CHIPPENHAM Town have not started too many matches as favourites this season but ahead of tomorrow's match at home to Newport Tom Gould believes the Bluebirds are becoming the team to fear.

After languishing at the bottom of the table for most of the season, four consecutive victories have lifted Chippenham to within reach of the play-off positions for the new conference league next season.

Gould said: "In the last seven or eight weeks it has all been put into place and now the results are coming through.

"We now have no fear about playing anyone and are going in to games expecting to win.

"There was talk before Saturday that we were favourites which hasn't happened for a long time.

"People will now be looking over their shoulders and fearing us more than we fear them."

Gould believes their 4-0 destruction of Newport in the league cup three weeks ago will give his side the edge ahead of tomorrow's game.

He said: "We annihilated Newport the other week on a wet and windy Wednesday. I am not sure what team they had out but it was a pretty strong one and we destroyed them.

"I think it will play on their minds more than ours because they know how well we can play.

"It won't help us that much but it definitely won't make us complacent."

He continued: "I just hope we have not left ourselves too much to do. We are still going to lose games; we are not kidding ourselves about that.

"We still have pretty much the same bunch of players but a change of manager sometimes works wonders as it freshens things up.

"Sometimes in football you need to change things, it was unfortunate for Tommy Saunders as he did a great job, but it was time for that change."