Skegness Town raring to go after enforced break

​The cold and wet weather has seen matches called off throughout the UCL Premier North over the last couple of weeks, meaning Skegness haven’t played since a 0-0 draw at home to Deeping Rangers on November 25.

And as they now prepare to go to bottom-of-the-table Pinchbeck United this weekend, Rawlinson feels his team are ready to return.

He said: "One weekend off is great but two weekends off is tricky really.

"You can’t beat the weather, as I’ve said before, but we trained really well on Wednesday and have a fit bunch, and we’ve used it as a bit of a mid-season break and get everyone refreshed and rested up.

"We’ve had a few niggles and injuries so it’s helped get those out of the way, so we’ll train well again on Wednesday this week and get ready to go to Pinchbeck.”

Pinchbeck have just one win to their name, but are only one point behind second-from-bottom Hucknall with only one relegation place this season.

Rawlinson said: "They’re having a tough time of it and [manager] Lewis Thorogood is doing a great job to keep going there with limited financial resources and so on, managing to be competitive.

"We know a lot of their players and the management team quite well so we’ll take nothing for granted in any way, shape or form.

"We’ll go there and do as we always do, namely work hard, be strong, win our own individual battles, and if that happens we should have enough ability in the squad to at least score and keep them out at the other end.

"It will be tough – Pinchbeck will be treating every game as a cup final in their quest to stay in the league so it’s a tough challenge away from home, especially after the two weeks off.

"Everyone’s in the same boat so it’s not like we’re miles behind on games, we just need to keep grinding away each game at a time.”

Skegness will then host Sleaford Town on December 23 and Boston Town on Boxing Day, before rounding off 2023 at Newark & Sherwood United on Saturday, December 30.