Old Patesians Rugby Club report back for pre-season training on Tuesday… and club captain Connor Thompson can’t wait.

While it may be stretching it a bit to say he has been counting down the days and hours, the front row forward said: “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.

“For the first time in the nine years I’ve been at the club the boys have been doing some training in the off-season.

“We’ve been going to the gym once a week. It’s kept the boys fit and kept us together.”

That togetherness was something that was developed last season even though the club fell at the final hurdle in their quest for promotion from South West One East.

“I think we’ve pretty much kept all the players from last season,” said Thompson, who at 26 is one of the more experienced players in the set-up. “We developed a good squad ethos last season. We had a fresh impetus, we developed a good culture and everyone bought into it.”

Thompson was also able to take the positives out of their ultimately unsuccessful promotion bid last time out.

“We’ve got a young squad and it gives some of the players a chance to get more experience before we hopefully win promotion at the end of the coming season,” he said

“It gives us the chance to build. We had quite a few players who made their debuts last season and experience is so important at this level.”

Craig Jones will again head up the coaching set-up and he will be assisted by forwards coach Mark Peacey.

Senior Gloucester academy player Will Safe has taken on the role of skills coach and Barrie Davies will be in charge of the 2nd XV.

“It’s a strong coaching line-up,” said Thompson, who also has an important role to fulfil at the club. “I’m the link between the players, and the club and the coaches,” he said.

Hooker Chris Dean is the on-field captain – “All the authority is in the front row!” laughed Thompson, a PE teacher at Archway School in Stroud.

Thompson, from Hertford and a former student at the University of Gloucestershire, can play anywhere across the front row although he says: “I’m primarily a tighthead.”

The off-season gym training may mean that he is fitter at this stage of the year than at any time since he joined the Pats but he is still happy to sidestep Cheltenham Saracens’ annual sevens tournament on Saturday.

“I’ll be taking the opportunity for a well-earned rest that day,” he laughed. “I don’t think it’s the right tournament for a 19-stone prop!”

Old Pats pre-season warm-up games: Aug 12 v Hereford (h); Aug 19 v Dings Crusaders (a); Aug 24 v Thornbury (h).