BRACKNELL Town were left fuming after they had made a wasted journey to Hanwell last Saturday, writes Dave Wright.

Following last week's torrential rain, the hosts called in a local referee to inspect the pitch at 11am and he considered it was playable.

Bracknell players, officials and a number of supporters made the trip to west London, but only to be met with bad news.

The match referee, who was a late replacement, thought differently and, after a short inspection, he called the game off just before 2pm.

"He made the right call," said Robins manager Bobby Wilkinson.

"But the ref who inspected it in the morning should never be allowed to do it again.

"We are talking about health and safety here, and people had to travel in bad conditions.

"There was no chance of the game being played in my opinion, conditions were terrible."

Wilkinson, however, quickly arranged a 45-minute training session on a field behind the ground.

"A lot of managers would have allowed their players to go straight home, but for us, it is about keeping the momentum going, staying fit and focussed," he said.

"None of them complained even though it was a bit muddy out there, so all respect to them."

While there is a growing belief among the players they can achieve promotion from the Isthmian League's South Central Division, Wilkinson is reluctant to talk about the play-offs.

"A lot of people want to talk about them to me, but I am not interested at the moment," he stated.

"Don't get me wrong, we all have ambitions, but all I am interested in is our next game.

"It's about winning every game and seeing where we are on the last day of the season.

"We are on a brilliant run and we want to keep it going."

It will come as something of a shock if Bracknell, who are sixth in the table, fail to pick up another three points this coming Saturday.

They are home to Staines, who are only being kept off the bottom rung on goal difference after managing only two wins in 24 games.

The struggling Swans have looked to strengthen their squad by bringing in Slough players Scott Davies, Louie Soares and Manny Williamson on dual-registration forms.

In the meantime, Town have a new sporting celebrity as a fan.

Pam Cookey, the former England netball captain and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, was at Hanwell last Saturday, arriving just before the game was postponed.

She has a close connection with Bracknell as her fiancée, Steve Shortland, is the club's chief executive officer.

Last Friday, Cookey was a guest on the BBC's Question of Sport and this coming weekend she will be part of the Sky Sports commentary team for the Vitality Netball Superleague.