Not many people enjoy the winter weather but Hayes & Yeading striker Pat Cox reckons he’ll find his shooting boots again now the clocks have gone back.

United, who drew 1-1 with Sutton on Sunday, have traditionally flourished in the warmer months and come unstuck when the rain stops them playing their passing game.

It was one of the main reasons for the club’s relegation last term, although they went on to earn a dramatic reprieve, as the fixtures piled up following postponements.

Cox only signed for the club in March this year and made an instant impression but didn’t have the opportunity to influence results during their poor winter form.

He insists things will be different this time round though and the big forward is looking to end his six-game scoring drought at Chelmsford City on Saturday, hopefully in a downpour.

“When the pitches are nice you can pass the ball about and the team has traditionally done well in that period,” Cox explained.

“My game is all about the rough and tumble though. You play a lot of games in the bad weather and that’s when I can come into my own.

“My aerial presence can be a big influence. We can play longer when the pitches get worse and I can’t wait for the bad weather to be honest. It suits me.

“When the ball comes to me feet I can hold it up and when the ball comes over the top I’ll try my best to win my flick-ons.

“We want to be up there this season. We don’t just want to finish top half this season, we’re hoping to get up there and challenge.”

Manager Phil Babb was slightly disappointed Hayes & Yeading couldn’t hold on for all three points against Sutton but believes his side have made great strides this term.

“There’s a little tinge of disappointment having gone 1-0 up,” he added.

“It was a good test for us and another one which we’ve passed. We’ve proved this year that we can compete with the best. The pressure that we put the boys under in training during the week is starting to prove its worth.

“We know, certainly after last year, what can happen. But we’ve learnt from those mistakes and we’ve brought in the characters and the quality to help us when it does get tough. We should be able to see good results rather than runs of bad ones.

“We’re confident we’ve got a competitive squad this season and anything better than the last one will be a positive.”