The British are obsessed with the weather, so the saying goes, and we have every right to be obsessed this winter.
The relentless rain has caused unprecedented headaches for football clubs and fixture secretaries up and down the country, with arguably the best example of the turbulence in Devon coming at Southern League Premier side Plymouth Parkway.
The campaign is due to end on April 27 and the FA is not likely to budge on that date but Parkway have only played 26 games following another postponement on Saturday, a home game they had moved 130 miles from Bolitho Park to Yate Town in the hope of playing a fixture.
Parkway have played six games less than Tiverton Town, who are fourth from bottom and one place above them in the league, but they are eight or nine matches behind some teams in the division.
Starting from the Tuesday trip to AFC Totton, the current schedule means they still have 16 games to play in 39 days, which equates to a game every 2.4 days, and what happens if it doesn’t stop raining?
In a statement to supporters, Parkway chairman Mark Russell explained the conundrum facing his club: “We are doing everything we can to find a suitable ground to play. We’ve had numerous people working on the pitch at Bolitho to try and get games on.
“However, with the unprecedented amount of rain so far in 2024, home games have not been possible at the moment. We are now hoping for a dry spell through the remainder of the season to utilize Bolitho Park again. However, we also need to look for alternatives and will keep everyone updated on any changes.
“Everyone at the club is working extremely hard, and massive thanks go to all the hardworking volunteers at the club who have worked on the pitch. Thank you to the clubs that are working with us to help out with upcoming fixtures.
“We also appreciate that this isn’t great for our loyal supporters, and we have not made any decisions to move games to other venues lightly. We hope our supporters can understand and continue to support us throughout the remainder of the 2024 season and beyond.
“We are already in discussions with contractors and advisors over works that we can carry out in the summer to help in upcoming seasons and are currently considering all available options. Once we have the work agreed in detail with contractors, we will update you further.”
If there is a positive for Parkway, it comes from the fact their form in the games that have been played suggests a false position in the bottom four and, if the rain and weary legs allow, they should pull clear of relegation.
Tiverton are also fighting the drop and the superb weekend win at Hungerford Town was a massive result for the Yellows. After falling behind early, Joe Parker scored twice in a 2-1 victory and Tivvy are three points from safety with games in hand on the teams they are chasing.
In Division One South, the Devon duo of Willand Rovers and Bideford both still have hope of breaking into the play-off places. The weekend brought a brace of 0-0 draws, Willand at mid-table Bishops Cleeve and Bideford at struggling Westbury United.
Both teams sit on 38 points, three points away from the top five, although Bideford have three games in hand on Rovers.
Down the bottom of this division, Exmouth Town have finally found some form. The weekend defeat of Melksham Town has lifted Exmouth out of the relegation places, with Paulton Rovers now facing the drop.
One final word on Dartmouth AFC in the South-West Peninsula League, as they recorded their first victory of the campaign. New management duo Robbie Bowker and Dan Cartwright have breathed life into the Darts and it showed with a 4-1 defeat of Bishops Lydeard.
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