Carlisle United will go into Tuesday’s home game with Port Vale only five points ahead of season-long strugglers Oldham Athletic.
For while United were kicking their heels after yesterday’s postponement at Rochdale, the Latics were winning the dog-eat-dog clash at Scunthorpe.
A 1-0 win for John Sheridan’s men closed the gap on Carlisle and they still have a game in hand. While the Blues are hosting Port Vale on Tuesday, Oldham have a home game against Bristol Rovers.
Sheridan, a former Carlisle manager, is looking to engineer a third relegation escape for the Latics in his latest stint in charge at Boundary Park.
Meanwhile Carlisle manager Keith Millen had no argument with the decision to call off the game at Spotland an hour before the scheduled kick-off.
Heavy rain throughout the morning had produced standing water on the pitch prompting two inspections by match referee James Oldham.
After his second look he decided it was unsafe to start, and as it happened the surface was even worse half an hour after he had made the call to postpone the game.
Carlisle manager Millen said: “I have to agree with the decision because it would have been worse for everybody if we had got started and then had to call it off during the game.”
Stockdale concurred, adding: “It was the right call by the referee because it got even worse after he made his decision.”
