By Billy Taylor

After an impressive 4-2 victory at the weekend against Fareham Town, Bishops Cleeve take on Fairford in the Gloucestershire Senior Challenge Cup.

The Mitres will be hoping to get over their agonizing loss in the tournament last season, as they lost 3-0 to Bristol Manor Farm in the final of last year’s edition.

Cleeve are coming off a cup double, with a 5-4 penalties win over Willand Rovers, and last weekend’s 4-2 win against Fareham securing them a place in the third qualifying round of the FA trophy.

The Mitres are also second in the league, having only played four matches, winning all of them in what has been a great burst of form for Paul Colicutt’s men.

Meanwhile, their opponents, Fairford, play in the Hellenic division of the premier league and have played eight league games, winning three. They didn’t play in the competition last year, as they played in the Challenge trophy instead, winning the competition after defeating Hallen 9-8 on penalties, the same team who Cleeve beat in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup this year 4-0.

The two sides most recently played each other twice in the Hellenic league, in which the match at Cinder Lane ended 3-3, while the match at Kayte Lane ended 1-0 to the Mitres.