BRIDGWATER and Albion return to league action on Saturday with a tricky away tie at Thornbury, who ran out the 26-19 winners when the two sides met at College Way earlier in the season, writes Richard Walsh.

After a tough first half of the season that ended with a comfortable home victory over Bideford on December 16, head coach Simon Morrell gave the squad two weeks off, but they are back in training this week to prepare for Saturday’s encounter.

Morrell said: "A lot of the boys were pretty weary at the end of the first half of the campaign and needed a bit of space and time to chill out because they did really well - especially when you think of the number of injuries that we suffered."

Currently the Albion are ninth in South West One (West) with 33 points from 14 matches, six of which they have won, while Thornbury are one place above them with 34 from the same number of games and five wins, so on paper there isn’t a lot to choose between the sides.

"I would like to think that we will be looking to get more than six more wins this season and we are all looking forward to getting going again," Morrell said.

“Thornbury play a really good brand of rugby, very similar to ourselves, but I think they pull in a lot of guys from Bristol University so they may have some availability issues. 

"They will be a good side, but we will be strong as well. We will go up there and get stuck into them."

Elsewhere in the division, North Petherton face a tough start to 2018 as they welcome table-topping Exeter University to Beggars Brook.

Pethy's last league match was on December 9, a convincing 38-19 win over Clevedon, and they will be hoping to pick up where they left off nearly a month ago.

The Students have lost just once this season, however, and will be eager to avoid any slip ups as they chase promotion.

Bridgwater & Albion 2nds will be hoping a new year brings a change of fortune to their Somerset Premier campaign, with Albion currently bottom ahead of Saturday's trip to third-placed Avon.

Morganians have a new captain for the second half of the season, with Will Hopkins taking the reins after club stalwart Ollie McGeown's departure to Malta.

They kick off the new year by hosting Bristol Harlequins, while elsewhere in Somerset One North Petherton 2nds travel to Wyvern.

Bridgwater & Albion 3rds host Weston-super-Mare in Somerset Two South.