BRAINTREE Town will be looking to the heavens once more ahead of their Skrill Premier home game against Lincoln City today.

The Iron progressed into the semi-finals of the Essex Senior Cup with a 3-1 win against Harlow Town at the Amlin Stadium on Tuesday.

Manager Alan Devonshire admitted it was a close call over whether that game would go ahead because of the wetness of the pitch and the subsequent action opened up the already heavy surface.

Braintree have seen a number of important fixtures postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

But the club have been carrying out extra drainage work this week, with a channel being dug in front of the terracing opposite the main stand.

Chairman Lee Harding explained that it was hoped the new channel would help alleviate the pressure on the main drainage area, which is at the Quag End of the ground on the main stand side.

By clearing water off the playing surface to other areas, it is hoped the pitch will get a better chance to dry.

However, Devonshire said he still expects to be waiting on the weather again this weekend.

He said: “Looking at the pitch after the Harlow game, it was all opened up and then there was more rain coming down so we’ll have to wait and see.

“It’s not great to be playing on a surface like that.

“You can hardly stand up on it at times, but it’s not just our pitch, clubs all over the country have been suffering.

“It doesn’t help us but we get on with it.

“You have to adapt to it.

“The chances we got against Harlow were mainly from balls into the channels, which isn’t great to watch sometimes, but you can’t really play football on that.”

If the game against the Imps does go ahead, Devonshire said he was unlikely to risk full-back Sam Habergham due to a shoulder injury. But Dean Wells and Alan Massey will be back after being rested for the game against Harlow.

However, midfielder Chez Isaac is set to be out for several weeks after picking up a knee injury in last weekend’s 1-0 Skrill Premier defeat at Woking.

Devonshire added: “It looks like Chez will be out for a while.

“We’re waiting for the full results of a scan to come back, but we know it’s his knee ligaments.

“What we don’t know is the extent of the damage yet.

“Hopefully it’s just the medial ligament, which will be six weeks minimum anyway, but he’ll be out for a while.”