League Two leaders Carlisle missed out on a chance to open a four-point gap at the top after a second wasted trip to Harrogate in two weeks due to a power outage.

The original fixture on December 29 had been abandoned after only 10 minutes due to a frozen pitch and this rearranged clash was called off by referee Seb Stockbridge at its scheduled 7pm kick-off time as the floodlights could not be switched on.

Northern Powergrid had informed the hosts that the issue, which also affected 2,500 neighbouring properties, might not be resolved until 10.30pm.

Carlisle boss Chris Beech accepted that little could be done in the situation but, having had three players test positive for Covid-19 on the morning of the game, did question the desire to rearrange fixtures so hastily in the current climate.

Beech, whose teenage son Brandon has cystic fibrosis which places him in a high-risk group, said: “We seem to be trying to squeeze in fixtures rather than perhaps waiting for better times. But the world is a bit crazy at the moment.

“There are different things to consider that affect players’ minds. We have people with pregnant partners and another player who lives with his in-laws who are very old.

“I also have a personal view about it, having spent a lot of times in hospitals with Brandon, but that’s between me and my family and the Football League are saying ‘crack on’, so I will make sure as manager that we continue to represent ourselves the best we can for every match.”