Cheltenham are back in the men’s national hockey league and they are looking ahead to the new campaign with plenty of optimism.

And there’s good reason for that because they finished last season in sensational style, clinching promotion with almost the last hit of 2022/23.

A goal by Chris Laird in the final minute of the final game against University of Exeter 3rds gave them a thrilling 3-2 win and, with it, the West Premier title.

That was enough to earn them promotion back into the third tier of the English game after a season away and Richard Baker, who played in that dramatic five-goal thriller, said that confidence was high as the club prepare for their Conference West opener at Fareham on Sunday.

“There’s a bit of expectation from the boys in the squad,” he said. “We came out of the national league a couple of seasons ago but before that we had a bit of a run at that level.

“There’s a buzz around the squad, the boys are looking forward to being back and getting stuck in. We’re hoping to finish mid-table.”

Ten teams make up Conference West and Cheltenham will again be captained by centre-forward Laird.

Baker, a forward who plays predominantly on the left, is hoping to play his part this season, although after recently becoming a dad for the first time he won’t be available for every game.

The 32-year-old, a one-time Dean Close School pupil, has been with the club for more than two decades.

“I joined the club when I was about 10,” he said. “Apart from when I was at university in Lincoln I’ve played for them all the time.

And the club clearly mean a lot to him because this season his company Trefurn, a bespoke furniture business based in the Forest of Dean, are sponsoring the men’s 1^st XI.

Baker knows plenty about tables through his work, of course, but in hockey terms the only table he looks at is the one that Cheltenham are in.

“We probably could have made it a bit easier for ourselves last season,” he admitted. “We went toe-to-toe with Bath Buccaneers 2nds pretty much the whole season before getting over the line.”

Baker certainly played his part in their championship-winning campaign and while he chipped in with his fair share of goals, there’s more to his game than just goals.

“I’m quite good defensively,” he said. “I’m good at pressing.

“Most of my goals tend to be tap-ins but you’ve got to be in the right place to score them.”