29/12/10…….United Gear Up for Busy Schedule (Contributed)

THAME United go in to the New Year knowing that their biggest challenge for the remainder of the season is not necessarily the opposition, but the prospect of playing a minimum of 26 games in less than four months. This will mean at least two games a week and, despite the postponements already endured this month, it is normally January and February when the weather really hits the fixture list, and so it is likely that there will be additional postponements over the coming months.

“The postponements over the last month, whilst putting something of a dampener on our return to Thame, have also left us with a fixture pile-up that will require us to draw on the depth of our squad,” remarked manager Mark West.

United will require all of that depth on Bank Holiday Monday (3rd January, 3:00pm kick off) as they entertain top of the table Ardley United at the ASM Stadium. Ardley come in to the game having lost only two league games all season, one of which was a defeat to Thame on the August Bank Holiday, when striker Alex Stewart scored both goals for the away side in a 2-0 victory. Since then Ardley have only slipped-up against Shortwood United and have a five point lead at the top of the table.

Although over five inches of snow remained on the main pitch at the ASM Stadium on Monday (27th December) evening, by midday on Tuesday the surface was free of snow, well-drained and frost free. With the long range forecast indicating relatively milder day time and night time temperatures, the Club are not anticipating any problems with the pitch for the match, so at least they can begin to make in-roads into the remaining fixtures as Thame look to lift themselves in to the top half of the table.

PHOTO: Mark West