Montpellier Football Club are hoping to start 2024 in the same way that they ended 2023.

Last year was a momentous one for their two Cheltenham League teams as they collected wins, points and trophies for fun.

Their flagship team won the Division Two title and the Minor Charities Cup, while their reserves, who were formed only at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, won the Division Three title.

And remarkably the club, who were formed in 2021, go into the new year not looking just to match their achievements of the past 12 months but actually surpass them.

It’s their league form that has been particularly eye-catching this season, with both teams beginning 2024 with perfect playing records.

The first team have won 11 from 11 in Division One, while the reserves have an identical record in Division Two.

Not surprisingly both teams are top of their divisions and while it is not a stated aim of the club to win every league game this season, Sam Collier, one of the club’s two founding members admitted: “It would be wonderful, that would be a great achievement.

”But we’re not focusing on that, we’ll just see what happens.”

Collier, who set up the club with his best mate Liam Bond, added: "We want to keep the two teams as close together as possible in the league, we want back-to-back promotions.”

Should that happen, as seems likely at this stage of the campaign, it would mean the flagship team playing in the Premier Division in 2024/25.

That is something that Collier, who is the club’s welfare officer, is relishing.

“We’ve played a few teams from the top division, we’re up for the challenge,” he said.

Collier and Bond, who is chairman of the club, have been mates since they were at Pittville School together.

And Collier insists that Bond is the main man at the club.

“I love the club, I love being part of it and I love helping out where I can,” he said.

“But Liam is the driving force. He works full-time, he’s a full-time dad but he’s also full-time at Montpellier Football Club.”

So what is the secret behind the club’s success?

“We wanted to set up a club where everyone felt welcome,” explained Collier.

“We’ve gone from strength to strength, it’s been incredible.”