UNBEATEN Thornbury are starting the new Tribute South West One West season with a bang but head coach Rob Higgitt says they need to improve.

Thornbury have taken nine points out of a possible ten in the first two league victories so far, backing up a win over Kingsbridge at Rockhampton Road a week last Saturday with an impressive bonus point triumph away to Chard last weekend.

Now they face Clevedon at home in two days’ time, and after Thornbury did the double over the seasiders last season, winning at home by 33-12 before securing a tough 15-3 away victory last January, it would be great for Thornbury to clinch a third triumph inside a calendar year on Saturday’s opponents.

Higgitt said: “It has been a good start to the season. We have had a bit of up and down as far as availability is concerned, with a few of the boys missing, but that’s always the case at this time of the season.

“Chard on Saturday is always a tough place to go and they are fairly good at home so it is nice to get a bonus point win there.

“It’s fairly early doors, though, and we have won two from two which is good news.”

After last season’s agony of missing out on entering the National League structure when going down to play-off defeat by 26-24, automatic promotion is a definite target this time around.

But consistency in performances is the key to achieving that goal, and Higgitt agreed with that assessment.

“We have a very good group of lads and we know we have played ok so far but we can play better,” said the head coach who pulled the boots on when needed last year.

“What was really pleasing about last year was how consistent the boys were. We got into that groove last year. We lost our first game last season but, just before Christmas, we were playing at the top end of our game.

“We know it will not click overnight. We are focussed on ourselves and not the opposition and know there is room for improvement.”

Those ‘unavailabilities’ will rob Higgitt of Matt Crosswell on Saturday, while hooker Sam Evans is out with bruised ribs.

But Higgitt is pleased at the way scrum-half Bob Adams has found his feet at the club.

And he said of the Clevedon match: “We had two tough, close games last season.”