Weather warning raises fears of another weekend washout

TODAY may well be the start of a new month - and officially the start of Spring - but it looks like being a case of more of the same for Plymouth Parkway.

- STUART JAMES

Lee Hobbs' side are due to host Salisbury at Bolitho Park tomorrow afternoon but, after another wet and miserable week, in which they suffered their 19th postponement of the season, there seems little chance of the Southern League Premier Division clash going ahead.

Parkway are so far behind with their fixtures that Tuesday nights are. already filled between now and the end of the season with rearranged games, so they are booking Thursday night dates as well. And the sad truth is that there is absolutely nothing they can do to get their pitch in a playable state with significant amounts of rain falling on already saturated ground.

With a yellow weather warning in place for more rain today, the brief respite we had earlier this week will in no way have been long enough to dry out sodden ground. These are unprecedented times, with this one of the wettest winters since records began in 1836.

"Winter so far has been significantly wetter than average for Devon, with little respite for saturated ground, Stephen Dixon, spokesperson for the Met Office said. "A wet December was followed by a slightly drier than average January, but February has seen a return of frequent and heavy rain.

"After a significantly wetter than average February for the county, even small periods of rain can have impacts on saturated ground, as had been seen on many of the county's football pitches.