THIS column has, unfortunately, become about as predictable as Sunderland's season so far.

Almost every week, the hapless Black Cats lose, Jon Stead fails to score and their fans complain.

Similarly, every column of late has reported on games being lost to the weather, nobody scoring because there are no matches and players moaning.

Last weekend, however, Sunderland drew, Stead scored and their supporters even seemed fairly happy. Alas, little changed in The Northern Echo Darlington Sunday Invitation League.

Only one game was played last Sunday, meaning just eight have been played in six weeks, and Copper Beech have not played since mid-February. The only wing that King has been on recently is a wing and prayer that there will finally be a game on.

BY THE time you read this, we may well have finally returned to action as, along with several other teams, we were due to play last night.

Printing deadlines mean that this has been written before the 6.15pm kick-off, but all being well, there should be some extremely stiff legs this morning.

The Copper were set to take on Royal British Legion in what was a huge game in division three. We had to win to stand any chance of finishing in the third promotion place, while the Legion, currently in second, could virtually have made certain of going up if they won.

Let's hope there were no tears from whoever lost, though - otherwise there will probably be another week of waterlogged pitches at Hundens Lane.

THE SPATE of postponements mean that some sides have as many as seven games to fit in between now and the end of the season in a month's time. That means midweek matches for many teams, which always seem to be a struggle when the star striker is on nightshift or the only goalkeeper doesn't finish work in time.

East End WMC not only have seven league games to squeeze in, but also the league cup, the division one cup and several other tournaments to contend with. In other words, they have a month to play about a dozen fixtures. Victims of their own success perhaps, but the aching limbs will feel a lot better if, as seems likely, they end the campaign with a haul of trophies.

REGULAR readers will know that The Northern Echo striker Lee Hall has been hitting the gym to maintain his fitness while there are no games.

The frontman has been regularly working out at Bannatyne's Health Club in Darlington, and has also been trying to kick his smoking habit - more than he usually manages with a football.

The Echo, currently bottom of division two, are in action against second-placed Haughton on Sunday, so can their fans expect to see a new lean, mean, goalscoring machine?

Apparently not, according to the man who seems to base his game on Mark Viduka. "My regime isn't strictly going according to plan, " he admitted, as he headed to the pub.

Published: 07/04/06