Gillingham have had to wait even longer than City to kick a ball competitively again.
Tomorrow’s opponents also fell victim to last weekend’s extremely wet weather.
Their scheduled trip to Barrow was the first to be called off on Friday, but not before the team coach heading north had gotten as far as rugby services.
That made for a meaningless 250-mile round trip for the Kent side, who have not played since their impressive FA Cup win over League One local rivals Charlton a fortnight ago.
But head coach Stephen Clemence, like opposite number Graham Alexander, has struck a positive note about the disruption to their programme.
“I don’t look at it as a bad thing,” he told Kent Online. “The players are in a good place; they have had plenty of games recently and there are plenty coming up.
“To get that little breather before this busy Christmas and New Year period might not be a bad thing.
“Obviously, the players still had training to do and they weren’t completely off their feet.
“You keep them ticking over, but in a full-blown game, you can pick up injuries and strains or kicks.
“By having the weekend off from that point of view, we haven’t got any of that to worry about.”
Clemence, a name that had been linked with the Valley Parade hotseat, is in his first role as boss after being the long-term number two for Steve Bruce at numerous clubs.
The son of former Liverpool and England keeper Ray, the 45-year-old succeeded Neil Harris at the start of last month.
Gillingham have won both of his home games against Salford and Wimbledon.
They sit in eighth, behind Wimbledon in the final play-off place on goal difference.
Clemence added: “If performances are good then I think results will take care of themselves.
“If we are doing okay on that front, I would like to think we will do okay come the end of the season, but I am not studying the league table at the moment.”
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