Old Richians kick off their new Stroud and District Football League campaign on Saturday 26th August looking to build on the best season in their 60-year plus history.

They just missed out on their first Division One title last time out, one place and five points behind champions Upton St Leonards.

Now the challenge for manager Jason Dean and his team is to go one better this time around although long-serving clubman Les Roberts admits that won’t be easy.

“We pushed Upton hard last season,” said Roberts, “but there are a lot of strong sides in Division One – teams like Tetbury and Tredworth.

“There will be no easy games. I’m not going to say we’re going to win the title but obviously when you start out you hope for the best and you do want promotion.

“Given good availability we can beat anyone.”

Old Richians, who up until five years ago were known as Gloucester Civil Service, will get an early indication of their prospects for the season when they host one of the danger teams picked out by Roberts – Tetbury – on Saturday.

The club took on the name of Old Richians when the civil service sports ground in Estcourt Road where they played their home fixtures was shut down.

Roberts, who is 67 and has been involved with the club since 1971, said: “We had the choice to either disband or move to a new location.

“We spoke to Old Richians Rugby Club and we now have a football pitch between their two rugby pitches at Sandyleaze in Gloucester. It’s meant we’ve stayed together as a group of lads.

“It’s been a good move for us because the facilities are better and a lot of the lads live in Longlevens.”

The facilities may be better at their new home but they are still not good enough for the Northern Senior League, and had they finished above Upton St Leonards last season they would not have been able to take their place in the higher league.

That is an ongoing issue but Roberts insisted that the club “would do everything to play in the Northern Senior League, we’d investigate all possibilities”.

It only really becomes an issue, of course, if Old Richians win the Division One title and boss Dean, who was the first team’s goalkeeper last season and is preparing to take charge for a third season, has brought in a couple of players to freshen things up a bit.

Goalkeeper Rob Mills and full-back Elliot Massingham have joined the club with Roberts saying of the new signings: “They will strengthen us a bit.”

They will be captained by centre-half Ryan Barry, who won’t have far to go if he ever needs any advice during a game.

That’s because Roberts will be on the touchline again this season offering words of encouragement as he has done for so many years.

The club, which were founded in 1955, have been a big part of his life for getting on for half a century.

“I started playing for them when I was 21,” he said. “I played on the right wing and I was quick in those days. I worked my way back and I finished up as sweeper.

“I stopped playing when I was 53 when my cruciate ligament went. It was my right leg, the one I kicked with. I still try and join in training but my knee hurts for a week afterwards.”

He’s had spells as manager of both of the first and second teams and these days describes himself as the club’s “odd job man – secretary, treasurer, groundsman.”

“I still talk to the lads at half-time during games,” he added. “Sometimes it’s welcome, sometimes it’s not. I can’t keep my mouth shut but I enjoy the involvement.”

The second team, meanwhile, managed by Paul Sterry, opened the new season in Division Four with a 3-1 win at home to Hardwicke on Saturday 19th August.