SAM Allison has fired a warning shot to his strike rivals ahead of tomorrow's (Saturday) crucial Southern League clash with play-off dreamers Banbury United.

Allison has netted three times in his last three matches for the Bluebirds and hopes his rich vein of form will earn him another start alongside the league's leading scorer Dave Gilroy. The former Bath City front man has also warned his old Twerton Park team-mates that they write Chippenham Town off at their peril in the race for the Premier Division crown.

Allison said: "I'm relishing the challenge at the moment and I'm really enjoying the fact that we are looking over our shoulders every week to see who has won. "We could just take it easy and settle for a play-off place but that's not what Chippenham Town are about. Darren and Adie are both winners and we are determined to push Bath City and the others all the way.

"The team is not giving up on the title and I am definitely not giving up. Every time I walk out onto the pitch at the moment I feel that I will score a goal." Allison has blossomed since he was handed the striking baton by boss Darren Perrin, a responsibility he is prepared to run with until the end of the season.

His electric pace has caused problems for Southern League full backs all season, but Allison knows his natural talent is converting crosses and not delivering them from the Hardenhuish touchline. He said: "I really want to play up front but for the sake of the team I will play anywhere Darren asks me to. I'm not a natural midfielder but I was put out there to do a job.

"This run in the side has given me the confidence I need. Three goals in three games is a good ratio at any level and I was always told that if you scored goals as a striker you would keep your place in the side.

"But with Griff (Alan Griffin) back from injury and Matt Rawlins looking sharp I know I will have to keep performing if I want to play."

Allison will be the first to admit that his post-Christmas form has been inconsistent, but he believes he can provide the spark to reignite Chippenham's challenge for a Conference South berth. He said: "You are never going to get 11 players on the top of their game every week but if we can get eight or nine guys on form then we have a great chance of winning any game. To do that we all need to be pulling in the same direction.

"Everybody at Chippenham is giving 110 per cent but then so are the other teams in the league. Somebody has to lose and that's what make football so interesting even Chelsea do not win all the time."

Allison has promised his fellow Bluebirds that he can handle the pressure at a time when others are feeling physically and mentally drained. "The season is long, with lots of hard games and we've been through a tough spell lately, but I really believe we are starting to come out of it," he said.

"On a personal level I know that I'm feeling good I'm in the right frame of mind to go out and get my name on the scoresheet." A glance at the Southern League fixture list has convinced Allison that Chippenham can still challenge for the title, with only Bath City of their immediate rivals still to play.

"What people don't realise is that if we win our last seven games we can still win this league," he said. "All our rivals have to play one another and they are bound to cut each other's throats. We just need to be in a position to take advantage of that. "It's frustrating when you're up near the top and the teams around you lose and then you lose at the same time. We have to make sure that it doesn't happen again."

Allison is desperate to appease the fans' hunger for success and is equally keen to chop his rivals down to size. A former Salisbury City player, Allison believes Chippenham are seen as paupers living in the shadow of their princely neighbours to the west.

He said: "A lot of people do not want to see Chippenham Town succeed. Some of Salisbury fans and the Bath fans see us at the top of the league and think we do not deserve to be there. They think we are just a small village team but they always look out for our results every week, hoping that we have lost."

Allison has been given the full backing of manager Darren Perrin, who now has four fit strikers to choose from as the Blues prepare to write the final chapter in their season. He said: "Sam had a blip in form after Christmas but he has responded in the way I knew he would. He can be frustrating and infuriating to watch but on his day he is one of the best players in the Southern League.

"I have been delighted with his response and I hope he carries his form on for the rest of the season. I have a nice headache now because Alan Griffin is back and there are four strikers competing for places."