SWINDON coach Nick Brooks insists his team do not view Southern Counties Intermediate Cup finalists Witney as a threat and is confident of progressing one step closer to the club’s main season goal at Twickenham Stadium.

The Greenbridge Road outfit are getting ready to host Southern Counties North side Witney – a team that has only lost once all season – in the RFU Intermediate Cup’s effective quarter-final on Saturday.

Though if Swindon can inflict Witney’s second defeat of the campaign in as many weeks, they will meet the winner of South West Counties equivalent Bideford or Wellington for a spot in the competition’s final at Twickenham Stadium.

The Swindon coach believes his side is as ready as they will ever be for the fixture and is backing his team to go on and lift the trophy in three games time still.

Brooks said: “Witney got turned over by the team that we turned over in the semi-final, Reading in the league at the weekend.

“So it’s all up in the air and it will be down to the team that wants it most on Saturday.

“We’re ready for it, we’ve been building up to this game, but we don’t see Witney as a threat.

“We just see Witney as another hurdle that we must get over if we are to keep ourselves on target.

“We’ve had a good training week so far. We’ve had good attendance from the squad and we’re gearing up well to make sure our preparation is right.”

Both teams feature at the top end of their respective divisions – Swindon are third in Southern Counties South while Witney remain top of Southern Counties North despite a 10-5 defeat to Reading last weekend.

Brooks’ men have not lost in eight games however, and the Swindon coach believes now is as good a time as ever to move within touching distance of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He said: “Given how Witney is performing in their league and where we’re sat in ours – the way we’re performing, it’s the right time for us to play them.

“Witney and ourselves have always had a good history of rugby – we’re two good, traditional clubs who play some really good, hard rugby.

“It’s not a geographical rival, more of a historical rival.

“We are expecting it to be a great spectacle of rugby though as both teams are back on track to where they want to be.

“They’re focusing on promotion and we’re just focusing on Twickenham.”