THE big freeze played havoc with the London Two North-East fixture list for the second time in three weeks.

And Enfield Ignatians' rearranged home fixtures against Braintree and Old Streetonians have now been pencilled in, provisionally, for February 12 and February 26 respectively, writes Jonathan Landi.

A bye in the Middlesex Cup quarter-final also means that Ignatians have reached the semi-final.

The club were beaten finalists in this competition in 2008 and they have certainly got a tough assignment after drawing the two-divisions-higher Staines.

Ignatians' 50 per cent record of five wins and five losses in ten games in London Two North-East sees them reach the turnaround in eighth place, but coach Emile Hertz remains confident that the blue and golds can improve on their fortunes in 2011 when they will play 12 league games.

He said: "Obviously I would like to have done a bit better. However, we have been decimated by injuries and particularly so in the forwards - an area where we have been deprived of the services of some key personnel, which means that our makeshift pack has struggled against some of the bigger outfits in the division.

"Effectively we have operated in two of our ten league games with just one specialist second-row (Dan Hutchings).

For the record, Rob Wyer, Wes Warren, Steve Taylor and Ed Barber have all succumbed to the injury jinx in the forwards, whereas Tan Mbonu, Phil Tucker and Dannan O'Meachair have also been on the treatment table in an otherwise settled backline.

However, Hertz prefers to look forwards rather than backwards.

He added: "The good news is that the majority of the injured have responded well to treatment, and have either played a game (Wyer and Warren), begun training again (Taylor), or are on there way back (O'Meachair).

"Our problem has been that we haven't scored enough tries (Ignatians are the second lowest scorers in the division), which means that we have been unable to exploit the bonus system."

Ignatians have garnered only one bonus point to date, for scoring four tries or more, which makes them the 'Scrooges' of the division in that area.

"However, we have worked hard on defence (sixth best in the division) and, with our big-game players back in tow, our aim for 2011 will be a big finish to the season, with the emphasis on winning as many games as possible, rather than fixating on league positions.

"The squad are gradually taking the messages on board and I realise that things were never going to happen overnight.

"However, it is clear that some of the players are doing really well. Sam Emery (winger) is a case in point and Tom Killey has taken whatever has been thrown at him whether it be in the second-row or at hooker.

"Steve Taylor has also been having a good season until his injury (chipped bone) against Beccles."

The squad will continue to train during the Christmas period in anticipation of their away game at Harlow on January 8, and they will be hoping to do as well as last season when they won seven of their ten games in the post-Christmas period.