Sutton United boss Paul Doswell fears the Christmas freeze could cost the club a fortune as they bid for a Ryman League Premier Division play-offs.

United’s clash with Margate fell foul of the weather at the weekend and the subsequent postponement of tonight's home clash with Harrow Borough has sparked concerns the same could happen to the bumper Boxing Day match-up with fierce local rivals Carshalton Athletic.

More than 1,000 fans packed the War Memorial Stadium last season as United triumphed 2-0 and the Gander Green Lane chief admitted cancelling the festive fixture could prove costly.

“There was the best part of 1,100 people at the game last year and that is an attendance that can’t be sniffed at,” he said.

“There is a very high chance it could be cancelled at this rate if the weather continues. It is not just a case of getting the pitch ready, but also making sure the stadium is safe for supporters.

“We haven’t had a home fixture on a Boxing Day for a while and this would have been a big opportunity for us.

“You are talking about a decent amount of cash in gate receipts that clubs at this level need.”

The Margate and Harrow fixtures are likely to be rearranged for January or February, but Doswell is not too concerned by a possible fixture pile-up.

And he believes it could see his side hit a purple patch of form in their quest for a top five finish.

“At this rate we are going to have the best part of ten games between now and the end of January,” he added.

“I’ll never forget when I was at Eastleigh we had a rush of ten games towards the end of the season and we never lost one. We got 30 points and just about snuck into the play-offs.

“That is the target for us, but at some point we have to starting winning on a regular basis.”

Doswell added former St Johnstone midfielder Nick McKoy to his squad this week to provide extra cover for a hectic start to the new year.

And he has backed striker Charlie Taylor to come good having shunned the idea of recruiting a prolific goalscorer - for now.

“We haven’t got a natural goalscorer at the moment, but I’m confident Charlie is going to help fill that role over the next few weeks,” he said.

“We’ve got a young squad in the main, but it does get frustrating when we are creating 16-chances per game and not scoring.

“I thought about bringing in a striker, but Nick is the six foot plus midfielder I have been looking for. If it comes to March and we need goals I may look again then.”

Sutton’s next three games: Dec 26 Carshalton Athletic (h), 29 Cray Wanderers (a), Jan 2 Carshalton Athletic (a).