Clevedon RFC’s Will Carpenter said his side need to raise their game and be more “clinical” at Matson RFC this Saturday.

Clevedon are still looking for their first win of the season, while their hosts have all their matches, including 53-3 at Cleve last time out.

"Matson are another strong side who come into the game off the back of a big win at Cleve,” the full-back said.

“We know we’ll have to raise our game again this week. Traditionally, Matson have been built on a powerful pack, but they’ve got plenty of experience of the division above as well, so we’re expecting a tough challenge.

“We’ll have to be strong at the set-piece and be more clinical than we were last weekend."

After defeats on the road at Cleve and Winscombe, Gordano came to Coleridge Vale for Clevedon's first home match of the campaign last weekend.

Clevedon raced into a 14-point lead and it looked like a first win was on the cards before their unbeaten visitors hit back with 17 unanswered points to win 17-14.

“We’re disappointed to come out on the wrong end of what was a pretty physical and hard-fought local derby, played in front of a fantastic crowd at The Vale,” Carpenter added.

“We felt we had plenty of chances to win the game and were probably made to pay for not cashing in fully during the periods of the game that we were on top.

“Credit to Gordano, they fought their way back from 14-0 down and took full advantage of the momentum they were able to build up.

“They are a very good side, as shown by their results and league position, and we know that on another day, we could be reflecting on a first win of the season.

“But we’re a young side, we’re improving every week and that first win isn’t too far away.

Clevedon’s game with Gordano also saw Mike Lowis play in his 500th game for the club.

Carpenter said: "To play 500 games at any level is an incredible achievement, but what makes Mike’s milestone so impressive is the level and consistency of those 500 games.

“The majority of those caps have been in the First XV and Mike is without doubt one of the best players to grace Coleridge Vale and a true legend of the club. And he’s certainly not finished yet – Saturday’s performance showed he’s still got plenty left in the tank and he gives us valuable experience in the squad.”