NANTWICH Town player-boss Steve Davis will play through the pain in Saturday's rescheduled FA Vase fifth-round clash with Buxton.

The Jackson Avenue pitch was frozen solid at the weekend and arguably the club's biggest ever game had to be postponed for a week.

It will go ahead on Saturday at 3pm, and Davis will shrug aside the need for an operation to help his side go for glory.

He has been told he needs surgery to repair a torn cartilage in his right knee, but insists he will take the field anyway.

He said: 'I need an operation as soon as possible but I will just have to go through the pain barrier on Saturday. I don't want to miss this one.

'I was as shocked as anyone when the game was called off. Assistant Peter Hall called me and I thought he was winding me up. But when I saw the pitch, it was unplayable.

'It is nice that we can reschedule on a Saturday and hopefully, with the Alex not playing, we will get a bumper gate and put on a good show.'

The extra week may help strikers Matt Blake and James Marrow get in contention for the visit of the Northern Counties East League Premier Division leaders.

Davis is likely to mark his old Burnley teammate, striker David Reeves, who scored six on his Buxton debut recently.

If they should beat Buxton, the Dabbers will entertain Pickering Town, who ply their trade in the same league, on Saturday, March 4. The winners will net £4,000.