There was a total whiteout once again over the weekend but Bradford Park Avenue owner Bob Blackburn is backing his recently installed manager to take the club forward, once he gets the chance.

John Deacey returned for his current spell at the end of November but has led the side into just two Evo-Stik Premier Division games.

They should have hosted Ashton United on Saturday but most of the non-league games were, like many professional ones from the Premier League down, postponed.

Bradford’s chief executive officer Blackburn said: “Another Saturday lounging about the house without any football is annoying. It is beginning to wear everyone down now because no one expected it to drag on this long.

“If the predictions are right and we have these sub-zero temperatures for a month then who knows what will happen. It will be good playing 20 games in February and March won’t it?

“The only thing is that all the clubs are in the same position. At least no one is escaping the weather and putting loads of points on the board.”

Avenue did get a rare league game in last week and banked a maximum with a win at Burscough.

It saw them climb to tenth, just nine points off second-placed Colwyn Bay with two games in hand.

Blackburn added: “If anybody is thinking of writing us off they had better change their minds.

“We intend to go on from here and make a serious challenge for promotion for a third season on the trot.

“It pains me to say it, and in my heart I still haven’t accepted it, but it looks like Halifax Town will win this division.

“We showed with our win at Burscough that we are ready to take the chances when they come around. We intend to be in the right place just in case anything goes wrong at Halifax.

“They are in a very strong position at the moment but there is a lot of the season still to play and a boatload of points to play for.

“There was a board meeting last Thursday and John Dean and Kevin Hainsworth agreed that we will give it a real go again.

“Getting this club promoted is very much our aim and if John (Deacey) needs an injection of cash to boost the squad then funds will be made available for him.

“We have already seen an improvement, throughout the whole club, since John came back and we want to get behind him as much as we can.”