Avenue manager John Deacey is still working on bringing in one more signing despite the changes he has already made to the squad during the enforced winter break but he wants it to be his last of the campaign.

With no action on the pitch, it has not been a quiet time for the Horsfall boss and his assistant Mark Hume.

Former first-team coach and crowd favourite Simon Baldry has departed but players like James Knowles have returned in a period that has been busy for the backroom staff if nothing else.

“I thought I might have got the new man before now, and the longer it goes on the less likely it seems, but you never give up,” said Deacey.

“If he does come though, that will be that. You have got to work with the same group to find the consistency you need to get into the promotion picture.

“The best team is going to win the Evo-Stik League Premier Division but the best squad is going to come into that. It is going to take 17, 18 or 19 players for a club to take the title or win promotion.

“That is just my thought on it, to be honest, and I may well be proved wrong. But for me, the whole squad is going to be called upon because I don’t even think we have seen the last of the cancellations.”

The last five weeks have been a nightmare for every football club because of the uncharacteristically severe weather. Yet Deacey points to January and February as traditionally the worst months of any season for postponements.

“Let’s face it, we are not even over the worst of the winter yet and most of the clubs haven’t played half of their games,” he said.

“There are clubs with 25, 26, 27 – even some with 30 fixtures still to play in a four-month period. That is quite demanding when you look at it from anyone’s point of view.

“You are going to need a big, deep, good squad to be able to cope with that. The squad which is tight and together will be the one that does best, so you want that settled group and the consistency and teamwork that comes from that.”