RATHER than stoke the derby-day fire, Cirencester boss Brian Hughes is full of praise for Chippenham counterpart Steve White.

The two sides meet at Hardenhuish Park tomorrow and the Centurions chief has tipped their table-topping local rivals to maintain their form until the end of the season.

"Credit where credit's due," said Hughes.

"They are one of the most consistent teams, they are good at what they do, put you under a lot of pressure and have a great work ethic.

I've been very impressed with some of the places they've gone to and got results.

"Three sides will challenge for the title Chippenham, Bedford and Histon.

"There isn't a great deal between the teams in this league but they are certainly stronger than the others and will be the three battling it out come the end of the season.

"They (Chippenham) are having one of those spells at the moment where they can do no wrong, and the opposite is true of us."

Ciren could have been in title contention themselves but for patchy form since the turn of the year.

A recent break from action ended on Wednesday night with a 2-0 Gloucestershire Senior Cup loss at second-string Bristol Rovers.

Despite the defeat, the players looked suitably refreshed after their sabbatical.

"We played really well and should have scored 10," added Hughes.

"It was good to get out there and play after 10 days without a game.

"I think the break came at the right time. We had started to stutter and needed a break to give the lads a chance to recharge."

There has been little respite for the Bluebirds of late.

White's team has crammed in five games already this month four wins and Tuesday night's draw at Bath City.

The Swindon Town legend expects another gruelling clash.

He said: "We know their players very well and one thing I do know is that Brian Hughes will have them really fired up for this so it's going to be another very difficult derby game."

The clubs have met twice this season, with Chippenham winning on both ocassions but it's difficult to gauge anything from either fixture.

The league meeting at the Corinium finished 1-0 but in farcically dense fog.

The cup game ended 2-1 but both managers fielded weakened line-ups.

Scott Walker and Ben Kirk are both fitness doubts for Chippenham but Gary Horgan is available to face his old club.

Ciren welcome back Kevin Halliday and Gareth Hopkins as they travel to Wiltshire with a full compliment.