DARREN Perrin is relishing the opportunity of renewing old rivalries on Monday night when his Paulton Rovers side entertain highflying Chippenham Town.

The former Melksham Town boss has a history with the Bluebirds and is eagerly anticipating Monday's Southern League Cup quarter-final clash.

As manager at the Conigre during the late 1990s Perrin was involved in numerous fiercely contested Western League derbies against Chippenham, but he admits both parties have moved on to better things since.

Perrin said: "I am sure people remember the Melksham and Chippenham games. They were fiercely fought and there is no point in denying I have a history with them.

"From those days, Chippenham have gone on to great heights. They got to a Wembley final, won promotion and now have a chance of a treble.

"Not being disrespectful to Melksham, as my dad is still chairman there and they are a club very close to my heart, I have gone on to better things as well.

"I had four great years as youth development officer at Forest Green Rovers and now have had one and a half years at Paulton. I am sure I will get some stick from the Chippenham crowd but I have got no problem with the club and can't wait for the match."

Perrin could have been sitting in the away team dug-out on Monday but narrowly missed out to Steve White for the vacant managerial position at Hardenhuish in November 2003.

White has performed miracles with the Bluebirds since, taking them to the top of the Southern Division Premeir Division, but Perrin insists he has nothing to prove on Monday.

He said: "I am not going to be sitting there thinking I have to show the board made the wrong decision in appointing Steve. My aim now is to try and make Paulton a better club than they were and I think I have done that with a lot of help from my committee.

"I am not jealous of what they have achieved but I am bit envious. Whether I can achieve that with Paulton or whether I will have to move elsewhere, who knows.

"I am not everyone's cup of tea because I am a very demanding manager but I look after my players and I have the desire to go as far as I possibly can."

Perrin led Paulton to promotion from the Screwfix League to the Southern League in his first season in charge and he believes the tie is a sign of how far the club have gone.

He said: "I am very much looking forward to the game as I know everyone at Paulton is. We are hosting a quarter final cup-tie in our first season in the Southern League.

"The visitors come with a great tradition and are undoubtedly the best team in the Southern League. They are playing fantastically well and Steve White and Ron Needham have done a phenomenal job there.

"They are very well supported and I am sure some Paulton fans are finding it hard to believe they are coming here. We are expecting a crowd of between five to six hundred."

Chippenham go into Monday's tie as big favourites to progress into the semi-final and Perrin insists his side's underdog tag is well deserved.

He said: "We will have to play exceptionally well, have some luck and hope they are off their game and then we might have a chance.