BOSS Tom Killick insists Poole Town will not buckle under their barrage of fixtures after seeing yet another match washed out by the weather.

Dolphins’ home clash with Bashley was one of the first to be called off in the Southern League Premier Division today before torrential rain wiped out the bulk of the non-league schedule in the south.

The only action in Poole’s league on the first day of 2014 saw third-placed Chesham United lose at home to table-toppers Hemel Hempstead, leaving Killick’s charges fifth and 19 points off the summit with six games in hand.

Poole have more fixtures to complete than any other team in the division with 26 league matches and a Dorset Senior Cup semi-final to fit into the final 16 weeks of the season.

But despite the downpours making his side’s Conference South quest more perilous, Killick remains confident the grey clouds will not rain on his team’s promotion parade.

Reacting to Dolphins’ latest postponement, Killick told the Daily Echo: “I know we are falling behind some teams in terms of points and fixtures but I don’t see it as a massive issue at the moment.

“It is not ideal and I think a lot depends on how fortunate we are with injuries as the season progresses. If we can keep most of our players fit and available, I believe we have the strength in depth to cope.

"The games will be coming thick and fast but I’m not too worried. We’ll tackle it head on.”

However, with four consecutive away matches over the next 11 days, Killick recognised that managing the club’s fixtures during the second half of the season will not be without its pitfalls.

“Midweek away games are particularly difficult,” he added. “The most negative impact of any backlog is when you have travelled long distances at the weekend and have to go again on a Tuesday night. It can affect the performance levels of the group.

“The biggest frustration for me is when we lose matches and other teams, particularly those in the promotion race, don’t.

“We are very aware that the margins between first and second or fifth and sixth at the end of the season can be very tight. Small things can make a difference but there is no point dwelling on that.

“Managers often relish having a blank week between Saturday matches but, in many cases, if you ask a player they would want to get the extra game in instead of training twice.

"Our squad is very driven like that and we don’t really tolerate anything else.”