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And the punishing schedule – which “Football League players would not dream of being asked to do” – could mean that Rovers’ quest for four trophies ends in exhaustion and heartbreak.

Manager Frank Northwood last night pointed the finger at Banks’s League fixture planners for the mess, insisting, “Our success is only partly to blame.”

Somewhere along the line, lines have been crossed between ourselves and the league,” said Northwood.

“Weeks have gone by and fixtures have built up. If we get any postponements between now and the end of the season – which is possible – we could end up playing every night.

“Football League players would not dream of doing a fixture run like we’ve got. I honestly think it’s a joke. Some of it is down to the success we’ve had – but not all. We’ve been missing quite a few Saturday’s because of the fixture schedules and there should have been a lot more thought put into it. But the Banks’s League have never been able to get the fixtures right.”

Northwood plans to field reserve teams in the club’s remaining Evans Halshaw Floodlit Cup fixtures and is poised to bring more players into his first team squad.

“Supporters don’t come and see first team games with reserves team players in the side that aren’t ready to play at that level – they come to see quality. So I shall have to go out and get some first class players. But that’s not easy at this stage of the season, especially as I’ve always insisted on quality. Maybe someone locally has got a good player who we could put on forms.”