Brindley glad with match call off

The Blue Square North match had to be postponed because of a frozen pitch at Marston Road, leaving Brindley's boys a full week to prepare for a trip to Hinckley.

Tuesday's proposed Staffordshire Senior Cup tie with Hednesford has also been called off, giving the patched up Rangers squad what they have had little of - time on the training field.

Some of the current line up had just one training session before they were thrust into league action and, three games later, they can enjoy an uninterrupted week's preparation for the first time.

There will also be no fallout from a weekend game, something Brindley is pleased with.

He said: "In all honesty, having the match called off maybe did us a favour. We had a really hard game at Telford last Thursday and a couple of the boys were carrying knocks, players we could not afford to lose.

"Workington didn't have a game on the Thursday, so no doubt would have been that bit fresher than us, so maybe it was not such a bad thing that we did not play.

"We have a small squad and two games so close together is a real test for us."

The current squad at Stafford are still on the crest of a wave, after their shock win at Telford on New Years Day. That got everyone's attention but - due to be in action 48 hours later - there was no time to reflect.

This week gives Brindley a chance to analyse that performance with the players and - hopefully - build upon it.

He said: "I need to have a good, hard week on the training ground with the squad. This weekend without a game has presented us with the opportunity to do that.

"We can work on a lot things with the players this week and then, hopefully, be as prepared as we possibly can to go to Hinckley on Saturday.

"For us to have a settled side, the boys need more time training together. The way the squad has been decimated and the games we have had, there has been no chance to do that."