Only two teams in action again this Saturday, then, as the first team find themselves without a fixture whilst the Reserves take on Brockworth Albion in the County Cup and the third team travel up the M5 to take on Division Five table toppers Tewkesbury Town Reserves in a League game.

The first team were due to have played Kingswood at Bishops Cleeve this Saturday but that game went west when both the Reserves and AC Olympia were drawn at home in the GFA County Junior Cup. Presumably, whether or not this is a good thing, after last week’s 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Longlevens in the Senior Amateur Cup, is something of a moot point. Having a week off does, at least, give the team the opportunity to take stock and to work on things that are going wrong, knowing that none of the players involved can be drafted into the Reserve team, as they are all cup-tied. However, after you have fallen off the horse, it is invariably best to get straight back on and another week brooding on the result will do no one any favours.

So, what better way of overcoming the trials and tribulations of a bad day at the office than watching the Reserves set off on their own cup trail, at home to Cheltenham League Division Two rivals, Brockworth Albion Reserves? The visitors this coming Saturday have made an unspectacular start to the season in the League, beating Winchcombe Town Reserves 5-2, in a midweek fixture played once the rains had abated, but losing each of their other three games, with the most recent of these losses, two weeks ago, being a 3-2 home defeat against Northleach Town Reserves. Of possible significance, maybe, is the fact that Brockworth Albion’s first team received a bye in the Senior Amateur Cup last weekend, meaning that any players who are not performing for the club’s Senior side at the moment will still be eligible for the seconds. However, Brockworth’s firsts do have a game on Saturday, away to Cheltenham Civil Service, so it would, presumably, only be players who have hit a dip in form who might find themselves on duty in the Junior Cup this weekend. On the other hand, it has to be assumed that the Reserves will be champing at the bit to get back into action after scoring 23 goals in their first four league games of the campaign and then being handed a break in fixtures that was, probably, none too welcome. Scott Saurin and Jamie Roberts have scored 15 of these goals between them and the side will be aiming to get firmly back into their collective stride before resuming League action with their own visit to Cheltenham Civil Service on Saturday week.  They will have to do it without Martin Chandler, though, who is unavailable this week, although Stefano Pucello steps up for his first game for the Reserves this season to lend defensive cover and Ben Norman will be hoping for a first start.  Guy Tyrell also moves up following a couple of impressive displays for the thirds.

The Third team have already made sure of their place in the next round of the cup and so their return to League action sees them travel to take on the early season pacesetters in Division Five, Tewkesbury Town Reserves. Whilst it must be of some concern that, in both of the two matches that the team has played so far this season, the side has dominated for long periods but has only ended up winning by the odd goal, it has to be said that, at the same time, all of the constituent members of the team’s phalanx of strikers have now opened their accounts for the season and this will, undoubtedly, give the thirds much needed confidence as they gear up to take on a team that has a 100% record in the League so far this season. Indeed, the third team’s hosts this weekend have notched an impressive 10 goals themselves in their three outings to date but they came down to earth with something of a bump last weekend when they were dismissed from the Primary Cup 5-1 by Bibury Reserves. Tewkesbury Town have moved away from the pitch on the bed of the River Avon, or "The Vineyards Playing Fields" as Tewkesbury Borough Council likes to call it, and have now taken up residence at Tewkesbury School, which makes them even easier to reach but, probably, no easier to beat. Having said that, though, the thirds did manage two wins, one of which was in the Charity Cup, and a draw, at home in the League just over a year ago, in the three matches against them last season. The squad is very similar to the one that has won both of its matches this season, although it is missing captain Steve Paine and Martin Reid, both of whom are unavailable.  Sam Bunker and Nick darke are drafted in, however, and Stuart Hurring returns to bolster the defence