ASHLEY Vickers believes the wintry weather has come at the worst possible time for his troops.

The Magpies have seen their last two fixtures fall victim to the sub-zero temperatures and with tomorrow’s trip to St Albans City (3pm) already in doubt, the county town chief admits it is a “frustrating time” for all concerned.

To add insult to injury, the recent postponements have put Dorch-ester’s fine form on hold.

But should tomorrow’s Blue Square Bet South encounter get the green light, the Magpies will have the chance to record a fifth straight victory on the road.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Vickers said: “The forecast is not great but we can’t help the weather. It’s come at the wrong time for us but we’ll keep plugging away.

“It’s a frustrating time for both us and the supporters. All we can try to do is keep our fitness levels up.

“If Saturday’s game is off then we will try to have a practice game, incorporating the under-18s as well, at some point.

“We don’t want to get rusty but it’s the same for pretty much all clubs at the moment.

“We had a succession of postponements last season which did help us because we had a few injuries that cleared up and we got stronger.

“This time though, we’re injury free as our physio Geoff Dine has been working miracles with the lads.”

Last night’s training session was also in jeopardy. Speaking yesterday, Vickers added: “Training is also weather dependent and if it’s not safe for the boys to travel we won’t make them.

“The great thing for me is that we have a lot of trust in the lads, so when we tell them to work on their fitness at home, they will do it.

“If they don’t, it will show and they will not play.”

The Magpies currently sit nine points clear of the second-from-bottom Saints, who they host in the FA Trophy a week later. Vickers though, won’t be taking the opposition lightly.

He said: “They’ve had some indifferent results but I know their manager Steve Castle and we will have to be on our mettle and treat them with respect.”

Magpies (from): Evans, Coward, Critchell, Martin, Smeeton, Walker, Bowles, Frampton, Ford, Jermyn, Gleeson, Coutts, Nodwell, Crittenden, Devlin, Moss, Mudge, Wilson.

n St Albans plan to hold a pitch inspction this afternoon.

Steve Devlin has been handed a one-match ban, starting December 13, and fined £100 by the FA.

The charge is for alleged dissent in the 1-0 win over Braintree on October 23. The 22-year-old was sent off in the game but an error in the referee’s report brought only a one-game suspension, as opposed to three.