Ambitious Smiths have issued a statement of intent as they turn their attention towards the 2025/26 campaign.

The Counties 2 Gloucestershire North champions have confirmed that George Angell will be their player/coach next season as they aim to build on the momentum that has seen them enjoy such success in recent years.

Angell is a serious player having spent the past five-and-half years at Cinderford, who were playing in National League One for much of that time.

Before that the 34-year-old number 8 was captain of Old Patesians in the days when they were one of the stronger teams in the county.

The coaching side is something new to Angell but he says he can’t wait to get started with his new club.

"I’m fit and raring to go," he told The Local Answer. "Smiths are a club that are offering exactly what I want. They are a great community, family-orientated club.

"Everything is positive at the club. Win or lose, everyone remains tight."

Quite a few of Angell’s ex-Pats team-mates are at Smiths – the likes of Matt Dean, Tom Langton and Duncan Spurrier – and he continued: "I can’t wait to link up with those guys, I played all my senior rugby with them before I moved to Cinderford."

Angell also knows Smiths head coach Ben Parker and skills coach Rob Nock from his time at the Pats.

"I played a few games with Ben and Nocker coached me when I was in the 2nds," he explained.

He will obviously work closely with both of them in the upcoming season. Parker and Nock were backs back in the day and Angell has been brought in as a forwards coach.

"My focus will be on the lineout and the breakdown," he said. "They are two areas that they really want to work on, it’s a mini project.

"This is my first coaching role and it’s very exciting. I’ve been lucky enough to play under some great coaches such as Andrew Stanley and Clive Stuart-Smith. I’ve learned a hell of a lot but it’s about being able to get my message across."

Angell has been getting his message across in the past few weeks because since playing his last game for Cinderford he has been a regular face at Smiths during their excellent Papa John’s Cup run which took them all the way to the final at Twickenham six days ago.

Captain Ben Hawker said in the run-up to that game that Angell was "already making a difference" and the club are obviously hoping that will continue next season and beyond.

"We need to start bringing some of the next generation through over the next two, three or four years," Angell said.

"I’m 34 and quite a few of the core players in the team are just the wrong side of 30. They’ve still got plenty in the tank but it’s key to get players involved who want to progress."

And progress also means winning promotion to Counties 1 Western North after twice losing play-offs in the past three seasons.

They will be competing in a new-look, stronger Counties 2 Gloucestershire next season, but there will be automatic promotion for the team that win the division and Angell said: "Every team should be going into the season looking to win promotion, but the difference is we’ve got the ammunition.

"We’ve got a fantastic team and a very good set-up but promotion is not a given. It’s a new league and it will be tougher, but that’s what makes it exciting, we know we’re going to have to dig very deep."

That’s certainly something they’ve been doing for quite a while now, and while they have been winning titles and knockout competitions almost for fun over the last few years, there have been setbacks along the way too.

Those two promotion play-off defeats against Clifton 2nds and Dings Crusaders 2nds hurt and Angell said: “We want to climb up the league, we’ve got the foundations to be a regional club rather than a county-wide club.

"We’re good enough, I know that, but those two play-off defeats were heartbreaking."

The 31-19 defeat to Old Elthamians in the Papa John’s Cup Counties 2 Championship final on Saturday was also heartbreaking although Smiths came out of that showpiece game with a lot of credit.

"They were fantastic for the whole campaign," said Angell. "It was a great achievement to get to the final, they had no right to beat Dinnington in the semi-final, they were a very good side.

"The final was just a game too far, everyone at the club gave 110 per cent, we just came up short.

"Now it’s all about the first league game of the new season."

Angell will hope to be in the starting line-up for the season-opener although he’s taking nothing for granted.

"I’m going to have to fight for a place," he said. "It shows just where Smiths are. Their back row is so strong, they’ve got young players, experienced players and players with great skills.

"It’s a very hard back row to get into but I want to be part of it."

The new 12-strong Counties 2 Gloucestershire will be made up from the leading teams in last season’s Counties 2 Gloucestershire North and South plus a couple of clubs relegated from the divisions above.