Corsham Print
Wiltshire Senior League
Wroughton Go So Close in Semi Final
Picture courtesy of John Cuthbertson
Wroughton did the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League proud last night as they pushed Toolstation Division One league leaders Calne Town all the way in the semi-final of the Wiltshire Senior Cup. They took their higher league opponents into extra-time but, in the end, the lack of game time in recent weeks took its toll as they ran out of steam in extra-time. This after going so close to winning the match in normal time.

The game started with a howling wind swirling around the InfiLED Stadium and ended with a the addition of a heavy downpour making conditions difficult all night but, given the wet weather of recent weeks, the pitch at Melksham was in superb condition allowing both sides to play some good football. Wroughton started brightly and went close in the very first minute when Aaron Maximen closed down Calne keeper Sam Thomson and the ball fell to Tyler Wilkinson just outside the box whose shot went wide of the far post and was cleared by the Calne defence. Wroughton’s tactic of quickly closing down the Calne defenders when playing the ball out from the back caused the Calne defence all kinds of problems in those opening minutes. Wroughton, with the wind behind them, were certainly on top in the opening exchanges but it was not all one-way traffic. On eight minutes Zak Mitchell broke down the right from his full back position but fired his shot well over. Calne went close on nineteen minutes to breaking the deadlock when the other full-back, Aaron Witchell, shot just wide from the edge of the box. Wroughton’s best chance of the half came just after the half-hour mark, Riegan Cook fed Shane Hibbert, Wroughton’s leading scorer, who beat his defender but saw his shot hit the outside of the post and go out for a goal kick. Both sides were playing some good football but were unable to create any clear-cut chances, with the Wroughton centre-back pairing of Chris Flanagan and Gareth Davies keeping Calne’s prolific marksmen Stuart Windsor very quiet in the first forty-five. The sides turned round at the break with the game yet to see a goal with Wroughton probably slightly on top and having created the better chances in a half that had seen both sides work hard and try to play the ball on the ground in difficult blowy conditions.

Wroughton replaced Ant Packer, who had been booked in the first-half for one foul too many, with youngster Ben Dodd at the start of the second half. With the wind behind them, Calne started to have more of the possession and went close on fifty-three minutes when Jamal Chevolleau saw his free kick deflected wide for a corner. The award of the free-kick had seen Calne’s Nathan Davis sin-binned for his reaction to the referee not awarding the free-kick when the initial offence was committed. The resulting corner saw another chance for Calne but as the well flighted kick was met by a Calne head it went straight at Wroughton keeper Kurtis Sharkey. Moments later Wroughton’s Aaron Maximen was booked for what appeared from where I sat to be just a good strong challenge as Wroughton pushed forward at the other end. In a good spell for the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League side they had muted appeals for a penalty for a possible handball after a ball over the top had found Shane Hibbert, the ball was cleared by the Calne defence with a corner the referee Adam Gregory’s decision.  On the hour mark Wroughton won a free kick twenty-five yards out but Maximen’s free kick caught the wind and sailed way over. Half time substitute Ben Dodd was involved in a lot of Wroughton’s best play in the second half, looking very assured on the ball. Unfortunately, he became the second Wroughton player to be harshly booked for what again seemed an innocuous tackle. Wroughton continued to press and another free kick award on the edge of the box saw full-back Craig Bowden go close as his low free kick was pushed round the post by Calne keeper Thomson.

Next up Calne went close to getting that first elusive goal as a good break down the left saw a shot fired into the box which saw Bowden clear the ball from just in front of his own goal line. The clearance fell to a Calne player on the edge of the box but his shot back in was deflected for a corner. Calne continued to press and went the closest to breaking the deadlock so far when an excellent free kick from Nathan Davis, now back out of the sin-bin, was brilliantly turned over by Sharkey in the Wroughton goal. Calne were now stepping up the ante and a spell of pressure saw them win three corners in succession, but they came to nothing. Sharkey was again called into action ten minutes from the end of normal time, Stuart Windsor for once escaped the shackles of the Wroughton centre-back partnership and found himself in front of goal with Sharkey racing out and the keeper did well with his feet to deny Calne’s prolific marksman. 

As the game moved into the last five minutes of normal time Wroughton went in search of a winner and went close on three occasions. Firstly, five minutes from time good link-up play between Shane Hibbert and Aaron Maximen put Hibbert the wrong side of the final defender but a great last gasp tackle denied Wroughton’s top marksman just as he was about to pull the trigger and the ball went out for a corner. In Wroughton’s next attack it was Hibbert’s turn to this time set up Maximen one-on-one with Calne keeper Sam Thomson but the Calne keeper did well to deny the Wroughton player what could have been the winner. As the game moved into four minutes of added time Wroughton went close again when Maximen headed just over from a corner. Despite the endeavours of the two sides who had given it their all, there was to be no winner at the end of normal time and extra-time would be needed to settle matters. The lack of action in recent weeks had seen a couple of players from both sides struggling with cramp towards the end and the last thing both would have wanted was an extra-half hour.

Calne, playing the first period of extra-time, against the wind started brightly and shortly after Jamal Chevolleau had spurned a chance by firing straight at Wroughton keeper Sharkey he made amends. A mix-up in the Wroughton defence saw Chevolleau get behind the back four and just connect with the ball ahead of the out-rushing Sharkey to put Calne ahead. With Calne buoyed by the goal Chevolleau went close again in the 98th minute but this time he was denied by Sharkey. However, Sharkey turned from hero to villain when he upended Stuart Windsor in the box and the Calne number nine picked himself up and fired the resulting penalty into the net to make it 2-0 at half time in extra time. 

The second period started with the wind having picked up and rain now lashing down. Calne extended their lead with a couple of quick goals from Jamal Chevolleau, his second of the game, and Josh McGory to make it 4-0. Very harsh on Wroughton given how well they had played in normal time but that lack of games in recent weeks certainly came back to haunt them in extra-time. To their credit though Wroughton did not give up and continued to look to get on the scoresheet and take some consolation from the game. After Shane Hibbert went close with one effort he was duly rewarded getting behind the Calne defence and firing in to make it 4-1. That was not to be the end of the night’s scoring tough as in injury time in extra-time Calne were awarded a second penalty for a foul on the edge of the box and Declan McStravick fired in to make the final score 5-1 to the Toolstation Western League side. There was no further time after that as the referee blew for the final whistle and the lights were switched off. Both sides had played well in difficult windy conditions in a game well hosted by Melksham Town. So, it is Calne Town who will be in the final against Bemerton Heath Harlequins, but they certainly knew they had been given a really tough game by the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League side. 

The excellent Your Sport Swindon were filming the game. Click on their logo for a link to the video highlights.
Meanwhile there was also action in the Premier Division last night as Pewsey Vale and Kintbury Rangers saw their game finally go ahead after the wet weather had twice seen the game postponed in recent weeks. Pewsey Vale were rewarded for their efforts in getting the game on with Connor Marsden and Ryan Banks scoring in the first five minutes to put Pewsey 2-0 up. However, promotion chasing Kintbury replied with two of their own through Callum Budd and Tom Mahoney to make it 2-2 at the break. That was to be the end of the scoring on the night as the two sides had to settle for a share of the points. The point for Kintbury lifted them above Corsham Town Reserves on goal difference in second spot, whilst Pewsey closed the gap to Malmesbury Victoria Development to five points.

Results
Wednesday 11th March 2020
Wiltshire Senior Cup Semi Final
Wroughton 1 Calne Town 5 (AET)

Premier Division
Pewsey Vale 2 Kintbury Rangers 2
Thursday 12  March 2020
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