If any club had anything to gain from the period of inactivity it is the Eagles, who have been reeling from one crisis to another all season.

The recent break due to the dreadful conditions has given everyone time to take a deep breath.

Results so far may have been dire but club secretary Mark Holstead has better news to report off the field.

He said: “Behind the scenes things are moving nicely now and next year we will be on a better footing.

“We might not be playing any matches, which can’t be a bad thing at the moment, but we have had a very positive last fortnight.

“We are on the verge of a merger with Wrose Community Centre which will mean our facilities will be used far more than they are at the present time.

“It will be a benefit to the community and, in the long run, it will help us as a football club on the field.”

Holstead, who is hoping an announcement can be made by the end of next month, said: “There are a lot of things still to finalise but the whole initiative is moving at a pace now.

“The only frustration over the last couple of weeks has been for our manager Ray Price because there haven’t been any games and a lot of the training sessions have been affected by the weather.

“We are desperately trying to get all the behind-the-scenes things wrapped up as soon as possible.

“That will mean we can leave Ray to get the squad sorted and hopefully turn the results out that will mean we avoid relegation.”