Tewkesbury Rugby Club head coach Billy McGinty is looking ahead to the new year with optimism.

McGinty believes there is light at the end of the tunnel after a pretty tough 18 months or so, a period which has been difficult for many other sports clubs up and down the county as well.

“Covid hit us quite hard,” he said, “we lost a number of players, a lot of clubs have. But the really good thing about Tewkesbury is that we’ve managed to keep a team together.”

And McGinty, who was a top rugby league player back in the day and has also coached at top rugby union clubs Worcester Wanderers, Edinburgh and Sale, remains ambitious for the Gloucestershire Two North club.

“The challenge is to finish top of the league,” McGinty said. “We started training again back in July and we had quite a lot of new players come in.

“We’re really pleased with how things are going, we’re getting two teams out every week.”

The flagship team are tucked in just behind the leaders in their division and McGinty feels he has good reason to look ahead with optimism.

“We went to Stroud and drew 26-26,” he said. “The players really stepped up that day and played some really impressive rugby.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries but when the players do come back we’ve got a strong squad with plenty of competition for places.”

And it’s not just the men’s section that McGinty is enthused about.

“We’ve got a ladies’ team and a strong junior section,” he said. “It’s an all-inclusive environment. We’re a big club in the town and it’s important for the town that we do well.”

McGinty knows what he’s talking about, of course, having spent so many years in and around rugby.

But his love for the game has certainly not diminished.

“I enjoy coaching,” he said. “Performances like the team put in at Stroud give me energy and enthusiasm.”