There are grounds for optimism at Sharpness Football Club.

And that optimism will become even greater when the club builds new changing rooms that will allow them to be accepted into the County League should they win promotion from the Northern Senior League.

And winning promotion is a definite possibility even though the club have led a fairly nomadic existence for the best part of three decades after leaving the Port – their ground in Sharpness – in 1988.

“We had a short spell groundsharing with Forest Green before moving to Berkeley Vale School,” said Thomas Paterson, who combines his role as secretary with that of being a first-team player.

“The school then shut so we moved to Berkeley Power Station Social Club. It’s now Hamfields Leisure and that’s where we are now.”

And while the pitches are fine, the changing rooms are not – certainly not up to County League requirements.

“That’s the big plan for us at the moment – new changing rooms,” said Paterson. “Hopefully we can get them built in time so that we can make a promotion push in 2018/19.”

Promotion is something that Sharpness have three times been denied in the 21st century after winning Division One of the Northern Senior League in 2000/01, 2009/10 and 2015/16.

They’ve got a pretty proud history, too, having won the Hellenic League in 1985/86.

These days, in addition to their flagship team, they’ve got teams competing in Division Two and Division Six of the Stroud League.

“We’ve been running three teams for six years,” said 32-year-old Paterson. “This season we’ve had more players than for a long time and we’re not struggling to get teams out.

“We’re a young club and we’ve got a few 16 to 18-year-olds coming through the ranks.

“We’ve had quite a few come from junior side Severnside and we’ve also been getting players from Wotton and Dursley.

“Since they closed the school in Sharpness our catchment area seems to have expanded.”

That’s good news for the club, of course, and Paterson, who apart from a couple of short spells away has been with the club since he was 14, is encouraged by the way the club have dealt with the knockbacks over the years.

“It has been frustrating not to be able to get promotion and it has held us back,” he admitted. “But plenty of other clubs in our situation have struggled and we haven’t.”

That is particularly pleasing for Paterson, because he is Sharpness born and bred.

He has played much of his career in central midfield but these days is playing as a sweeper behind skipper Ben Gibbs.

Gibbs’ dad Terry is the manager and it’s a pretty strong management team because Gibbs senior is assisted by Brad Thomas, who, says Paterson, is “the best standard footballer to come out of the area”

Now 44, Thomas still plays the occasional game for Sharpness and Paterson added: “He played for Cinderford, Forest Green and Newport County and also played a bit out in New Zealand.”

That’s plenty of decent level experience to fall back on, of course, and Sharpness’ players are certainly reaping the benefits.

“We’re a good team who work hard,” Paterson said. “Our average is only about 24 – I’m the old man of the side – and we’ve got some good players.”

Ask Paterson to name a couple and he’ll say Tom Frankham and Ben Gibbs.

“Tom is our most gifted player,” Paterson added. “He plays attacking centre midfield. He’s quite small but he’s got good feet and is very technical. He’s one of those who never scores a rubbish goal.

“He’s got a good engine and he’s very important to us.

“Ben has come through the junior set-up and used to play in centre defence, but these days plays in central midfield.”

Although in his early 30s, Paterson hopes to be playing behind Frankham and Gibbs for a while yet.

And he’s also hoping the club’s end-of-season tour takes them somewhere sunny this year.

“The last two tours have been to Newcastle and Liverpool,” he laughed. “But the money’s quite good this year because there have been quite a lot of fines. Hopefully we can go to Spain or the Canary Islands.”