After just the one Saturday that was entirely dominated by the bread and butter of League Football, the magic of the cup returns again this week and sticks around for at least the next three weeks as the club seeks to progress its search for honours on as many fronts as possible.

It is the Reserve team who are in Cup action this coming weekend, as they start off on a trail that, ultimately, leads to Whaddon Road in the Cheltenham League’s Senior Charity Cup. The Charity Cup Competitions just involve teams from the Cheltenham League and are, basically, the League Cup for the local competition. There are three sections to the Charities Cup and the Reserves play in the top tier of this, the Senior Cup, which is open to only those teams who play in Divisions One and Two. They don’t start off as one of the favourites, then, although it should be remembered that, last season, the finalists were both from Division Two for the first time ever.

They probably ought to start off as favourites in the first round match scheduled for this coming Saturday, however, despite last weekend’s disappointing defeat against Cheltenham Civil Service, as they are at home to Northway, a team that they have already beaten, 6-3, in Bishops Cleeve in the League this season. In addition to this, Northway have lost to Bredon, 2-0, but they beat Cheltenham Civil Service, 3-1, with both of these games being also being played away. In fact, it is almost 18 months since Northway have played at home as the dressing room accommodation at Ashchurch Parish Council Playing Fields was severely damaged by flooding in July 2007. Since then, the club has fulfilled its obligations by playing home games at a variety of venues, the most notable of these being King George V Playing Fields in Cheltenham. This ground has hosted all the home matches that Northway have played in 2008 and, although the club had hoped to be back at its spiritual home from the beginning of the season, it still hasn’t received the go ahead from the authorities.  For the Reserves, Nick Charlton continues in goal, following his Man of the Match winning display in defeat last week, and the squad also sees the return of Rob Vaughan

Meanwhile, the first team welcome Ramblers to Bishops Cleeve for a Northern Senior League Division One match. Ramblers, who are based at Tuffley Park in Gloucester, gained promotion last season by finishing third but only after it seemed that legal action may be required to secure their spot! In the unusual and confusing circumstances that prevailed after the Division One winners and runners-up from last season, Slimbridge and Bishops Cleeve, were both promoted to the County League it seemed, briefly, that Newton Heath would retain their place in the top division at Ramblers’ expense but, in the end and after much scratching of heads, Ramblers gained the place in Division One that their season-long endeavours always seemed to have earned. Since then, they have drawn two and lost two of their first four games, with their latest point having been gained in a goalless draw at home to Broadwell Amateurs last Saturday. At the same time, the first team were producing their best display of the season to win 3-1 at Sharpness and the side will be hoping to replicate this form at home against Ramblers.  The main selection news for this match is the return of the club's very own Aussie superstar, Garth Powell, who has winged it back all the way from a Land Downunder to experience, first hand, the worst start to a season that Spurs have made for 96 years, as much as anything else.

The Third team will be engaged in the Cheltenham League Minor Charity Cup later in the season, as Division Five teams don’t get involved until the second round, which will be played in December, so this weekend they travel to Swindon Village to meet Cleevonians in a League fixture. The hosts have perennially struggled at the wrong end of the League table ever since they entered the League 4 years ago but they have made an excellent start to this campaign, gaining three wins in their first four games, all of which have been by 3-1, away to Belmore United Reserves and at home to Charlton Rovers III and, most notably last weekend, Tewkesbury Town Reserves. Their only defeat in the opening month of the season was suffered at the hands of Sherborne Harriers, to whom they lost 2-1 away, but their early season form already seems to suggest that they will be quite a different outfit from the team that the thirds beat twice last year, 5-0 at home last November and 3-1, away, in March. The third team will be keen to replicate that showing from last March, especially as they have now drawn both their last two games, 3-3 at Tewkesbury Town and 1-1 last weekend against Falcons, although if the first game had ended a minute earlier and the second game started 21 seconds later, they would still have a 100% record! This week, the squad will be bolstered by both the return of goalkeeper Brian Watts, who is now available again, and Stefano Pucello, who has been doing sterling service for the Reserve team.