Crucial play-off meet hit by rain.

Byline: By Andrew Dalby 

Newcastle will make their fourth trip to the Norfolk Arena this season on Friday, September 9 after last night's Premier League match at the King's Lynn Stars was washed out and swiftly re-arranged to keep it inside the cut-off date for deciding the top eight for the end-of-season play-offs.

Rain meant the Diamonds had to visit King's Lynn twice in June in the Knock-Out Cup and yesterday's heavy downpours forced a postponement roughly three hours before the start.

Newcastle are relying on today's drier forecast to make their travelling worthwhile as they go to the Isle of Wight this evening for a match carrying huge significance for those play-offs.

The current top five ( Berwick, Rye House, King's Lynn, Sheffield and Exeter ( look guaranteed to go through while eighth-placed Edinburgh should be safe providing they can squeeze their six remaining home matches, including one against the Diamonds, into less than four weeks.

That leaves Newcastle (sixth), Workington (seventh) and the Islanders (11th, but with five home meetings left) as the main contenders for the last two spaces.

The Diamonds have already lost a bonus-point run-off this month at Workington after taking a 22-point advantage to Derwent Park so they can't afford to waste the 20-point lead they're taking to Smallbrook tonight.

Newcastle co-promoter and team manager George English confirmed Newcastle captain Phil Morris won't ride this evening but is on course to return in Sunday's meeting at Glasgow.

Newcastle's remaining Premier League matches (Edinburgh-away still to be re-arranged): tonight v Isle of Wight (away), Sunday v Glasgow (away, 4pm), Monday v Glasgow (home, 5.30pm), Friday, Sept 9 v King's Lynn (away), Saturday, Sept 10 v Stoke (away), Sunday, September 11 v Reading (home).