Fixture backlog causing concern

Twin postponements on Saturday and Tuesday have left The Blues with 19 league games and a minimum of two cup ties still to play.

And there are just 10 Saturdays between now and the scheduled end of the Sussex Division One campaign on May 5.

Joint manager Andy Laskey lamented: "It's just getting ridiculous now. It's unbelievable the amount of games that have been called-off and I'm seriously worried about getting them all in."

United have completed only half of their league programme as a result of 13 cancellations in a shade over three months.

They are now faced with the prospect of having to play two evening matches in the same week on two separate occasions.

And that is without factoring into the equation any further postponements over the coming weeks or cup victories.

"Playing so many games in such a short space of time is going to catch up (on the players) and I fail to see why we didn't have more midweek fixtures at the beginning of the season," continued Laskey.

Another thing to consider is that Sidley will lose the use of their Gullivers ground to Sidley Cricket Club in mid-April.

The front side still has 12 home games to fit in, the seconds 10 and the under-18s five before the annual changeover.

Laskey added: "The worst case scenario is if we end up having to play some of our home games away."

Weather permitting, 14th-placed Sidley entertain second-bottom Worthing United on Saturday March 3 before visiting ninth-placed Ringmer on Tuesday night.

Paul Balch is unavailable through work commitments tomorrow, while Jimmy Watson, Adam Day and Steve Morris are all injury doubts.

Little Common are still to reach the mid-way point of their Sussex Division Three season, but they will hope to play the first of their remaining 14 league fixtures on Saturday.

The Commoners, who were also rained-off last weekend, are listed to host third-placed Pease Pottage Village.

And their Sussex Intermediate Cup semi-final against Uckfield Town has been pencilled in for Wednesday evening at Hailsham Town FC.

Bexhill United were the only one of the three to play on Saturday and their last gasp 4-3 success over Pottage took them out of the bottom two in the same division.

They will hope to build on that triumph when they welcome fifth-placed Haywards Heath Town to The Polegrove this weekend before travelling to Hastings United reserves in the semi-finals of the Hastings & District FA Intermediate Cup on Wednesday.

The two derbies have been provisionally set for Monday April 9 at Little Common and Tuesday April 24 at Bexhill. All of tomorrow's contests kick-off at 3pm and the midweek matches at 7.45pm.