CHIPPENHAM Town’s Gary Horgan says it would be nicer to win the title on their own terms on Saturday in front of a home crowd rather than clinch it on Good Friday without kicking a ball.

All eyes will be on the Carlsberg Stadium come 3pm tomorrow after which Mark Collier’s Bluebirds will be confirmed as Southern League Premier champions if second-placed Leamington fail to beat Biggleswade Town.

However, while Horgan admits they can’t be too picky in how they win the title, with a 3-1 win over Hitchin Town last weekend giving Chippenham an eight-point gap at the top, it would mean more to claim the silverware outright at Hardenhuish Park on Saturday against St Neots Town.

“Last weekend worked out really well for us but we know nothing is won yet and football can change in the course of 24 hours,” he said.

“At the end of this weekend, we could still be going into the final game of the season still needing a point or to win a game.

“The biggest game of football is the one that you’re currently playing in and we go into Saturday and that is the biggest game of the season for us because it is the one we are playing next.

“If we win that, we go on to win the league.

“However, Friday almost becomes our biggest game of the season. Leamington have to win and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on it.

“I know Mark (Collier) will and I know the other lads will as well.

“It will feel a bit strange if we won the title without kicking a ball, it would be nicer to go and actually win the league on Saturday in front of our own fans.

“By the same token, we’ve won nothing yet, but our run over the last 22 games has earned us the right to win the league anyway.”

Lifting the title come Easter weekend seemed impossible for Horgan last summer, having announced his retirement, but he was persuaded to rejoin Chippenham Town last September and the knowledge that something special could happen convinced him.

“Having retired for the third time probably over the summer, I certainly didn’t envisage this for myself,” added the veteran defender, who turns 40 next week with no decision on another retirement having been made yet.

“Whether I thought we would achieve it in the style that we might do come Saturday, I think was beyond anybody’s expectations.

“It’s probably the first season in five years that I haven’t said I am going to retire this summer.

“I’m not going to say never this time but whatever I choose to do, it will be a nice feeling to go out on should we have completed the job on Saturday, or the Monday or Saturday after.”