CINDERFORD director of rugby Paul Morris believes his side are good enough to topple unbeaten National Two South frontrunners Chinnor in the new year.

But Morris warned that the Foresters’ superb first half to the season is ’no guarantee’ to similar results after the festive break.

Cinderford came from behind before Christmas to defeat hosts Clifton 33-20 while Chinnor came close to a first loss at local rivals Henley but won 33-28.

The Dockham Road outfit were defeated 30-21 by the Oxfordshire league leaders in October and travel to Thame on Saturday January 27.

“Clearly the league would suggest that we are the team best placed to beat them,” Morris said of Chinnor.

“We are capable of beating them but they have proved that they are capable of beating us as they did at Dockham Road.

“We didn’t really come close to beating them at our place but we have the quality to do so.

“There’s a lot of rugby to be played before that point.

“I can’t believe there’s not a Henley player on the bus to Cinderford who wants to put right what we did at their place and we have a tough run of fixtures against them, London Irish Wild Geese and Redingensians.

“I don’t think there’s a lot between the top four or five sides and the results we got in the first half of the season don’t guarantee us the same results in the second half.”

Morris praised the club’s travelling support to Clifton, saying it was ’hard to let them down’ but added that he always believed his side would defeat their Bristol hosts despite going 15-0 down.

“We are a better side than them,” Morris said.

“That’s not arrogance, we know and they know it and we proved it in the end. I always felt we’d put it right but the try just before half-time changed my team talk a fair bit.

“There were a lot less swear words in it than if we had gone into the break 15-0 down!

“The support were fantastic and in the third quarter, especially at the set piece, we had their forwards in a stranglehold.”