WARRINGTON Rylands’ match at FC United of Manchester was abandoned on Saturday but manager Michael Clegg was upbeat afterwards.

The Northern Premier League Premier Division affair was all square at 0-0 at the 61st minute mark when the referee decided to call a halt to proceedings due to the impact of heavy rain on the pitch.

 

A pitch inspection was needed prior to kick-off, with the groundsmen battling with one side of the pitch close to the touchline in order to make it playable at 3pm.

But the weather took a turn for the worst in the second half, putting a dampner on an entertaining clash that Clegg says Rylands will take plenty from.

"It was a good game. They were really lively the first couple of minutes and we were good in the first half but then conditions just got really tough and I think ultimately at 0-0 it was the right decision," said Clegg.

Striker Florian Yonsian, who previously worked under Clegg at Ashton United, made his Blues debut off the bench.

“We were lively, we managed to get Florian on the pitch in the second half and he looked lively. I thought DJ (Djavan Pedro) looked really good.

"I thought we created some decent moments in the first half. I think we’ve got to take a couple of them chances, one where DJ could have probably opened his body up and put it in the far corner but he did really well today."

Clegg is happy that Blues will get another bit of the cherry when the match is replayed in 'a couple of weeks'.

"This will do us no harm," he said.

"For us, it will be another game, another game to get to gel and to get to know each other because ultimately now it’s like a new squad from where it was six weeks ago through the injuries, Adama Sidibeh going, the suspensions.

"We’ve just got to take this into next Saturday with two good training sessions this week.”

Blues, who have slipped to third spot after results elsewhere, will host 16th-placed Gainsborough Trinity at Gorsey Lane next time out.

Clegg said: “It’ll be tough. I think every game at this level is a tough game.

"Everyone knows everything about each other, you’ve got to plot how you’re going to set up and what you’re going to do, and we’ll be no different.

“When we went to Gainsborough earlier in the season they were a really good side. They’ve got a great manager and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

"We’re at home, we’re third in the league, we need to start puffing our chests out and saying this is who we are and we’re getting to take games to people because there’s 11 games left and that’s 11 cup finals and hopefully that adds on two more for the play-offs for us.

"We’re as ready as ever and I think Saturday was another good test to put a new little system together, new players together and although the result counts for nothing the performance was really good."