THORNBURY Town will give it everything when they take on newly-crowned Gloucestershire County League champions Cheltenham Civil Service this weekend.
The pair clash in the Les James Gloucestershire County League Cup final at Slimbridge FC’s Wisloe Road on Sunday with a 12noon kick-off.
And while Cheltenham are hot favourites, having won the league at a canter and losing just twice in 34 matches, Thornbury Town manager Andy Davies says upsets can happen.
If they win, though, Thornbury will have to do it without hot-shot striker Craig Lancastle, who is out with a stomach muscle tear, while two other players are unavailable due to holidays.
Davies said: “Craig is going through the process of getting his injury right.”
Thornbury trained on Tuesday night and will have their final run-out before the big day with another session tonight.
Then it is all guns blazing, and the manager does not expect the Civil Service to win convincingly — if at all!
Davies added: “I think everyone is looking forward to it. We are not going out to defend and anything can happen on the day.
“We have to give it everything to win the game, but they lost to Ellwood last Saturday (2-1) and that helps our confidence so we will give it a go.
“I think it will be close and they are certainly not going to run around us.”
For Thornbury to win the cup, they will need to overturn two defeats by the Civil Service in this season’s league.
Town went down 4-2 to Cheltenham at the Mundy Playing Fields back in August and then were defeated by the same score in the return last December.
However, Thornbury had an impressive run in the final weeks of the Gloucestershire County League season and recorded six wins out of seven matches, the only reverse coming at home to Henbury a month ago.
Victory against the odds in the cup final would round off a good campaign for the club.