Shaw Lane AFC insist their three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player will not end their challenge for the only automatic promotion place.
The Ducks have also been fined £100 for playing James Pollard, whose suspension with his previous club was not noticed due to a registration mix-up, in their 5-0 win over Warrington Town in November.
The deduction means they have slipped down a place to third and are nine points off first. But they do have a game in hand over leaders Altrincham who they were due to visit on Tuesday before the top-of-the-table clash was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
Manager Paul Quinn said: "We have known the deduction was coming for a few weeks and we were already factoring it in. It's disappointing and it hasn't helped our chances of catching Altrincham but the title race is definitely still on. It's only nine points with 18 games left and we have a game in hand with two games against them. It might lull them into a false sense of security."
The rainy weather claimed both the Ducks' home match against lowly Marine on Saturday as well as Tuesday's game.Quinn is worried that the cancellations of games, leaving his side with more to play than any other team in the league, could damage their promotion chase. Shaw Lane – currently in one of the four play-off spots – still have 18 league matches to play in the last two months of the season, while they are due in action on Monday, Wednesday then the following Saturday.
Quinn said: "It is a concern. We can deal with two games a week but when you have to play three in a week it becomes a problem."We will have to rotate the squad and hope we are lucky with injuries. We may have to sign some extra players to deal with that, but it's a difficult balance because you don't want players to become unsettled if they aren't playing enough. It's a big challenge. You can feel now that the intensity is increasing and every game really is starting to feel like a cup final."
The Ducks and Altrincham are due to meet in a fortnight at Sheerien Park on March 3, while the rearranged match from this week is likely to be played on a weeknight that month or in April. Quinn said: "They will be two massive games that could define the season, but only if we keep picking up enough points in our other matches. It's frustrating that the game at Altrincham was called off this week because we were all prepared for it and looking forward to a big occasion. We were due to play them in November as well but hopefully it will be third time lucky next time."
Shaw Lane are hoping for a sixth promotion in seven seasons into the Conference North, after being a Barnsley Sunday League club in 2011. Quinn said: "Sometimes we need to put in perspective how far we have come and how good an achievement it is to be in contention for promotion in our first season in this league. But there is no two ways about it, now we are in this position, we are going for promotion and it will be disappointing if we miss out now."
The Ducks do not have a match tomorrow but are now due to host fourth-bottom Stalybridge Celtic on Monday then Barnsley neighbours North Gawber on Wednesday in the quarter-final of the Sheffield Senior Cup. The Shaw Laners won the cup last season and play four divisions above County Senior League outfit Gawber.
