THORNBURY Town face what could be a Gloucestershire County League showdown on Saturday with manager Andy Davies saying: “We want to keep our momentum going.”

Town are top of the table and are looking to win the league in order to gain promotion to the Western League, having applied for a place there.

But they are just four points ahead of Almondsbury-based Lebeq United, in second place – and the two sides clash at Oaklands Stadium at 1pm on Saturday.

And, while Davies and his team are doing their best on the pitch, hopes are that off-field matters get resolved this week so that their application to go up is approved.

Davies said of Saturday’s clash: “We are not doing too bad at the moment. We are four points in front of them but they have a game in hand.

“We have just got to do what we can on Saturday and win the game. We cannot do anything any differently.”

Thornbury’s winter has been haphazard with a couple of fixtures called off due to the weather. But they warmed up for the game at Lebeq by beating bottom side Hanham Athletic 4-1 at the Mundys Playing Fields last Saturday.

And Davies added: “It’s always good to win the game before a big one because you get the momentum going. They are all playing consistently well.

“We have 18 in the squad and it’s got difficult to pick the side. It’s difficult to keep everyone happy but nobody has complained when some of them have played in the reserves.”

Davies will have a full squad to pick from for the big match in Almondsbury, adding: “We have a bit more depth to the squad than last year.”

The gravity of the game means that, if Thornbury win, they will go seven points clear of their nearest rivals. A draw will maintain the four-point gap but lose and Lebeq will close to within one point of the top dogs – and will still have that game in hand.

And this month, Thornbury should find out what is happening in the off-field matters. They have applied for planning permission for ground improvements to South Gloucestershire Council, which should be decided by the end this week, which could see floodlighting installed in September if they get the go-ahead.

Davies said: “We are hoping to hear something soon about what is happening.”