HERE we go then: the title decider.

The top two in Evo-Stik Southern League West, Taunton Town and Salisbury, are 10 points clear of the chasing pack with a dozen games remaining this season. 

So barring an amazing turnaround between now and May, they will stay in the automatic promotion spots.

They’re both big fish in a relatively small pond, so going up is the primary, and essential, objective.

Still, given the Peacocks lead the Whites by eight points with a game in hand, they won’t want to gain promotion under the cloud of letting the title slip away.

Town eased to victory in the reverse fixture, winning 4-1 to lay down a marker as the best team in the league.

Salisbury score more goals, but also concede more, and have lost six league games to the Peacocks’ one.

Consistency has been the key to Town’s success, though too many draws and a postponement-heavy 2018 have allowed the Whites to narrow the gap.

The main thing for Taunton is not to lose on Saturday, and cool heads are required given their hosts’ predilection for a scrap.

Their match with Bideford was abandoned due to a ‘disturbance’ by the tunnel with both sides down to 10 men, and last Saturday saw Whites striker Owen Howe red carded after an altercation with the referee in their game with Evesham United.

That leaves him suspended for this weekend’s encounter, while Taunton have bolstered their ranks with the addition of left wing-back Nuno Felix from Paulton Rovers.

The 27-year-old Portuguese was at the Viridor Stadium in 2015, before helping Chippenham Town win the Southern Premier title.

Lloyd Irish, who played alongside him three years back, said: “It’s good to have him back; he’s a good player both in attack and defence.

“And he’s another good personality to have in the dressing room.”