FOOTBALL clubs throughout the area are counting the cost of the latest big freeze and praying for some action this weekend.
From League One Leyton Orient to the grassroots of the game, postponements have been the order of the day. Even Premier League West Ham United saw their weekend clash fall victim to the weather.
And some clubs have not kicked a ball in anger since before Christmas.
Orient will be hoping to return to action this Saturday when they host Bristol Rovers. The O's have been hit by consecutive postponements and have not played since December 28.
It all means lost revenue and a backlog of fixtures.
Orient chief executive Matt Porter said: "Under-pitch heating (at Brisbane Road) is a little bit out of our budget. It (the bad weather) affects your cash flow, obviously. The money you make on a match day from ticket sales, catering sales and merchandising - all of that is put on hold.
"When a Saturday game is re-arranged for Tuesday, the likelihood is you will get a lower crowd, particularly in terms of away fans. So it's disappointing.
"The club secretaries speak with each other (when there has been a postponement) and to the Football League to re-arrange the games as quickly as they can, which makes sense. That’s been done now with regards to the Oldham and the Yeovil games."
The O's, like many clubs, have also found training difficult, with not much grass to be found at the moment. Orient's Newbury Park training ground was still frozen this week and the players have been using Tottenham Hotspur's training facilities.
However, lower-league clubs, whose players are part-time, have arguably suffered even more in recent weeks.
Waltham Abbey boss Glen Alzapiedi revealed the clubs at the lower end of the football spectrum are really feeling the strain under the weight of heavy snow.
The Abbotts' Capershotts home has not seen any Ryman League Premier Division action for almost two months, largely due to the adverse weather conditions that have put their season on ice.
And Alzapiedi claimed the implications run deeper than just a fixture backlog.
“The club needs to pay its bills and I'm sure it uses some of the money from gate receipts to help pay them,” he said. “We haven't played at home for two months, so that's an issue."
The postponement of so many games will also do little to help the manager in his attempts to bring new players in.
“We're looking to bring in players, but it's very difficult because it takes a high level of commitment to play at a higher level and, financially, we are weaker than some teams that are two divisions below us,” he added.
Alzapiedi has led his players through several training sessions in the snow, despite the weather, preferring to concentrate on lighter exercises to build up the players' fitness and avoid injury.
“Most clubs at our level don't have access to Astro-turf pitches or indoor facilities, so we've been training in the snow. It's been like a mini pre-season, with lots of running and fitness work. So when we do start playing again and can get the balls out it will prove to be effective for us.”
Now Abbey will hope the snow and ice clear in time for Saturday's scheduled match against Kingstonian at Capershotts. However, as the ice thaws, so a new problem arises.
“Our pitch tends to hold a lot of water, so when all the snow melts there might be an issue with water-logging,” said Alzapiedi.
It seems there is no end to the football drought.
Ryman League Division One North sides Waltham Forest and Leyton have also suffered with multiple postponements. Forest are due to travel to VCD Athletic this Saturday, while Leyton host Thamesmead Town.
Comparisons are already being made to the Big Freeze of 1963, but it seems there is still a long way to go before things get as bad as then.
* It was not just the football programme that was wrecked by the weather at the weekend. All the local rugby also fell victim to the icy conditions.
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