CHERRIES wing-back Wade Elliott hopes their rain-off against Reading will not wreak havoc on an impressive three-match winning run.

Sometimes an enforced period of two weeks out of action can break up a team's stride, especially when they have been playing really well.

But Elliott believes hard work on the training ground between now and their trip to Wycombe on Saturday could be all that stands between Cherries picking up where they left off against Swansea on November 18.

Elliott said: "It was disappointing the Reading game was called off on Saturday because of a waterlogged pitch as we had won three matches in a row and were in a confident mood.

"It would have been a good time for us to play one of the top sides in the division and all our players were looking forward to it.

"We will have had a two-week break by the time we go to Wycombe and sometimes that can have an adverse affect on sides.

"We might lose a little bit of sharpness but we can get that beaten by working even harder on the training ground.

"Hopefully we can get back to proper match fitness before the Wycombe game."

Sean O'Driscoll, whose side have beaten Swansea (2-0), Peterborough (3-0) and Peterborough (2-1) in November, said: "The rain-off was disappointing in one respect because we're on a good run and would liked to have kept it going.

"The pitch was bad. It was far too wet to play and both sides agreed with referee Bill Jordan's decision to call it off at 1pm."

O'Driscoll, who has been on the staff at AFC Bournemouth since 1984, added: "I could count the number of times games have been called off at Dean Court on one hand.

"The forecast was for heavy showers, so it would have been a lottery if this one had gone ahead.

"It might have ended up a really good game or a complete farce and the ref had to make a considered decision.

"Both sides wanted it on if the pitch had been playable because Reading don't want a fixture pile up with the way they are going for promotion at the moment and we don't because of all the cup games we are going to be involved in.

"Richard Hughes and Eddie Howe, who both have the flu, would have been out so we would have missed two of our most experienced players.

"But Karl Broadhurst and Peter Grant would have come in and we would have been confident about carrying on our good run."

It was the first game called off at Dean Court since Preston were due to visit in October 1998.

O'Driscoll might now be tempted to field his full strength first-team against Southend Reserves in an Avon Insurance Combination clash at Dean Court on Wednesday (2pm) to give his senior players a run out.

Cherries and Reading have yet to agree a new date for the clash.

Any tickets already purchased for Saturday's game will be valid for the rescheduled date and do not need exchanging.