THERE is no denying the importance of Saturday's clash between the top two sides in the Hellenic League Premier.

Current league leaders Worcester City head to Corsham Town on the back of eight straight victories and have the chance to go six points clear of their hosts if they can make it nine wins in a row this weekend.

Corsham had set the pace early on but after Tuesday's 4-1 win at Lydney Town, City moved three points clear after their incredibly impressive run. 

As for Corsham, they prepared for the mouth-watering contest with a 0-0 draw at Sixways last weekend and that result, coupled with their shock 1-0 defeat at home to Roman Glass St George, enabled City to cut the gap and then create a lead at the top.

But for manager Chris Cornes, it's 'just another game in the queue'.

"It's going to be a tough game and we are under no illusions of the sort of game it's going to be," said the City boss.

"They are a big, physical side. We will do our homework and go there with a game plan to win the game.

"If we can match them physically and work harder, it will be a tight game but we go there full of confidence and we want to win the game.

"Obviously going down there to their place will be difficult, they've had a really good start but we will prepare well, as we always do, and we will see what happens on the day.

"But it's just another game in the queue. Hopefully, we can go down there, win the game, and that puts us in a really good position in the league."

Cornes is right. Corsham have started the season well, even if they have dropped some points in recent weeks. 

But this is a side that almost pipped Malvern Town to second-place last season, and their home record speaks for itself. 

They only lost once at The Southbank in the entirety of the 2022/23 league campaign and the 1-0 loss to Roman Glass two weeks ago was the first time they had been beaten at home in well over a year. 

The task is big for City, but with a three-point gap on Corsham and still a game in hand, there is more pressure on the hosts to go searching for a victory, whilst a point for City would be a decent result. 

But there is no doubt that these two are the sides to beat this season and so Saturday should be a top quality game played in front of a big crowd.