Cheadle before being asked to move on again to Hednesford Town.  Now he's back with us, we now need to develop Mark as a player and we feel he will be a good signing for us and create a little more competition in the right defensive areas".
 
In the meantime, Dave is hoping to get back into action and get the momentum going once more.
 
"We have some very interesting fixtures coming along and within a few weeks - weather permitting of course - I think we will have a really clear picture of where we could finish up this time out".

Flash Is Required To Play This Video, Please Go Here To Install It: Install Flash Player