Following the Full house of victories last Saturday, the club should go into the latest round of must-win games full of confidence from last weekend’s exploits as it continues to attempt to consolidate its League positions on all three fronts.

The first team gained their best win of the season last Saturday when they beat Bourton Rovers away 4-0 and they will be hoping to take this form into another away trip this week, when they visit Cam Bulldogs. The home fixture, played at the beginning of November, resulted in a 4-2 defeat in a game that, at the time, the team felt they should have won – especially as they came back to 2-2, thanks to two Frank Ashworth goals, having been 2-0 behind very early on. Steve Bermingham is missing from the squad this week, but Neil Howchin is welcomed back following a lengthy lay off and it is hoped that Jordan Kontarines will also return to action on Saturday. Neil hasn’t played for the club since notching a hat-trick for the Reserves in the 6-1 win over Cheltenham Saracens just three days before Christmas and Jordan’s last outing was also for the Reserves, in the 3-0 win over Tewkesbury Dynamos just 5 days into the New Year. Mike Thompson is also added to a squad that is missing Rick Redfearn, who fractured a cheek bone last weekend.

Unusually, both the Reserves and the Third team will be playing at Bishops Cleeve Playing Fields this weekend. This will be the first time this season that the two teams have played at the same location at the same time and that they will do so this Saturday is down to the fact that the Reserves are officially the away side, because they are playing AC Olympia. The match will be played on the Northern Senior League pitch and will see the Reserves benefit from the return of a number of players who have been absent over recent weeks. Dave Hawley comes back into the reckoning, as does Dan Wood, whilst the squad retains the services of Martin Reid, who scored in last weekend’s 6-0 victory over Bourton Rovers Reserves, and welcomes back Matt Hall, who did well coming off the bench for the First team last Saturday.

The Third team are at home, meanwhile, to Cheltenham Civil Service IV, a team that they beat 4-2 away at the beginning of October to start a run that has since taken them to fourth in the table. Indeed, since that win at the Civil Service Club, which represented the side’s first victory of the season, the thirds have played a further 12 games and not lost once. In all, since they were defeated in bizarre circumstances by Whitminster in the County Cup, where a penalty conceded by Alfers in the last minute meant that the home side took the tie 7-6, the thirds have not looked back, playing 13 times in all competitions and winning 11. Steve Paine, who was captain last week, will be missing for this game having sustained a hamstring injury, but Graham Withers returns and Chris Crichton, who impressed on his debut last week, also retains his place. The side will also be glad to welcome back Stuart Hurring, who was absent last week, and will no doubt be looking once again to Kieran Bermingham, who notched a hat-trick last weekend, to provide the momentum up front.