DARLINGTON are facing a fixture backlog after last night’s game at Accrington Stanley was postponed for a second time.

Following a pitch inspection the match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at the Fraser Eagle Stadium.

Heavy snowfall on Monday had thrown the fixture into doubt so Accrington arranged for a local referee to conduct a 2pm inspection.

An Accrington spokesman said: “Although the pitch was protected by covers, unfortunately the melting snow has resulted in some areas of the pitch holding water which the referee was concerned would be liable to freezing if the temperature drops tonight.”

The game was first postponed ten days ago due to a frozen pitch and a date has yet to be announced for the rearranged fixture.

It means Darlington have had three games postponed this season, the first in December at home to Rochdale which was rearranged for late February.

That is one of seven midweek matches, including the trip to Accrington, that Darlington will play during the remaining 14 weeks of the season.

But as Stanley have midweek matches lined up for each of the next three weeks, Quakers’ third attempt to play at Accrington will not be until February 17 at the earliest.

Darlington are also playing during the next two midweeks, and if the game is not rearranged for February 17, March 17 and 24 are Quakers’ next available dates.

Meanwhile, former Darlington keeper Simon Brown has backed Quakers’ new signing Dean Gerken to flourish while in the North-East.

Brown spent the first six months of the season with Darlington, before returning to Brentford, with Gerken making his Darlington debut in Saturday’s win over Luton.

For two months Gerken has been in the reserves at Colchester, a club that Brown played for five years earlier in his career and he says Quakers’ new signing has made the right moving in joining Darlington.

Brown said: “Darlington is a great football club, with a great set-up and a great bunch of lads. You can get stale at a football club and I’m sure the move will do Dean the world of good.

“It’s important to play football and get away somewhere fresh. For someone of Dean’s age, playing first team football is a must.

“Dean has always had this great aura of potential about him. It is down to him to do well but he has all of the attributes – the size and the reach – to be a top keeper.”