Win, lose or draw, Charlton Rovers Blues Under-17s try to play with smiles on their faces.

As it happens, they’ve won a lot more than they’ve lost this season and are currently in third spot in the Under-17 Division of the Cheltenham Youth League having won seven and lost one of their eight games.

On Sunday they face a tough trip to table-topping Hardwicke Rangers Yellows, who have won all 10 of their league games, but whatever the result manager Jerry Hemus says they will enjoy themselves.

“My philosophy is to have fun,” he said. “We want the boys to enjoy playing football. We want to win but we don’t take it too seriously.”

It’s obviously just that bit easier to have fun when you’re winning, of course, and this season’s form is in stark contrast to the previous campaign when they picked up just four points from their 16 games in Under-16 Division One.

“I’ve not had a Pep Guardiola moment and changed tactics or changed our way of training,” laughed Jerry. “It’s just clicked, we won a couple of games at the start, we got our heads up and it’s gone on from there.”

Jerry is indebted to the support he receives from his two coaches Joe Ineson and Neil Laker.

“Neil has helped me since the beginning and has been helping Charlton Rovers for over 15 years,” said Jerry. “Joe started helping two-and-a-half years ago when his son Harry joined the team. Both have been excellent in developing the team.”

Jerry has been manager since the under-9s, and eight or nine of the current squad have been with him since the start, including his son George.

“He’s played in every position apart from goalkeeper,” said his dad, “it’s easier to move him around because he’s my son!”

The team have yet to win any silverware, although they did come close three seasons ago.

“We were two games from winning the Under-14 Division Two title when Covid struck,” said Jerry.

They were also in the final of the League Cup that season where they were due to play Cam, a team they had already beaten in the league.

But despite those near misses, Jerry has no hesitation in saying that the current campaign is their best season so far.

“We’re rocking,” he said.