The new football season may only be four games old for many teams but it is these early season encounters that typically define whether a team will be fighting for honours or battling the drop come April, writes Rob Morrison.

Cheltenham Civil Service had got off to a dream start, winning their opening four matches to top Division One of the Cheltenham League, sponsored by Bristol Street Motors Cheltenham Ford.

They came through a tough test last time out, coming from a goal down to beat Bishop’s Cleeve III 2-1 and faced another stern test of their title credentials this weekend against Dowty Dynamos.

Like Service, Dowty’s once boasted a County League team and after a number of years that have seen the club face some challenging times, they are moving in the right direction. Along with promotion to Division One they also lifted the Senior Charities Cup at Whaddon Road last season to wrap up an excellent campaign.

The game proved to be a close-run affair, although after opening the scoring Service never surrendered their lead, running out 3-2 winners with goals from Stu Midwinter, Lewis Driscoll and Matt Vincent.

After being held by Dowty’s two weeks back, Andoversford got back to winning ways last Saturday and it was that man Sonnie Burrows who did the damage, scoring both goals in their 2-0 win over Newton.

Starting the day second in the table, Andoversford hosted Kings in the early kick off. Looking to keep the pressure on Service the visitors pulled off a surprise 2-1 win.

After getting off the mark last week, Whaddon United Reserves were hoping to continue their winning ways against a Shurdington Rovers team who had tasted defeat in their four league matches.

Rovers, like United, have come up from Division Two this season and both teams had struggled so far. At full-time it was Rovers who took the points, a 2-0 win giving them what they hope will be a kick-start to their season.

Bishop’s Cleeve III and Newton both lost last time out and at kick off were in midtable. With neither side able to claim a decisive stake in the game, the points were shared following a 1-1 draw.

The final match in the division saw Tewkesbury Town host Worcester Olympic. With six points from their opening three games, Town would be keen to keep the pressure on the leading teams and they duly delivered following a 5-2 victory to move into third place.

The Beeches saw their 100 per cent record go last weekend after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Bredon Reserves. With three wins and a draw from their opening four matches they still topped the table at kick off, but were facing a real challenge this week against a Cheltenham Civil Service Reserves team who had won their opening two matches.

Victory for Service would see them as the only team in the division with a 100 per cent record and they stunned their opponents with a 4-0 win to hand Beeches their first league defeat.

After holding The Beeches last time out, Bredon Reserves were looking to build on the result when they hosted Pittville United at Bredon Playing Fields.

Pittville were also on a mission, looking to get points on the board after slipping to a 3-2 defeat against Tewkesbury Town Reserves last Saturday. Despite their intentions it was Bredon who went home happy following a 2-1 win.

Another team looking to get back to winning ways were Fintan who shipped six goals at Hanley Sawn last time out. They faced a Prestbury Rovers team who started the day level on points with their opponents, although at full-time this was no longer the case after a 2-0 win for Rovers.

In the early game Tewkesbury Town Reserves hosted FC Barometric Reserves. Both teams started the day in the top half of the table, handily placed to mount a title charge. At full-time it looked like Baros are the team most likely to be challenging for honours after cruising to a 7-2 win.

One thing was certain, at least one of the two teams who kicked off on Saturday without a league point would have one to their name by 5pm after Southside Star and Andoversford Reserves met.

Going into the game, both teams had lost their opening three matches and after 90 minutes it was Southside who were celebrating, and in some style as they hammered their opponents 8-1.

A 9-3 win last Saturday saw Windyridge Rovers move to the summit in Division Three, while maintaining the 100 per cent league record, as the teams around them competed in the County Cup.

They made the short trip to Tewkesbury Road knowing they would retain top spot if they avoided defeat against Cheltenham Civil Service III and were hoping that top scorer Dave Keylock had his shooting boots on again after hitting five in last week’s win.

Despite the disparity in their starts to the season, it was Service who shocked the previously unbeaten Rovers, handing them a 2-1 defeat.

AFC Renegades also boasted a 100 per cent record and would have expected that to remain intact following their game against bottom team Dowty Dynamos Reserves. This proved to be the case following a 3-1 win.

St Pauls United went into the weekend’s round of matches still unbeaten in all competitions following their formation last season. They would face one of their toughest challenges to date when they hosted FC Barometrics III.

Baros were Division Three champions last season but did not get promoted after their reserve team were relegated to Division Two. They had started the season with wins in their opening two league matches and this promised to be one of the matches of the day.

The match proved to be as close as expected – however, a 2-1 win for St Pauls leaves their record intact.

FC Lakeside Reserves and Kings Reserves met at Dowty Rotal, and neither team have had the start to the season they would have hoped for.

Both teams lost their opening two league games and while it is still very early, the importance of this match should not be underestimated. The 4-1 win for Lakeside will therefore be a welcome antidote to their previous results.

Cheltenham United are another team who had yet to claim a point, although they had only played one game at the start of the weekend. They hosted Charlton Rovers Reserves in the early kick off and despite home advantage slipped to a 3-1 defeat to leave them looking for their first points.

In the final match in the division Falcons Reserves faced Brockworth Albion Reserves. With both teams in mid-table, the result could provide a useful barometer to which way they could go. Again it was a close encounter with Brockworth winning 4-3.

Three teams in Division Four went into Saturday with 100 per cent records although, having played a game more than the other two, it was Malvern Vale who topped the table.

They looked to maintain their winning start but faced a potential banana skin in the shape of Smiths Athletic. Despite conceding three, Malvern proved too strong for their hosts as they hit five to take all the points.

Waiting on their heels were Prestbury Rovers and Welland Reserves, both with three wins from their opening three matches.

Prestbury made the trip to Malvern Vale Academy, a team who had one win to their name from their opening three games. They maintained their impressive start, although the 1-0 victory was probably closer than they expected.

Welland were also on their travels, making one of their longest journeys of the season as they made their way to Andoversford III to face a team who had lost their opening two matches. The long journey back was made more enjoyable by the fact that they took three points with them following a 3-1 win.

Along with Andoversford, Bishop’s Cleeve Development Reserves and Charlton Rovers III were the other two teams in the division who, at kick-off, were yet to win a point. The two met on Saturday in what would be an important game in terms of getting their season up and running. Cleeve ran out 3-0 winners to get their first points on the board.

With two wins from their opening three matches Woodmancote United are finding their feet in their inaugural campaign. They faced a Fintan Reserves team who had won one and lost one. United’s fine start continued as they cruised to a 7-0 win.

In the final match Cheltenham Saracens III met Gala Wilton III. Both teams started the match on three points and it was the home team who ended the match victorious following a 3-0 win.