MARLOW boss Derek Sweetman has blasted the Ryman League for arranging a full programme of matches on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

His Ryman League second division side must travel to Hungerford on Boxing Day and then entertain Banstead on January 1.

He said: "I think it is wrong. I don't think Ryman League clubs should be playing on Boxing Day. If we were professional footballers it would be different, it would be like ambulance drivers and firemen working on Christmas Day, but we're not and I think we should be allowed to have a holiday like the rest of the country.

"Christmas is a time for families. We play football for nine months a year, surely there is a case for a rest at Christmas."

The situation is particularly perplexing for Marlow because they don't have a fixture on Saturday. They had hoped to reschedule their Boxing Day game but couldn't because opponents Hungerford are already playing on Saturday.

Sweetman says Holiday matches often cheat the fans.

He said: "It's a time of year when you often get quirky results because players are away with their families or they have over-indulged.

"I certainly won't be stopping my players drinking. I know for a fact that they have all booked into a hotel for a night out in London on New Year's Eve and good luck to them. It's the one time of the year when everyone has a

good drink and I won't be denying them that."

Marlow will be without John Beale for the Boxing Day clash. He is spending Christmas with family in Leeds and, although he offered to drive back for the match, Sweetman decided not to take him up on his offer.

He said: "I don't want him travelling half of the length of the country to play a Ryman League match."

Luke Evans will also miss out. He is probably the luckiest Marlow player as he starts a four-match suspension on Boxing Day and can now party with the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, Marlow passed up the opportunity of a Berks and Bucks Cup glamour tie against Wycombe Wanderers in the New Year, when they crashed out to Burnham in dramatic circumstances on Tuesday night.

Marlow should have booked their place at Adams Park during a first half when they were in total control, but they ended up going out of the competition 2-1 to a goal six minutes into stoppage time.

Sweetman's Jekyll and Hyde side had only themselves to blame for not making the most of their first half superiority.

They only had Robert Gibson's volleyed goal to show for their efforts and they paid the price in the second period when they eased off and Burnham fought back.

The Doctor Martens League side hit their equaliser on 71 minutes and then sewed the game up with the winner deep into injury time.

Sweetman said: "It was very disappointing. Playing Wycombe Wanderers at their ground was a massive motivation. Chances like that don't come around too often and we had it in our grasp at half time.

"We were excellent in the first half and we should have been 3-0 up at half time and that's being conservative.

"We had two one-on ones which we didn't take advantage of and we had a perfectly good goal disallowed for a push on the keeper.

"But we couldn't have any complaints in the second half. They were the better side and once they equalised they were the only side who were going to win it."

Last Saturday Marlow stretched their unbeaten league run to ten games with a 2-0 win against Molesey with goals from James Pritchard and Nicky Ryder.