Having managed to avoid the rain last week, the District League fixtures were caught out by the frost as only five matches were played, and two of them were played on all weather 3G pitches.
This brings the total number of matches played in the first three weeks of January to just 18.
The bigger problem for the Fixture Secretary is that the several cup competitions are falling well behind and these have more of a clear deadline than League matches.
In the Barlow Cup, some clubs have received a bye into the Second Round but of the eight Round One matches that were due to be played in November, December or January only two have been completed. The other League Cup competitions are almost the same and there are a total of 23 First Round matches still to play.
Last week should have seen more progress in the Huddersfield FA Challenge Cup and Trophy but only two were played.
In the Cup, Heywood Irish Centre who play at Leeds Road Playing Fields made the decision to incur extra cost and play on the 3G pitch in the centre of the athletic track.
It proved to be an expensive day for Heywood’s both on and off the field as the lost 7-0 to last year’s beaten finalists Shelley from the West Yorkshire League.
The only game in the Trophy was a replay.
The first attempt between Meltham Reserves and Heyside Reserves was a draw after extra time and the referee deemed there was insufficient light for penalties to be taken.
There was no need for penalties this time around as Meltham ran out 8-4 winners.
Circumstances were on Meltham’s side as their first team fixture was called off and two of their leading players, Tom Matthews and Jonathan Newiss were not cup tied as they were unavailable when the first team played in the Challenge Cup.
Did it make a difference? Well the two scored six of Meltham’s goals which gives a fairly definite answer.
There are more teams entered in the FA competitions and at the first glance, matters seem to be progressing as 13 of the 16 First Round matches have been settled.
But with an extra round in these competitions most clubs have at least three matches to play before they reach the final.
The Fixture Secretary cannot win in this situation as he does his best to fit in these outstanding cup matches often ends with other teams having an open date and this looks crazy to those teams who may not have played for one or even two months.
Another cup match went ahead last week and it provided Wooldale Wanderers Reserves with their fourth win of the season as they beat Meltham A by 3-2 after extra timein their Richardson Cup tie.
Meltham played up the slope in the first half and led 1-0 at the interval and shortly after the break it was 2-0 with the goals coming from Jacob Butcher and Daniel Tindall.
Meltham might then have thought the tie was won but Wooldale didn’t.
Within five minutes of conceding the second, the fight back was on when Sam Clegg headed into an empty net after the Meltham keeper has stopped one effort. Wooldale continued to press but it took till the 80th minute before the equaliser came their way.
Simon “Spud” Taylor shot with the outside of his foot and although it may have taken a slight deflection, it will go down as his goal.
If they thought that they had to wait a while for the equaliser, the winner could not have come any later as it arrived in the last minute of extra time. A misunderstanding in the Meltham defence let in the other Clegg brother, Alex, to net the winner.
They now meet Shelley Reserves in the quarter finals.
