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By Dan Brian

Bishops Cleeve Ladies travel to Cirencester this weekend for the quarter-finals of the Gloucestershire County Cup.
Despite the trip down the A417 to the capital of the Cotswolds, the Mitres are written down as Sunday’s home side, as a double-booked Kayte Lane means we’ve lost home advantage.
That being said, Cleeve have every right to be confident going into this one, regardless of the fact that Cirencester sit in the league above them. This is thanks to the two games in which they’ve beaten them already this season; a pre-season friendly in August and an FA Cup clash in September.
The friendly in Cirencester, which was the Miss Mitres’ fourth of the summer, saw this weekend’s opponents once again have home advantage, but that wasn’t enough as they fell to a 2-1 defeat.
The two away goals that day came courtesy of Alice Jackson and Immy O’Brien, but the rest of the affair was plagued with injuries for both sets of players.
The next month’s meeting was a healthier affair, and resulted in a healthier scoreline for Cleeve, too. Their first regular match of the 2025/26 campaign ended with both a win and a clean sheet, as goals from Leonie Gough and Jess Stirling sent the Mitres through to face Corsham Town in the next round.
Last weekend’s game was one of less success, as a trip to Bristol saw Bishops Cleeve lose 2-0 to unbeaten league leaders Bristol Brunel, who maintained their perfect record in the Gloucestershire County Women’s League Division One.
Kick-off on Sunday is at 2pm, and the match is to be played at Cirencester Town Football Club.