With Christmas approaching fast, the last weekend, this year, that the club will be playing will, thanks to last weekend’s deluge, see both the First and Third teams engaged in home fixtures at Cheltenham Road.

The First team will play host to Broadwell Amateurs in what was due, before the rains last Saturday forced the postponement of their trek to Wotton, to have been the third of four consecutive League away games that Saturday’s visitors would have played since their last Northern Senior League home match, which was back on November 22^nd.   That day, they gained a very creditable 3-1 win on their own patch against Lydbrook Athletic, the side against whom we drew 3-3 when they returned to their own ground a week later.  On the same day, Broadwell followed up their win with a point from a 0-0 draw at Shortwood United and then played what is to be their only home game in December when they entertained Shipton Oliffe, from Division One of the Cheltenham League, in the Senior Amateur Cup two weeks ago.  They won this game 3-1 to progress to the Quarter Finals, where they have again been drawn at home and will play Northern Senior League Division Two side Smiths Athletic on January 3^rd.  Overall, Broadwell Amateurs have had a far more settled season than last year, when they followed up their Runners-Up spot to Tuffley Rovers in 2006-07 by engaging with a flirtation with relegation that was eased on both occasions by their win, thanks to a last minute goal, against the Firsts at Cheltenham Road and then the point that they gained from the 2-2 home draw in the return last February.   In fact, last season, the First team and Broadwell ended the campaign on the same number of points – 34 – with our visitors this week finishing one place higher thanks to a marginally superior goal difference.  This season, their return to something like the form that they displayed in finishing 2^nd two seasons ago has been thanks, in the main, to their home record, which shows that they have won four and lost one -  2-1 to Longlevens – of the five games that they have played so far.  Following last weekend's narrow defeat at Gala Wilton, the first team welcome back both Martin Collier, who was unavailable, and Jon Marchant, who will provide forward cover, to the squad for the match against Broadwell.

Originally, it was due to have been the Reserve team that was also playing at home this coming Saturday, in a top versus second clash with Whaddon United Reserves in Division Two of the Cheltenham League.  However, last Saturday’s postponed third team home game was a Minor Charity Cup 2^nd Round match against Apperley & Tewkesbury Dynamos III and it is this match, now rescheduled for this coming weekend, that will be taking place on the middle pitch at Bishops Cleeve Playing Fields.  The carefully formulated plans of the third team’s Management duo have, of course, been thrown into chaos by the fact that the team now has to play on a date that previously, from the very day that the fixtures were released, was designated as a free date in the calendar.  Naturally enough, this has meant that numerous players have made alternative arrangements, especially as Christmas will only be 5 days away, and will not be available.  However, if anything, A&TD must be in an even worse position, as all three of their sides will be required to compete in the Charity Cup this coming weekend.  Nevertheless, it will be a strong squad that represents the third team this weekend, with Neil Bermingham retaining his place following his return to action in the 9-1 victory over Charlton Kings and Andy Murray also being selected to give the squad extra options going forward