Whitchurch Alport will be hoping for some favourable weather this week to enable their weekend clash at Bacup Borough to go ahead.

The East Lancashire club have a notoriously poor pitch and had their home match called off on Saturday with the ground saturated.

Alport will look to build on the momentum gained from a resounding 5-0 home win over New Mills in what was arguably their most complete performance of the season to date.

Alport blitzed their opponents who were magnanimous in defeat, declaring the Reds as the best side they’d faced this term.

Reds boss Luke Goddard expects a tough afternoon at Bacup but is desperate for the match to be played.

“Bacup started the season really well but a recent good hiding at Sandbach (7-1) suggests that if we can get at them, then we should be able to put points on the board,” said Goddard.

“Last season they set up to frustrate us and we drew 0-0, which pretty much ended our promotion hopes. So we’ll need to be smarter to break them down.

“You’re always fearful that if your own game gets called off, and those clubs we’re trying to chase down at the moment get to play, they can put a little bit of daylight between those sides below them.

“We hit our points target for September and last season October was a really profitable month for us, so we’re keen to try to repeat that feat.

“There are a number of cup games coming up with two games a week pretty much after the Bacup match, but we have a squad that can cope with the rigours of such a challenging programme.”

Goddard had arranged a last-minute warm-up game in the midweek leading up to the New Mills game, which ended in a 4-2 win against Middlewich to give them confidence going into the clash with the Derbyshire side.

Goddard was full of praise for his team who were ruthless against the Millers.

“To be fair, we should be beating teams like New Mills by significant margins,” he said.

“I thought we should have beaten REMYCA but too many of our players had an off-day – and I told them so.

“I challenged them because the only thing that will stop us winning football matches is when the players fall below the standards they are capable of.

“At half-time, with a two-goal lead, we had to remind them to stay switched on because recently against Carlisle we had a nervy end to the game when they pegged us back to 2-1 after we’d looked comfortable at the break.

“We could – and perhaps should – have scored more goals but we can’t be too critical. We’d asked for a response from the lads after the defeat at REMYCA and we showed our strengths across all areas.

“It was really pleasing having supporters come up to me after the game to say how much they’d enjoyed the team’s performance.

“As nice as it is to win football matches, we want to entertain people when they come here, and try to make sure they get value for their £5 entry.”

n Alport have been expelled from the FA Vase after the FA’s disciplinary panel ruled that by fielding an illegible player, the club had breached the rules of the competition.

The club will not be appealing the verdict with Pershore Town reinstated, and they will face Highgate United in the next round.

n The Shropshire FA County Cup tie against Telford Juniors will be played at Wellington Amateurs ground a week tonight (October 11, 7.45pm).