WHITTLING away at Cinderford's impressive squad of approaching 50 semi-professional rugby players is a task Andy Deacon, the club's director of rugby, is happy to say he finds stressful.

Later this week Deacon wants to name 25 players who will make the journey to Cross Keys, near Newport, on Saturday. A tough match and two training sessions later, he will tweak a name or two, perhaps more, and then dispatch a further party of 25 to play at Llandovery.

After that he will send them to Coventry.

It will be the first of Cinderford's fixtures in another season of National League Division 1 rugby – the club's fourth in the third tier of English rugby.

And it's getting tougher, says Deacon.

The former no-nonsense Gloucester prop plied his trade at Kingsholm for years then slid down the ladder to Cinderford.

However, he says, he has changed his tune on looking for players coming down a grade in favour of those aiming to go up. "Of course we will look at everyone. Experienced players can always contribute something extra to a squad but younger players will give you something more."

Surrounded by a team of experienced and hard-nosed rugby administrators, Deacon can call on a talented backroom staff. The head coach is Dave Pointon, the forward coach, Lee Fortey and coach/manager of the second team is Paul Morris.

"Between them they will know all the best players locally and can recommend those they believe could make the grade. We know what we want to achieve and we are looking to get value for money," he says.

To cement his ambitions, Deacon has signed up no less than 20 new players, the latest being two scrum-halves, New Zealander Ben Draper and Gloucester lad Mike Hagan.

New names on the block will be Matt Jones (hooker, Old Patesians); Nico Woodward (hooker, Gloucester Academy); Tom Bozzard (hooker, Coney Hill); Rob Groves, (hooker, career progress from Cinderford thirds); Tom Heard (prop, loan from Gloucester rugby);

Will Grualich (second row, loan from Gloucester rugby); Charlie Davey (second row, Plymouth); Ben West (second row, Newbury); Ashley Brown (back row, Hartpury); Will Foden (back row, Hartpury); Jake Kitson (back row, Old Patesians); Rory Teague (fly-half, FC Grenoble); Mike Wilcox (fly-half, loan from Bristol); Kai Done (Launceston); James Green (centre, Hull); Simeon James (centre, Rotherham); Morgan Goodhall (winger, Hereford); Al Bryan (Holland).

"Remember, we have to select two teams every week so we need a large squad. What we have aimed for is to achieve strength in depth and I believe we have done so. They are all young and they come with a hunger for success," says Deacon.

Squad members already have seven weeks worth of sweat and tears training nights behind them.

"They have done very well," reflects Deacon who has a burning ambition...an ambition to start the season with a run of victories.

"For the past two seasons we have started slowly. It has meant we have been playing on the back foot, often chasing results.

"We finished 12th last season and the season before that. But now we know the score. We know what we need to do so it is up to us. I would like to think we can end up in the top half of the table and that will be the goal," he said.

In Saturday's interesting second trial Cinderford scored tries through Nev Codlin (2) and Joe Smart with Rory Teague kicking two penalty goals.