PAUL Mariner has described the decision to postpone Saturday's game at QPR as "sensible".

Argyle's Head Coach had been expecting the news, given the freezing conditions of the past week, and the weekend forecast in London area predicts more snow and ice.

Fortunately for the Greens, news of the decision to cancel the game for safety reasons reached Home Park prior to the team departing for their hotel, and Mariner has now given the players a weekend off.

"It is a sensible decision," he said. "If you look at the weather forecast, it's not going to be great in London and the safety of supporters has to be of paramount importance.

"We could have got there and they [QPR] have under-soil heating, so the game could have gone ahead, but with nobody watching. The weather is probably going to get worse between now and kick-off time.

"We've had a pretty tough stretch. The players have been working very hard, so they're going to have the weekend off and rest up."

When the squad returns for work on Monday, all thoughts will turn to the FA Cup replay at Newcastle on Wednesday night. Although the forecast for next week remains frosty, Mariner is confident the game will go ahead.

"We believe the Newcastle game will go ahead," he said. "We'll be up in the North East and it's a massive game for the club.

"A backlog is one of the big concerns. January is potentially looking very full and going into February it will probably be a game every four days.

"In some ways that's a good thing but it can also be difficult. We need to get some players in to help us. The squad is small and you obviously worry about injury and fatigue."