At the weekend, Yash Romeo’s side picked up their third draw in four games. Once again Thatcham conceded early, as the prolific Alex Bonthron fired Cinderford in front on 7 mins. Harvey Flippance struck a goal in each half to put the Kingfishers in front, but had to depart for A&E after picking up a facial wound when scoring his second. The hosts made it 2-2 through a Marley Thomas goal on 85 minutes.

Prior to that, the two teams met in September 2022 in the FA Trophy at Cinderford. The Kingfishers’ Ashley Howell scored the only goal of a Tuesday night tie, postponed from the weekend following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

The previous season, the two sides also met in the FA Trophy in Gloucestershire and this time Cinderford were victorious, winning on penalties after the tie finished in a 2-2 draw.

The last league meeting in Berkshire was in 2019-20, the season which was terminated due to the Covid-19 pandemic while the Kingfishers topped the table. On November 30th Kyle Tooze struck a last gasp equaliser to preserve Thatcham’s unbeaten record. Craig Norman and James Harding put the Foresters ahead twice, with Felipe Barcelos also on target for Thatcham in another 2-2 draw.

Thatcham and Cinderford have occupied 21st and 22nd places for large parts of this frustrating season. Cinderford have picked up four wins on their travels this season, including a bizarre 8-2 success at Helston Athletic a fortnight ago. A Cinderford win tonight would take them off the bottom, while a Thatcham win could lift them above Cribbs and into 20th.

Noah Coates returns to Thatcham with Cinderford this evening. The Youth Team graduate made 14 appearances between 2022 & 2024 before moving away for uni.