Tipton St John start 2018 with a Macron League Division Three home game against second bottom Clyst Valley Reserves.

The sides met on the first day of the season and shared four goals, but since then they have gone in opposite directions and this coming meeting sees the visitors sitting second bottom while Tipton are very much part of the promotion race.

So how do Tipton St John fare when they start a new year?

Twelve months ago, Tipton were a Division Two outfit and they began 2017 with a January 7, 5-0 home defeat at the hands of Lapford.

The year before they launched their 2016 schedule with a 1-0 home win over Halwill on January 16.

In the 2014/15 season, Tipton were still in Division Two and they began 2015 with a January 2, 1-0 defeat at home to Dawlish.

Tipton were in Division One for the 2013/14 campaign and their first game of 2014 saw them did not come until March!

In what was a soggy winter with plenty of matches called off, Tipton had played on December 21, 2013, when they lost 6-1 at Elmore, but then were forced to sit out the action for an incredible 12 long weeks before they returned to the pitch in a March 8, 2014 game that saws them beat Beacon Knights 2-1 at home.

There was a similar delay to the start of 2013 for Tipton – this one was a period of eight weeks and again weather was the reason. They eventually started 2013 with a February 9, 2-2 draw at home to Sidbury.

Back in the 2011/12 season, one that saw Tipton finish fifth in Division One, they began the year of 2012 with a January 7 home game against Phoenix Club that ended 2-2.

Here’s to Tipton starting 2018 with a victory!