Moseley hope to have Chevvy Pennycook back leading by word and deed this weekend as they seek to bounce back from last Sunday’s disappointment at London Scottish.

The 24-year-old could be in line for his first appearance of the season having recovered from the shoulder injury he carried all the way through last term’s glorious struggle.

The flanker comes back to find Moseley under new management but in a similar situation, threatening to take a stride up the league but discovering that marching anywhere is pretty difficult as long as you keep shooting yourself in the foot.

Which is exactly what they have done in their last three matches, albeit not beyond repair against Esher a couple of weeks ago when they registered their only league win thus far.

But at Scottish on Sunday and Castle Park a fortnight before that Moseley had more holes than a rusty colander and allowed their opponents to jump out to a decisive lead.

Pennycook hopes his return to action coincides with an end to such generosity. “We are more than capable of being a top-half team,” he maintains.

“It’s just everyone getting mentally focused. It’s similar to last year.

“It seems as if we are not turning up at the start of the game, we are 20 points down before we think ‘oh, hold on, they’re not so good, we can actually beat them’. And then we start playing.

“If you give any side 20 points headstart in this league there’s no way you are going to be able to get back and beat them. It was the same at London Scottish and Doncaster.

“It’s just players getting up for every game, we are not the sort of team that can carry three or four players. Everyone needs to be on song for 80 minutes.”

At times this season, mostly in second halves when their situations have looked lost, Moseley have played some outstanding rugby with both width and direction.

Much of that is down to a change in emphasis and recruitment as first-year head coach Kevin Maggs has opted for a more adventurous style. It is not the only philosophical shift Pennycook has noticed.

“There’s a lot of change, a lot of it with Maggsy is attitude, things like getting to training early, doing your own prep and recovery.

“That’s been there in previous seasons but it’s just about trying to be a bit more professional. There’s lots of little things, we have got a new caterer which is better than last year.

“Sometimes last year we would be having fish and chips the night before a game – at the club.  Anyone can see that’s not the sort of thing you should be eating the night before a game.

“And with (conditioning coach) Chris Kemp here, he is getting the boys a lot fitter, he is on their case the whole time. He is really motivating, keen to get them in and in better shape. It’s about bringing the best out of everybody.

“I know it’s a cliché but every game has got to be like a cup final. We have got turn up and fight for everything.”

With Pennycook leading the charge that is more likely and having missed out on much of pre-season, to say nothing of Moseley’s first five matches, only now is the indomitable back-rower ready to wreak his special brand of havoc.

“I don’t like watching games to say the least. It wasn’t the best,” Pennycook says.

“Pre-season was really good this year but I just sat there watching boys get in front of me and getting better and fitter when I could have done with a really good one myself. That’s what takes you through to Christmas.

“I’ll have to sit down with the coaches to see how we manage my return but if I am on the bench this weekend I will be pretty keen to get on.

“I will probably be a bit nervous, a bit anxious about the shoulder and not having played for a while. It will just be good to get the first full contact out of the way and after that it will all fall back into place.”

Pennycook’s return could not be better timed, except perhaps had it been for the first game of the season.

With Moseley’s effort levels unacceptably low at times in the last couple of games, the appearance of a player who doesn’t do half-hearted will send out a strong message to those who do.

Not that he is intending to rest on any laurels. He claims none of last season’s achievements matter a jot now: “I really enjoyed last season but you can’t keep looking back at that.

“It’s a new season now and a fresh sheet of paper. I have just got to let go of that and build my way back into the team starting from scratch.

“I want to get my shoulder going again, try and recreate that form and hopefully better it.”

That must also be the collective goal.