Playoff bound Mitres prepare for their final league game of the season

By Johnny Davies

Before Easter Monday, Bishops Cleeve didn't know if they would have to beat Cribbs in their last Southern League Division One South game of the season to make the playoffs, however a 95th minute penalty from Ross Langworthy to beat Evesham at homemade sure that wasn't the case, securing playoffs and the highest ever league finish in Bishops Cleeve history.
This last match will determine whether the Mitres have a home semi-final draw in the playoffs, the team in green hold a three point advantage over Malvern Town, who currently occupy fourth, but they have a +9 goal difference over the side, giving them that edge to secure third and a home draw.
Cribbs, on the other hand, have already been relegated and currently sit 21st in the league with their main goal now to not finish rock bottom of the league table. Cinderford Town currently occupy the bottom spot at the moment but are only two points behind Cribbs so it will all come down to the wire down at the bottom of the table.
As stated in the first paragraph, Bishops Cleeve come into this match off of the back of a historic win, a 1-0 win over local rivals Evesham United. The game had everything on the line for both sides, an Evesham win would've saw them go into the final day of the season level on points with Yate Town at the top, and anything but a win for Cleeve would've meant that they needed to win this upcoming game. Captain, and only goal-scorer in the match, Langworthy spoke after the game about how happy he is with this season, "We are all absolutely buzzing, what a way to finish a local derby too eh, that's what non-league football is all about, clubs bringing the best out of each other, there is no better feeling,
"We know we have one more league game, and that home semi-final is massive, getting to the playoffs is an unbelievable achievement and getting that home draw is vital,
"One more game and we gotta go into it as we've done all season, to make sure we go into the playoffs on good form."
Cribbs come into this match having not won in their last three fixtures, losing to Tavistock, Exmouth, and Bashley respectively. Unfortunately for this side, they had all been relegated a few weeks back, so the main goal for the team is to just finish the season on a positive note.
The two sides have met twice already this season, once in the league at Kayte Lane, and the other time at Cribbs in the Gloucestershire County Cup. In the league match, the two sides shared the spoils after a Cribbs opener was cancelled out by Ben McLean in the second half. In the County Cup however, the Mitres managed to knock-out Cribbs by winning 3-2, the game saw McLean score yet again against the side, a sign of things to come in the upcoming clash perhaps.
For what is NOT the final time this season, the club urges all supporters to get to the game to cheer on the team and spur them on to secure that third place finish in what has been a monumental season. If supporters can't make the game however, live updates as always will be available on the Bishops Cleeve X account.