MELKSHAM Town manager Kieran Baggs is looking for his side to keep their recent momentum high as they travel to Southern League Division One South promotion rivals Cinderford Town on Saturday, writes JONATHAN LEIGHFIELD.

Melksham are currently ninth in the table and in the middle of a cluster of eight teams that are one win or less away from the final play-off spot, currently held by Cirencester Town.

The InfiLED Arena side have won two of their last three games and with a fully-fit squad available to him now, Melksham’s manager wants them to continue the high-quality performances that have featured of late.

Town saw their scheduled home game against Bideford last weekend postponed due to the wintry weather that wiped out the vast majority of non-league fixtures, although Baggs was not too disappointed as he said it allowed his team some respite after fatigue has had blighted their start to 2019.

Baggs said: “You can look at us not having a game both ways. It was quite nice to have a weekend without a game – we haven’t had that for a very long time now.

“Unfortunately, we had a little bit of a hangover in January where we went through a tough patch, but we’ve come out the other side of it and we want to keep the momentum high.”

Melksham travel to Gloucestershire on Saturday attempting to reproduce a result similar to the 3-2 win they picked up at home to Cinderford in October.

Since then, the two clubs have followed a similar path of form and as a result sit one place apart and level on points – although Melksham have played a game less.

Baggs is expecting a close affair and believes the team that handles the occasion best will come out on top.

He said: “They’ve had some up and down results, like us, over the last month. It will be a tight game and if you go off league position and form, then there’s nothing in it.

“It will come down to attitude and who deals with the game situation the best.”

Following this weekend’s fixture against Cinderford, Melksham welcome league leaders Blackfield & Langley to the InfiLED Arena amid a run of difficult – and season-defining – fixtures.

Baggs is excited for his team to show what they are capable of over the remainder of the season, but said he wold not be too disappointed if they miss out on the top five.

He said: “These games are good games that you want to be playing in, but these teams that are going for promotion alongside us are desperate to go up.

“They need promotion because that’s their target for the season.

“We’re there probably as a shock – not to the boys that are involved – but being newcomers to the league. It was not something that we expected in August.

“If we can hang in there and make things interesting until the end of the season, then we will have massively over achieved this season.”