Reigning league and cup champions Mytleford hit the road to take on Melrose on Sunday – a team they’ve traditionally struggled with.

Savoy defender Jesse Stephens said he couldn’t think of a recent game where more than two goals have separated the two sides.

“They were probably the better side last year in the semi-final, but we managed to get the win,” Stephens said.

“The last two years and this year I think we’ve been the best defensive team, if not close to it.

“We think we can always grab a goal from somewhere with Parksy (Matt Park) or even Nagus (Henry) will score one and we’ll get a 1-0 or 2-1 win.”

Myrtleford recruit Tom Youngs didn’t take long to make an impact with his new club, scoring the match-winner against Wodonga Diamonds last weekend.

“You can see he’s a class above most people in our league with that experience in England,” Stephens said.

“We’ve still got to get used to how he plays and fits into the team, but I’m sure he’ll be another great player.”

Melrose coach Kade Rixon said the clash will be a good test to see where they sit.

“This year is different to other years because we’re pretty unpredictable,” Rixon said.

“When Trent (Rixon) plays it probably makes us a bit one-dimensional, but when Trent’s not there we’ve got two or three up front at stages and it’s probably hard for other teams to work out.

“From the first game, we made three changes into the (Albury) United game and we made five changes from United to the Twin City game.

“It will be the first time we’ve had the exact same team twice in a row.”

Trent Rixon is unavailable and captain Morgan Payne is currently travelling overseas, but has had hip trouble and is expected to miss a large chunk of the season.

Nick Musarra returned last weekend after 15 months out of the game, while Dylan Howe and Ben Chaffey should be available in the second half of the season.