Football: Oldham's fixture backlog

WATER, water everywhere and Oldham will not be able to stop and think.

Last night their match against Tottenham was called off for the third time because the Boundary Park drainage could not cope with recent rain. As a result, Oldham, struggling to avoid relegation, must to play six games in a fortnight because the Football Association will not extend the Premiership season beyond 7 May. They could face three matches in five days.

'It's a horrendous fixture snarl-up and I've no idea when we will now be able to squeeze this game in,' Oldham's secretary, Terry Cale, said after the game was called off again. A waterlogged pitch forced postponement from the original date of 12 March and again four days later. Then Oldham's FA Cup run got in the way.

Oldham, 20th in the Premiership - two places behind Spurs, play at Newcastle on Saturday, at Wimbledon next Tuesday, are at home to Sheffield Wednesday on 30 April and to Sheffield United on 3 May and are due to finish up at Norwich four days later.