ACTING chief executive Bob Holt fears Town's attempt to sign Bristol City striker Christian Roberts may be delayed or even scuppered by the postponement of Sunday's League One clash with Sheffield Wednesday.

Holt last night confirmed that an offer had been made to the Ashton Gate club for the services of Welshman Roberts, whose countrymen take on England in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

But ironically, it is that match, plus other internationals taking place this weekend, that ensures a deal to bring in the Cardiff-born 24-year-old is still far from done.

The Old Trafford clash had already forced Town to put back the Owls game by 24 hours.

But Wednesday then asked for the game to be cancelled after losing three players to international duty and were granted their wish by the Football League.

That decision could cost Town as much as £40,000, thereby considerably reducing the cash available to secure Roberts for Andy King's squad.

Town expected as many as 3,000 fans from Yorkshire on Sunday, but with the game now scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, October 27, that number is likely to be down by at least two-thirds.

That drastically cuts the club's revenue from the fixture, with Holt admitting it is likely to have a knock-on effect to the Roberts' deal.

He said: "We have made an offer which is being considered by Bristol City.

"But with the game on Sunday being postponed, that disrupts an already fragile cashflow and may seriously jeopardise us moving forward.

"It could mean a deferral, either of payment or the deal for a few weeks. We're talking about £40,000 less coming into the club and the money we do have has got to pay the proper bills.''

Holt believes football's chiefs need to reassess the practice of staging internationals at weekends.

He said: "I think the League have got to get their act together on this. Basically, it's costing us £40,000 for England to play on Saturday.

"We would have expected about 3,000 Wednesday fans, but with it being midweek, you are talking more

like 1,000.

"That's a serious loss of revenue for a club like ours.

"I don't know why they do not play the internationals in midweeks. That's always what used to happen.''

Welsh frontman Roberts has been pushed down the pecking order at Ashton Gate following Brian Tinnion's recent spending spree.

The City forward, has already turned down moves to Blackpool and Port Vale, but a transfer to Swindon would prove less of an upheaval for the Cardiff-based star.

Town King said of the deal: "There have been rumblings but not through me.

"Within the clubs there have been bits and pieces but where it stands I don't know.

"Chairmen and directors talk to each other and start a negotiation that then come down to the manager's chair.

"I believe there have been early negotiations.

"Bristol City is one of the few clubs that have a surplus of strikers, so therefore we're looking at it because I need a striker and have got to take one from anywhere.

"Players want to play, they don't want to be on the subs bench so Roberts may not be happy there and it's something to look at."

Another man called Roberts Wigan striker Neil was top of King's wish list.

The 26-year-old Welsh international has been on loan at Bradford and is surplus to requirements at the JJB Stadium, but a move to bring him to the County Ground has been apparently sabotaged by Doncaster Rovers.

Said King: "I was hoping to do a deal with Wigan on (Neil) Roberts this week but I think he's gone to Doncaster.

"So Doncaster have beaten me to that one. They've pinched him from under my nose.

"I couldn't have matched Roberts' personal terms. This is what we have to work with and it's difficult."

King has other avenues to explore should that deal not bear fruit but, as ever, his options are restricted by budgetary limits.

He said: "There's a list (of targets) as long as your arm, it's just working down that list until someone says yes.

"I've got to have people within the working capacity of the football club.

"That becomes difficult because everyone wants the best but you can't have it.

"I'd like to go and buy a 500SE Merc this week my budget says I have to have an Escort. That's the way of football. That's the way of life."

The postponement of Sheffield Wednesday's visit has bought King some extra time to explore the transfer market, though he will need to draft in bodies before a glut of fixtures at the end of the month.

"There's no rush," he said. "If we were playing Saturday or Sunday there would be, but I've been given time.

"But we're going to be playing Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday now.

"With the squad I've got that's going to take a hell of a toll.

"I've got to get players in, so I've got to do my job as a manager and find them."