By Billy Taylor

It’s a huge fixture at Kayte Lane this weekend, as
Bishops Cleeve prepare to take on promotion hopefuls Malvern Town.

Cleeve was meant to take a trip down South to Brixham on Tuesday, but the weather played its card as the Mitres were once again unable to play the Fisherman.

However, Cleeve are coming off a 2-0 win against Westbury after a run of two defeats against Shaftesbury and Frome; goals from Harry Williams and Reegan Messenger secured all three points and kept the Mitres at the edge of the playoff spots.

Meanwhile, for the visitors, Malvern were eight games unbeaten, picking up 23 points out of a possible 24. Their run came to an end last weekend, however, as league leaders Frome grabbed a last-minute winner to go 10 points ahead at the top of the table.

The Hillsiders see themselves in fourth place, just one point behind second-place Portishead.

The two sides have had a heated rivalry over the last few years; from playoff semi-finals to last-minute winners, the fixture as a whole never fails to disappoint.

The last time Malvern were at Kayte Lane, the Hillsiders booked themselves a place in the playoff final as an extra-time winner for the visitors was secured. A match against Evesham, which they went on to lose 1-0.

Last time out at Langland Avenue saw the game at 1-1 in the 95th minute, before an audacious chip from Jay Malshanskyj gave the Mitres all three points.

Overall, Cleeve have won 3 out of the six fixtures they’ve had with Malvern, while the Worcestershire-based side have won twice, with one draw all the way back in their first encounter in October 2023.