The county football clubs will be watching the weather closely tonight and first thing tomorrow with the cold snap threatening to affect games.
Inspections are almost certain to be the order of the day across the NPL Premier, Northern League, West Lancashire League, Wearside League and Cumberland County League.
Workington are due to host Warrington Town in the NPL and Borough Park was rolled yesterday and although described as solid was flat and free of ruts.
Warrington are the form team of the Division, turning themselves from relegation material to play-off challengers with six wins in seven games.
For the Reds boss Billy Barr it will be a question of showing more intensity and control of the football than they did on Tuesday in their 1-0 home defeat by Guiseley.
Three players – Dav Symington, Jack Dickinson and Josh Galloway – all missed out and Barr expects to have at least two available for selection.
Barr has also been talking to possible new recruits as he seeks to strengthen the squad and although nobody in for tomorrow is hopeful of landing one target next week.
He told Cumbria Crack: “On reflection after Tuesday night’s lacklustre performance, and after discussions with the staff, we decided it would be much more beneficial to let the lads have a rest in preparation for Saturday’s game.
“It was in my mind to do this had we got a positive result anyway. We can talk through the certain things that we highlighted to the lads last Saturday and hopefully it’s fresher in their minds to go and implement.”
Rain is forecast in Workington tomorrow which suggests the game will be on with temperatures rising,
In the Northern League Division One Kendal Town will have winger Caden Beckett available again but the Parkside pitch is the problem for the visit of Marske.
Chairman Michael O’Neill reported this morning: “I hope things change and we are on but it was frozen solid this morning.”
Penrith and Carlisle City both have away fixtures at Birtley and Northallerton respectively and both are likely to be the subject of early morning pitch inspections.
In the West Lancashire League Cleator Moor Celtic are hopeful of getting some action at third-in-the-table Lostock St Gerards.
A message from the Lostock club said today: “The groundsman managed to get onto the pitch yesterday and has declared it fit barring any extraordinary weather of severe ice or rain, which isn’t forecast.”
Celtic manager Gareth Agnew is taking 13 players and they include new signing Aiden Howarth, a former Reds defender who has been playing County League with Cockermouth.
Whitehaven’s new manager Brian Dawson doesn’t take over until the new year but he will be watching closely tomorrow if the County Ground side get any action at Rossendale.
Whitehaven are now bottom a point behind Coppull and Milnthorpe Corinthians with Rossendale a further eight points ahead in fourth bottom.
Before taking over officially Dawson is hoping to bring in some new faces to boost chances of avoiding the drop.
Millom renew acquaintances with Astley and Buckshaw United, the team they were promoted with after last season. The South Cumbrians are seventh, five places and nine points better off than their visitors.
Milnthorpe don’t have a fixture tomorrow, and neither do Holker Old Boys in the North West Counties.
Windscale are 12th in the Wearside League, a point and a place behind tomorrow’s visitors Silksworth Colliery Welfare.
The Atoms, confident the game will go ahead at the Falcon Complex.
Their recent recruit Owen Woodburn is ruled out with a cut eye and concussion while there are injury absences for Matthew Pierce (ankle) and Harry Hodgson (broken hand) while Will Rooke remains a long tern casualty.
