Shawbury United progress held up by rain

The Ludlow-based side can complete a double over Worcester Raiders tomorrow – subject to a floodlight check at Claines Lane – after a 2-1 win against the Raiders in August, writes Naryan Branch.

However, Allen rues the impact on his team’s performances caused by adverse weather but remains optimistic about the challenges that lie ahead in the West Midlands Regional League Premier Division.

He said: “We’ve played the fewest games out of anyone in the league this season because so many have been called off.

“Before the weather turned, we were in reasonable form and it’s just frustrating that we have to sometimes wait two weeks before we can play again so it’s hard to build on good performances.

“It’ll be tough next year and we’ll almost have to play Saturday and Tuesday every week for the second part of the season because of cancelled fixtures.

“But this can be beneficial for us as it’s a chance to build momentum with the number of games coming up.”

The former Telford youth coach acknowledged his side have produced some impressive performances this season and is not phased by United’s league position thus far.

He said: “We did really well in the FA Vase, especially the first round tie against Uttoxeter and it showed we can really mix it with the very best across the Midlands.

“We always look up the table but keep one eye over our shoulder. We have played fewer games so the league table reads falsely at the moment.

“We do have several games in hand, but of course we do still need to win those, and we’re confident if we can get a couple of wins out of those then we can fly up the table.”