ROBIN Cowling says it will be a proud moment for him when Exeter Chiefs take on his former club Gloucester on Saturday.

The Sandy Park manager believes the reality of the Chiefs being in the Aviva Premiership will hit home when they play their first game.

And it will be extra special for Cowling, who spent nine years as a player at Kingsholm, making around 320 appearances for the Cherry & Whites.

Former England prop Cowling was brought up as a Gloucester supporter, as his grandad and uncle captained the first team.

His mum was also a fanatical follower of the club and Cowling played for them from 1965 until 1974.

"It will be very special," Cowling said of Saturday's match. "I've got a lot of fond memories of my time there and a lot of my old mates are coming down.

"It's fantastic for us, it's just what we have been striving for over the years.

"We have taken it on properly and here on Saturday it will be reality.

"We're excited about it and there may be a few nerves but that is healthy.

"All the players have been striving for this, I think it's super for the area, the crowd and the hierarchy behind us."

Cowling just hopes the players can show their true ability on the day and not be intimidated by the occasion or the big names in Gloucester's squad.

"I'll be very proud," he added. "I've been involved with the club for a long time.

"I just hope we can do ourselves justice and not freeze on the day or anything like that.

"We deserve it, we are there by right and we are going to give it our best shot."

Cowling is also pleased for the players who showed faith in the club by signing new deals last season before promotion was achieved.

Now they have got their chance to prove themselves in the top tier and he hopes they make the most of it.

"It's fantastic for them because they have stayed loyal to us," he said.

"They believed they were Premiership players but didn't want to go to another club because they wanted to get there with us. Now they want to prove they are Premier players.

"It's what they have strived for and their loyalty has been rewarded."

Cowling has warned the players they cannot afford to show Gloucester too much respect on Saturday, as they did against Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets in pre-season when they made bad starts.

But he believes it is too early for the bookmakers to make them odds-on favourites to go straight back down to the Championship.

"It's about adjusting to the pace of it all," Cowling said. "If we start like we did against Scarlets and show sides too much respect we won't live with them.

"We have got to adjust quickly and we have got to learn from each game. We were better against Scarlets than against Cardiff.

"I can understand people thinking we are favourites for relegation but they haven't seen us play yet. I think we have got the staff and the coaches."