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Tewkesbury Town head to Tredworth Tigers for top-of-the-table clash

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Thursday, 6th October 2022, 09:00

Tewkesbury Town captain Nick Hill

Something will have to give when Tewkesbury Town travel to Tredworth Tigers on Saturday.

It’s a top-of-the-table clash in Division Two of the Northern Senior League with both teams boasting 100 per cent records.

Tredworth are on top of the pile having played five games to Tewkesbury’s four, and while it’s still early in the season it certainly has the feel of a big game.

“Roll on Saturday,” said Tewkesbury captain Nick Hill when he spoke to The Local Answer. “We’ve got a full squad and we’re quietly confident.”

That confidence is understandable because Tewkesbury ended Staunton and Corse’s unbeaten start to the campaign last Saturday.

They also finished the previous campaign in a rich vein of form after winning promotion from the Cheltenham League in 2020/21 and are certainly looking to improve on last season’s sixth-placed finish.

“Promotion is the aim,” said 29-year-old Hill who is in his fourth season with the club after joining from Cheltenham Saracens.

“Three teams go up, we’d like to win the title but all eyes are on promotion.

“We’ve recruited a couple of players and a couple of young lads have stepped up from the Colts.”

Centre-forward Scott Jordan has joined from Bredon and another new face is right-back Josh Bird, although he will miss Saturday’s game because he is at university.

“Ryan Banfield has stepped up from the Colts, he’s a centre-half. He plays next to me, he’s a good player,” said Hill who is in his first season as captain.

“Alex Roder is another good player who has come through. He’s at Cardiff University but he’s coming back to play in this game, he plays on the right of a front three.”

His availability is obviously a boost for joint managers Steve Arlin and Andy Pepperell, who took over midway through last season when Tewkesbury were in mid-table.

“There’s a good buzz around the group,” continued Hill. “The social is good, the playing is good, the training is good.

“We’re a group of friends all trying to aim for the same thing.”

And the club are certainly ambitious.

“I think over the next five or six years we should be competing at County League level,” said Hill. “That’s two promotions, I think that’s achievable.”

And they want to achieve those promotions playing the right way.

“We like to play football,” Hill said. “We like to play out from the back and keep the ball.

“We’re all comfortable on the ball, although as a defender I’m happy if we win all our games 1-0!”

Tewkesbury would certainly settle for a 1-0 win on Saturday, of course, a game that was originally scheduled to be played at Tewkesbury but was switched because the club’s 2nd team have a home County Cup tie against Poulton, a tie which takes precedence.

Tewkesbury and Tredworth have already met in the Reg Davis Memorial Cup this season – a match won by Tredworth – but Hill doesn’t believe that result will have any bearing on Saturday’s game.

“We take each game as it comes,” he said.

“It’s a big game on paper and it’s definitely a big game.

“We’ve got Cheltenham Civil Service at the end of the month and they’re also unbeaten.

“By the middle of November the league will start to take a bit of shape.”

And while Hill is obviously a leader on the pitch, it's fair to say that club vice-chairman Stuart Bailey is one of the leaders off the pitch.

And Bailey is certainly liking what he is seeing.

"As a small volunteer-run club that operate on a very tight budget, we are extremely proud of the progress we've made over the last few years," he said.

"Our first team obviously did well to finish their first season in Northern Senior Two in a respectable sixth place and it is great to see they have carried their fantastic form into the start of this league season.

"Hopefully they can keep this momentum going and will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

"Things are also starting to look up for our reserve team following a difficult few seasons. We are starting to build a stable core squad, which includes some excellent young players coming through from the fantastic Tewkesbury Town Colts set-up.

"I am confident that given the time and resources, the positive results will start to come and we will eventually work our way back up the football ladder.

"Obviously none of this would be possible without the highly driven committee we have behind the scenes, or without the support of the many local businesses that have generously sponsored the club kit, supplies and equipment this season.

"We are confident that at the end of the season we will see the rewards for all the hard work and commitment, but for now we are maintaining level heads and taking it week by week."

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