Forest Green who play Birmingham City tonight have said that they are treating the friendly as a good workout and that the members of the first team squad who aren’t involved tonight will play a part tomorrow so Cleal is hoping that the crowd will follow.

“we are lucky to have a club like Forest Green come to us and the lads are certainly chomping at the bit to get going, the fact that some of their first team squad will be against us only makes the fixture that more appealing so I’m hoping to get a good crowd and a the lads will get a good work out” Cleal said.

Cleals new look squad will be without goalkeeper Paul Tassell as he is away doing his Uefa A licence but will include several players new to Kayte Lane as he looks to run the rule over them.

Experienced Goalkeeper Steve Benbow will deputise for Tassell as well as last year’s reserve team keeper Gavin Jones. Rob Joynes came through the whole session yesterday with no reaction to the foot injury that saw him miss last Wednesday training so he will be fit to take his place in the centre of defence alongside Nick Rhodes. Other new faces that will be involved in the friendly include Ed Major, Danny Gittings, Mike Oliver, Craig Hopkins, Dean Barnard, Carl Griffiths and Nick Jones. James Pickup, Harlie Price, Mike Sholly and Will Pugh all of whom were at the club last season will be joined in the squad by Sean Mckeon, Jamie Lock and the eagerly anticipated return of Joe Tustain.

It will be striker Tustain’s first game back in a Bishops Cleeve shirt since leaving as an 18 year old after bursting into the first team in 2005 before a brief return in 2007 but a decade on since he first left he is glad to be back and the 28 year old had this to say “it’s great to finally be back “Home” to play my football. Bishops Cleeve is the only club I believe I should have ever played for, the last 10 years have seen me represent a few clubs and although I have had some successful seasons it will never mean as much to me as it will wearing a Cleeve shirt” “im looking forward to tomorrow night and putting in a shift against the full time club but itching for the season to get going on August 9th, with the passion installed back into the team under the legend Sootys Guidance hopefully we can get some good results and help bring the good times back”

Many new faces will be looking to impress as they Mitres build up to the start of the season on August 9th with games against Westfields (Tuesday 22nd) Frampton (Monday 28th) and Malvern Town August 2nd. As well as the eagerly anticipated game against the Cleeve Old boys on Friday July 25th

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