Clifton embark on their 12th consecutive season in National 2 South this Saturday when they host Barnes at Station Road in what is one of the most anticipated league campaigns in recent years. A 6th place finish last season was down in part to a marked improvement in performances from January and greater squad depth, something that Head Coach Matt Salter has been keen to maintain, having retained over 80% of the squad and recruitment of some key individuals. There has also been a marked shift in direction and culture within the squad as they look to improve on their 2018/19 finish.

Salter is pleased with where the club currently stands:
"We had to sit down and decide what type of club we wanted to be. Over the years we have sat around the middle to bottom end of the table and our performances have been inconsistent. At the end of last year we felt that we had a squad that can really kick on and retaining the core of that became a priority. We feel we have done that and also we have recruited well, added players that bring quality but also get what we are trying to do. "

Clifton have brought in no less that 12 players this season, including former players Mike Uren (Cleve), Fin Sharp (Bury St. Edmunds), Ricky Cano (Chinnor) and Joe Quinn (Hartpury) whilst adding new faces such as Luke Stratford (Hartpury), Tom Wilson (Cardiff), Dan Broady (Cinderford), Kieran Griffiths (Llanelli), Cam McDonald (Bracknell), Connor Hull (Army), Zinny Norman (Chinnor) and James Dixon (Army).

"We have made a number of changes off the field as well, focusing on our culture and direction as a club. We've invested heavily in the facilities, installing a new bespoke gym for the squad as well as identifying our individual and collective targets, lead by the senior players group and development of our "1872 Standards" that keep our players and coaches accountable.

Pre-season has been tough, overseen by Bristol Bears S&C Andrew Petts, he alongside Salter and the rest of the Rugby Department have been maximising the impact of every minute of time on the training pitch by delivering an efficient and effective field-based training programme, which ensures players are prepared and ready to perform when the 2019/20 season gets underway.

Clifton kicked off their Pre-Season games with a physical encounter away at Welsh Premiership front runners Pontypridd (45-12) before home ties against Hartpury (42-0) and Cardiff Met (32-14) but despite the results, the coaches are happy with where the squad is.

"We deliberately put together a challenging pre-season fixture list. We wanted to put ourselves under pressure against quality opposition; we know more about ourselves now we have done that and we have worked on areas of our game that we felt we needed to. It's been very constructive and we are in a good place. That said, the standard at Nat 2 is getting stronger every year, every team is moving forward and we need to keep ensuring we get better."

Barnes arrive following a successful pre-season against Maindenhead before a 12-7 loss to Wimbledon last week but will be in good shape for the start of the new season. Games with Clifton have always been incredibly competitive and it promises to be a great start to both sides National 2 South campaigns.

Clifton v Barnes | Saturday 7th September 2019 | Station Road | Kick Off 14:30