DOUGIE: REST MAY RUIN FREW RUN

Published 18 Nov 2009 15:26 0 Comments

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RENFREW manager Dougie Mitchell revealed his side were devastated Saturday's league clash with Dalry Thistle was called off as they were desperate to continue their great run of form.

Renfrew managed to switch the fixture from Dalry's Merksworth Park, which has been prone to waterlogging this season, to Western Park.

However, despite the best efforts of the ground staff, the match fell victim to the terrible weather conditions which also

saw off much of the junior fixture card on Saturday.

And the cancellation arrived at the worst possible time for the Renfrew side, who were on an impressive four-game unbeaten run which included a heroic victory over

Ashfield.

Mitchell said: "It was a big disappointment for the match to be called off.

"We have been on a good run of form recently and we had a good momentum.

"That is vital for us at the moment and we need to keep up that good run of form. The Ashfield game proved to be a huge lift for us.

"We have played better in league games and lost but we got the lucky breaks that day.

"We went behind but the players clawed their way back into the game and showed great determination. We would have wanted to keep up that form on Saturday."

Despite the heavy rain wiping out Saturday's fixture list and the prospect of a harsh winter continuing to cancel matches, Mitchell is adamant a winter shutdown is not the answer for junior clubs.

He said: "I don't think it is necessary to have a winter break.

"Clubs need to keep ticking over and players need to be paid.

"If we were to have a winter

shutdown players would need to have bounce games.

"The only way to prevent games being called off would be to bring in astro turf pitches.

"But that isn't the same as playing on grass. It causes injuries and I think it has caused a lot of damage to our squad because they train on it."

Renfrew take on Glenafton Athletic on Saturday (1.45pm kick-off) and Mitchell is well aware Derek Ferguson's men will be wanting to go straight back up to the Super Premier League.

He added: "These are difficult places to go. Playing teams like Glenafton and Cummnock is tough as their pride has been dented because of relegation last season.

"They are huge clubs and they have dropped down a division.

"But that has nothing to do with us -

these games are all about how well we can perform.

"Our injury list has reduced and I feel that can shore up our defence and I feel we need to get some more wins on the board to lift our confidence."

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