NATHAN DAVIES returns to the Corinium Stadium earlier than he expected when his new club Merthyr Town take on Cirencester Town in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Davies, a popular and combative midfielder, left the Corinium with some regret after Ciren were relegated last season.

“I did not want to leave the club, but I had been travelling up from Wales on my own and it just made sense to play nearer to home,” he said.

“It will be good to go back and see some old friends. I have spoken to ‘Jonah’ and ‘Griff’ since I left and I am sure there will be some texting going on before the game.”

Davies, still keeps in touch with the Ciren results, and said: “I know they had a good win on Saturday and I am delighted ‘Sys’ has come back so well after injury. We missed him last year.”

Davies’ Merthyr side which plays in the same league as Ciren and also includes former Centurion Jason Welsh, endured a frustrating day on Saturday, drawing 2-2 at Supermarine.

“We were 2-0 up with 20 minutes to go so to only get a draw felt like a loss,” he said. “We like to get the ball down so the game at Ciren should be a good one.”

On Tuesday night, Merthyr claimed a last-minute win at home to Shortwood United whereas Cirencester crashed to a 3-1 home defeat against North Leigh.

The winning team on Saturday receives a cash boost of £1,000 from the FA.