RUGBY TOWN: Waterlogged Valley slip to third after three postponements

Rugby Town suffered further frustration at the weekend, when for the third successive fixture a waterlogged pitch meant they were denied the opportunity to continue their good run of late.

The latest wash-out came after the playing surface at Oadby's Freeway Park was deemed unplayable - ensuring yet another home postponement for the division's seemingly perpetual offenders in that area.

Valley were originally scheduled to visit the Leicestershire club back in December, but agreed to switch the fixtures due to ground grading issues at the hosts' facility at the time, and Oadby will now play eleven times at home in their thirteen games remaining before the end of the season.

Town Director Neil Melvin shared his frustration at the prolonged break. He said: "Assuming this Saturday's match at Peterborough goes ahead, it will then be 21 days between games for us.

"It's a pity as we'd been on a run of eight wins in nine outings and had squeezed our way to the top of a very tight table in the process.

"Unlike the previous week when pretty much the entire schedule was wiped out, ours was only one of a couple that were called off this time and it gave teams around us the chance to regain ground again."

Rugby's inactivity on Saturday saw them slip down to third and they could drop again ahead of the weekend if fellow promotion challengers Holbeach won their planned game at Oadby last night (Wednesday).

Town face Peterborough Northern Star this Saturday having made hard work in their 1-0 victory against them at Butlin Road earlier in the campaign.

The club's leading scorer to-date Ryan Seal struck an 85th minute winner that day and Valley will be looking to make it six victories from seven away league games if the weather allows them against a side that have won only once in their last eight attempts.

Following on from their trip to 15th placed Peterborough, Town then play host to mid-table incumbents Boston a week Saturday (7th March) - with the Oadby fixture already re-pencilled in for three days after that.

# Meanwhile elsewhere at the club, Town's young prospects continue to impress, with both their Under-19 academy and youth line-ups maintaining unbeaten starts to the season in victories over the past week to keep the top spots in their respective leagues - the latter coming thanks to a 2-1 win over local rivals Rugby Borough in the Midland Floodlit Youth League's Eastern Division.