THE possibility of a derby clash at Rodney Parade has added some extra spice for supporters at tomorrow's Swalec Cup clash between Pontypool and Bedwas but the players won't be getting ahead of themselves, writes Chris Kirwan.

The round two draw has been made since the two Gwent rivals were frustrated by postponement because of a pre-match downpour last Saturday and has thrown up an away encounter with either Newport or Carmarthen Quins.

The Black and Ambers may be flying high in the Principality Premiership but the short trip south would be preferable to the longer journey west, especially for Pooler who haven't faced their old rivals since 2011/12.

The priority this season is to ensure they are locking horns with Newport, Cross Keys, Ebbw Vale and Bedwas in the league next season.

Their promotion challenge is on track with Louie Tonkin's side sitting third in the SSE Swalec Championship table and they want to combine a strong league campaign with a cup run.

"Our main aim is to get back into the Premiership but a win against Bedwas would help us in the Championship because we'd get so much confidence from beating a tough side," said captain Ben Parry.

Bedwas were preparing to be stretched by a hectic schedule that saw them travel to Pandy Park to face Cross Keys on Wednesday before another derby with Pooler.

However, their Foster's Challenge Cup encounter also fell victim to the weather, meaning that fixtures are piling up but also ensuring their paper-thin squad is rested for the more important Swalec Cup tie.

"We have not even thought about the next round because then we would come unstuck and Pontypool will be a big enough challenge," said head coach Steve Law.

"It's groundhog day for us – everything that we said ahead of last weekend's game remains the same. We have the same group of players and we are looking for everything that we demanded of them in the build-up last week."