ANDY DEACON looks back on his first six months as director of rugby at Cirencester RFC with pride and quiet contentment – but he knows that the job has only just begun.

Cirencester have already won their first trophy of the season – the Gloucestershire Senior Vase – and lie second in the Gloucester Premier table behind runaway leaders Bristol Saracens with a a genuine chance of promotion to Western Counties North.

That’s nothing more than the management of Cirencester RFC were hoping for when they tempted Deacon back into club rugby after a brief sabbatical from the game.

Deacon enjoyed 16 years with Gloucester as a tight head prop, stepping down in 2003, and subsequently spent 10 seasons in both on and off-the-field roles with Cinderford, playing a important part in their promotion to National One.

After leaving them in early 2015, Deacon concentrated on his day job with Phil Vickery’s sportswear firm Raging Bull as their South West sales manager. But he wasted no time in taking up Cirencester’s offer to come back to club rugby.

At the age of 50, he even donned the red and black shirt when coming off the bench in some early matches this season, but he now insists 'I am officially retired' with playing numbers growing. “We have increased numbers dramatically at the club which was one of our targets,” said Deacon. “There are 25/30 players consistently for both training sessions in the week and we are running three teams.

“There is now plenty of competition for places. You are always under pressure from injuries and unavailability but we have a consistent side which is performing well.”

The league leaders Bristol Saracens may have gone beyond recall as far as the Gloucester Premier title is concerned, but Deacon knows there is still plenty to play for.

“Bristol Saracens are the stand-out side in the division and have inflicted two of our three defeats this term,” he said. “They dropped down to this level, recruited well, and could go through the season unbeaten. They are the benchmark. But we have got closer to them than anyone.

“We have 10 league games to go and the target is to maintain second spot which would put us in a play-off situation to earn promotion to the Western Counties “Our mindset must be to win every game. Chipping Sodbury are on our heels pressing hard, with Cheltenham Saracens and Berry Hill just behind – but we have to play all three at home and our home form has been very good.”

Deacon, who has imposed a much more professional structure to all three teams at the club, insists there is no room for complacency.

“If we don’t prepare well we will come unstuck,” he said. “We got the five points at Tewkesbury last time but we left a lot of tries out there and could have doubled our score.

"We have exciting players like James Fisher, Mike Wrona and Alex Hammond at No 8 who can score points for us quickly.

"But we have to be a bit more bloody minded to defend properly and to build on our leads when we get in front."

Deacon has continued to recruit both on and off the field as we approach the second half of the season.

"Dave Morris has come in from Cheltenham as backs coach to work alongside head (and forwards) coach Matt Carter," said Deacs.

"The games are all now filmed and Dave provides the in-depth video analysis of our games.

"Meanwhile, Dave Shrimpton has been promoted from the juniors to second team coach and one of his roles is to give feedback on which of his players are ready to step up to the firsts.

"On the playing side, Adam Seager has returned having missed the early part of the season due to the commitments of a young family.

"Experience has also been added in the signing of Darren Moore from Old Pats who brings competition at scrum half.

"And Simon Brown will shortly make his debut at prop having come from Old Cryptians with experience at National League level and also playing in France. He’s a seriously big guy."

Cirencester RFC have now completed their new changing room facilities for the junior and ladies teams and there has been considerable investment in a new function room.

"It's all looking great," said Deacon, "and it all helps when trying to attract better players to the club."

The next test for Deacon's men is the Senior Vase SW Counties semi final at Yatton of Somerset on January 2.