Corsham Print
Wiltshire Senior League
2021-22 Premier Division
Season Preview

The 46th Season of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League gets underway this coming Friday night with a game under lights at the InfiLED Stadium, Melksham when Melksham Town Reserves host Malmesbury Victoria Development. The league this season will be running with 17 teams, an increase on one from last season, with Calne Town Reserves having been promoted from the Trowbridge & District league and Salisbury FC Development having joined from the Hampshire Combination & Development Football League. The league unfortunately has lost Cricklade Town who, following the departure of their first team manager, will look to rebuild at a lower level.

When the action does get underway this weekend the anticipation is for another keenly contested battle for the league title. The three sides who were up at the top of the table last season, Pewsey Vale, Melksham Town Reserves, and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development are all once again expected to be up there challenging for honours, with newly promoted Calne Town Reserves, Devizes Town Reserves, Shrewton United and Trowbridge Town also being tipped by a number of the Premier Division managers to do well this coming season, with Salisbury FC Development very much an unknown quantity. 

This season our media coverage will include an exclusive first preview of games in the Premier Division available on the Your Sport Swindon website with more information coming out on the day of games with the usual "Gameday" Tweets and there will also be a new weekly League Bulletin available to download from the website on a Saturday morning. 

As was the case at the start of the 2018-19 Season, the last completed season in the Premier Division, it is all change once again in the dugouts ahead of the coming season. Whilst the changes are not quite at the level of that earlier season, eight clubs will go into the 2021-22 Season under new management with Corsham Town Development, Devizes Town Reserves, Marlborough Town, Melksham Town Reserves, Purton, Trowbridge Town and Wroughton all changing their management teams in the summer. Further details of these managerial changes, key player movements and manager expectations where we have been able to catch up with the team managers ahead of the season are included in our team-by-team season preview below.

 
Position in 2020-21 at time of season being curtailed: 1st in Trowbridge & District League

Features of 2020-21 Season: When the season was brought to a premature end, Calne Town Reserves remained unbeaten in their six league fixtures played in the Trowbridge & District League, five of which had been won. The only dropped points last season came in a 2-2 draw at Bremhill View against Hilperton United and Calne sat one point clear at the top when the league season was ended.

Manager: George Bettles and Clive McDaid remain as joint managers having led Calne Town Reserves to promotion from the Trowbridge & District League last season. 

Key players retained: The majority of last season’s squad that earned promotion to the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League will be back for this coming season. This includes Jack Coward, Jamie Wallen, Mark Dolman, Richard Hudson and Kieron Gleed who were all regulars last season.

New signings: A key signing for Calne Town Reserves is Jamal Chevelleau who was part of the successful Corsham Town side last season that secured promotion to the Hellenic League Premier Division. Calne have also signed experienced goalkeeper James Rae who last season was at Wroughton. Joshua Brigham, who last season was with Melksham Town Reserves, has also moved to Bremhill View.

Manager expectations: Whilst they have played a few Premier Division sides in pre-season games, when we spoke to George ahead of the season he commented that he did not really know too about the other sides in the division. He pointed out that with the big turnaround in managers, with some players also following the managers to their new club, his side were going into the new season not really knowing what to expect. 
Best record is against: Malmesbury Vics Development - The six seasons Calne Town Reserves have spent in the Premier Division in the last decade have seen them perfrom best against Malmesbury,  winning both meetings between the sides in Season 2016-17. With Calne Town Reserves not having played six of the current Premier Division members in that period their next best record is against Devizes Town Reserves, with six wins and five draws in their 14 meetings, the two sides both being in the Trowbridge & District League in Season 2019-20.

Worst record is against: Melksham Town Reserves – Calne lost all six of their league meetings in the past decade. Their record is also not good against Trowbridge Town with just one win in 10 meetings. 

Known pre-season results: Calne Town Reserves have won all their pre-season games we have picked up on Twitter, the last two which were against fellow Premier Division sides. Whilst pre-season games are all about getting players match fit ahead of the season their pre-season form has seen a number of the Premier Division managers tip Calne to do well on their return to the league. 

10-Jul-21 The Stiffs (H) W 13 - 0
14-Jul-21 Marlborough Town (H) W 9 - 1
17-Jul-21 Paragon FC (H) W 10 - 1
22-Jul-21 Shirehampton (H) W 4 – 0
24-Jul-21 Ludgershall Sports (H) W 5 – 1
04-Aug-21 Odd Down Res (A) W 2 - 1

Opening fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Shrewton United (H)
Tue 17-Aug-21 Trowbridge Town (A)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Stratton Juniors (H)
Tue 24-Aug-21 Wroughton (H)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Pewsey Vale (A)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Frome Collegians (H)

Position in 2020-21 at time of Season being curtailed: 10th

Features of 2020-21 Season: Started badly with just one win in their first seven games but then lost just twice in their next 13 games in the league and Fountain Trophies Cup, winning eight of those matches, as they turned their season around. One of those two defeats came in the final of the Fountain Trophies Cup after Corsham had remained unbeaten in their group matches to reach the final. The final itself was settled by a wonder goal from Pewsey’s Ryan Thomas in a tight contest. 

Manager: Currently looking for a manager following the departure of Jamie Moss who had done a good job in turning round the fortunes of the side. They had been top of the division when the 2019-20 Season was curtailed, and as noted above, last season he took them to the final of the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup.

Key players retained and new signings: Virtually all of the squad that did so well in the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup last season are back at the Southbank Ground for this coming season. This includes the three leading scorers from last season Adam Shipman, Jake Dodge and Ben Wickens. Adam Mitchell, who re-joined the club from Trowbridge mid-way through last season, will also add to what looks a very potent attacking threat. At the other end of the pitch, Dominic Kilbane and last seasons captain Jamie Cunning will once again lead the back line in front of young keeper Alex Croker who did so well when brought in for the Fountain Trophies Cup.

Corsham's starting line up in last seasons Fountain Trophies Cup Final

(picture courtesy of John Cuthbertson)

Best moment last season: Reaching the final of the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup with some impressive performances in the group matches.

Worst moment last season: The start made in the league fixtures.

Best record is against: Stratton Juniors – Corsham have won all three meetings against their Swindon opponents. They also enjoy playing Malmesbury Vics Development, Corsham have lost just once in the last nine meetings between the sides.

Worst record is against: Melksham Town Res – just two wins in the last 14 league meetings but Corsham did win at the InfiLED in the 2019-20 aborted season. Their record against Trowbridge Town and Wroughton is also not good with just three wins in 16 games against both opponents. 

Known pre-season results:
14-Jul-21 Devizes Town Res (A) D 1 - 1

Opening fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Frome Collegians (A)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Melksham Town Res (A)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Purton (A)
Wed 25-Aug-21 Frome Collegians (H)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Trowbridge Town (A)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Odd Down Res (A)
 
Position in 2020-21 at time of season being curtailed: 15th

Features of 2020-21 Season: Struggled at the start of the season in the league winning just one of their 12 league games, a 3-0 home success over Ludgershall Sports. However, when Ollie Gee took over as manager there were positive signs of improvement in the narrow defeats against Odd Down Res, Corsham Town Res and league leaders Pewsey Vale. That improved form carried over into the Fountain Trophies Cup with wins over Malmesbury Vics Dev and Stratton Juniors. Playing those 12 league games meant Devizes Town Reserves have the honour of becoming the first side to play 1,000 league games in the Premier Division.

Manager: Tom Bull, who was manager at Calne Town Reserves for a short period, is the new man in the dugout this season with Ollie Gee stepping up to be part of the first team management team at Devizes. Tom will be assisted in the dugout by Jason Muir and Dale Rowlans, the latter will also be playing.

Key players retained: Richard Tandy and Liam Moffat were regulars last season and both will be back again this coming season, along with Ben Tylee, Sam Dodds and Joe Green who made a number of first team appearances last season.

New signings: Amongst several new signings manager Bull has picked up Elliott Caldicott and Nick Taylor from Trowbridge Town and striker Jake Harrington from Frome Town Sports. 

Manager expectations: After a good pre-season which has seen Devizes go unbeaten Tom expects his side to be in the top five come the end of the season. The two sides who he believes will be battling it out for the league title are his former club Calne Town Reserves and Pewsey Vale.

Best moment last season: Performances in the Fountain Trophies Cup.

Worst moment last season: The 6-0 home defeat to Purton.

Best record is against: Ludgershall Sports - Devizes Town Reserves record against the other sides is generally not a good one, their best winning record in the past 10 seasons is against Ludgershall Sports with six wins in 17 meetings.

Worst record is against: Melksham Town Res and Shrewton United - Devizes have failed to beat Melksham in their last 12 meetings, and Devizes have beaten Shrewton just once in the last 13 games, losing 11 of those games. Their record against Wroughton is also not good. 

Known pre-season results: Devizes have had a good pre-season remaining unbeaten in friendlies that have included three opponents from the Premier Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League.

14-Jul-21  Corsham Town Dev (H) D 1 – 1
17-Jul-21  Malmesbury Vics Dev (H) W 4 – 3
21-Jul-21  Trowbridge Town (H) W 3 - 1
24-Jul-21  Redhouse (A) W 2 – 1
31-Jul-21  Cricklade Town Res (H) W 11 – 0
04-Aug-21 Devizes Town U18 (H) W 4 – 3
07-Aug-21 Clutton FC (A) W 5 – 2

Opening fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Royal W. Bassett T Dev (A)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Ludgershall Sports (H)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Melksham Town Res (H)
Wed 25-Aug-21 Trowbridge Town (H)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Wroughton (H)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Shrewton Utd (H)

Position in 2020-21 at time of Season being curtailed: 5th

Features of 2020-21 Season: Frome won more games than they lost in the 13 games they played last season and sat in 5th place in the table by the time the season was brought to a premature end. Fired by the goals of Jake Wright, who had the honour of finishing as the top goal scorer in the division, Frome won five of their opening seven league games, but they then lost two games in the space of four days at the end of October. Their two meetings with fellow Somerset based side Odd Down Reserves saw both sides win on their opponents ground and the final league game before the season was brought to an early end saw them defeat near neighbours Trowbridge Town. By the time football resumed in April, Trowbridge were ironically their first opponents in the Fountain Trophies Cup and Trowbridge avenged that league defeat with a comfortable 4-0 win. Three wins later Frome still had a chance of progressing to the final but a 2-0 defeat to Melksham Town Reserves and a 2-2 draw with Corsham Town Development ended their interest in the cup competition.

Manager: Karl Freeman – Now in his 5th season in charge having joined Frome in March 2017 and overseen the promotion from the Mid-Somerset Premier Division to the Wiltshire Senior League.

Key players retained: Frome Collegians have lost a couple of key players from last season with captain Matthew Parsons leaving after seven years to join Trowbridge Town and last season’s top scorer in the Premier Division Jake Wright also not returning this season. The players who are back include Barry Sandquest, who has so far scored 19 goals in the two curtailed seasons that Frome have been part of the league, and regulars in the Frome line-up last season Theo Sing, Oliver Brook, George Holland, James Hounsell, Lee Handford and Ross Knapton.

New signings: The list of new players includes Joe Rendle who returns to the area from university, striker Peter Weston who joins from Coleford Athletic and Max Walker-Wiltshire who previously played for the clubs at youth level. An interesting addition to the squad is left sided former Bristol City Futsal player Howard Dennis.

Manager expectations: The loss of Jake Wright and Matthew Parsons is a big blow but with most of last season's successful side returning Frome are hopeful of having another good season. Like most managers in the league Karl has Trowbridge Town as his main title challengers this season, with Pewsey Vale the other side he expects to be up there at the top. Consistent with a number of the other managers in the Division, despite having only just been promoted, he commented that Calne Town Reserves look to have made some good signings and he expects they will also be up their challenging at the top. With regard to Melksham Town Reserves he noted that they seemed to have lost a lot of last season's squad and it will be interesting to see whether they are again up the top challenging this season with so many changes.

Managers best moment last season: An impressive 5-0 away win at Corsham Town Reserves.

Managers worst moment last season: The 4-0 defeat against Trowbridge Town in the Fountain Trophies Cup.

Best record is against: Ludgershall Sports and Trowbridge Town - Frome Collegians have 100%-win records in the league against both sides, winning the two league games played against these opponents. However, Frome did lose to Trowbridge in last season’s Fountain Trophies Cup. They also have 100% winning records against Devizes Town Res and Stratton Juniors, but this is from only one game against each side.

Worst record is against: Purton and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development – Frome have lost both league games they have played against these sides in the two curtailed seasons they have spent in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League. 

Known pre-season results:
20-Jul-21 Peasedown MW (A) L 0 - 2
28-Jul-21 Glastonbury (A) L 1 - 5
05-Aug-21 Westbury Utd Res (H) W 3 - 2 
07-Aug-21 Imperial FC (H) D 2 - 2

Opening fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Corsham Town Dev (H)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Odd Down Res (H)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Wroughton (H)
Wed 25-Aug-21 Corsham Town Dev (A)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Stratton Juniors (H)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Calne Town Res (A)

Position in 2020-21 at time of Season being curtailed: 16th

Features of 2020-21 Season: Ludgershall started last season with 11 straight defeats, one less than the start of the previous season, and these defeats included a 5-1 defeat away at Shrewton United. That poor run of defeats was finally ended in December when Shrewton United came to Astor Crescent for the return league fixture and Ludgershall picked up their first points of the season thanks to a 2-1 win. They started well in the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup picking up a 1-1 draw against much fancied Melksham Town Reserves in their opening group fixture but then lost all of the remaining group matches they played, including a heavy defeat at Corsham.

Manager: Andy Fennell had a difficult first season in the dugout at Astor Crescent but towards the end his side were showing signs of improvement, especially with that win over Shrewton United. Fennell also had the honour of being Ludgershall’s joint top scorer last season and goes into his second season in charge expecting a much better season this time round.

Key players retained: Ludgershall have retained a good nucleus of the regulars from last season’s squad with Adonis Tinzon, Cai Povey, Kiefer Roper, Alexander Topham and Nathan Collins, who all played at least 10 times last season back at Astor Crescent.

New signings: New signings include Jordan Edmonds and Wayne McCourt.

Best moment of last season: That 2-1 win against Shrewton United.

Worst moments of last season: The 10-0 defeats against Wroughton in the league and Corsham Town Reserves in the Fountain Trophies Cup.

Best record is against: Corsham Town Reserves (now re-branded Development) (but not in the Fountain Trophies Cup!) – Ludgershall have won 11 of the last 17 league meetings. They also have a good record against the new boys Calne Town Reserves having won eight of the 12 meetings in the six seasons during the decade that Calne were in the Premier Division.

Worst record is against: Stratton Juniors, Frome Collegians and Melksham Town Reserves - Now that Cricklade Town have left the league the sides that Ludgershall have the worst records against are Stratton Juniors (lost all 3 meetings to date), Frome Collegians (lost both meetings to date) and Melksham Town Reserves (just two wins in 12 games).

Known pre-season results:
 15-Jul-21 Clarendon FC (H) W 9 - 4
24-Jul-21 Calne Town Res (A) L 1 - 5
28-Jul-21 Andover New St. Swifts (H) L 1 - 2

Opening fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Stratton Juniors (H)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Devizes Town Res (A)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Odd Down Res (H)
Tue 24-Aug-21 Shrewton United (H)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Royal W. Basset T Dev (H)
Tue 31-Aug-21 Pewsey Vale (A)

Position in 2020-21 at time of season being curtailed: 11th

Features of 2020-21 Season: Malmesbury started the season with an impressive opening day win at the InfiLED against much fancied Melksham Town Reserves who would sit in second place in the table when the season was eventually brought to a premature close. Unfortunately, the momentum could not be maintained as Malmesbury failed to win any of their next seven games. They ended that run with a 4-3 success over Stratton Juniors and won two of their next three games. Their final match before the winter lockdown ended in a 4-1 defeat at Corsham. In the Fountain Trophies Cup, they won one of the four games that were actually played, repeating that league win over Stratton Juniors.

Managers: Troy Prentice is in charge for a fourth successive season and, along with Joe Sheldrake of Shrewton, is the longest serving manager in the Premier Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League, although if you count seasons in other leagues Karl Freeman of Frome beats them both. Troy will once again be joint manager with Dave Sheppard for a third consecutive season. 

Key players retained: The core of last season’s squad have all been retained although last season’s leading scorer Joe Tranter is expected to expected to get much more game time with the first team this season.

New signings: Troy has made three very useful signings over the summer with firstly former Purton striker Jack Duckers returning to the Flying Monk. Duckers has a 100% winning record in a Malmesbury Vics Dev shirt and Troy is hoping he maintains that record for some time. Another former Purton playing joining Malmesbury is the strong defender Callum Hall. The third key signing is Joe Dorey who last season was at Cricklade Town, having previously played at this level for both Purton and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development.

Malmesbury Vics Developments' trio of signings Jack Duckers, Callum Hall and Joe Dorey.

Manager expectations?
The main role of the Development team is to bring young players on for the first team, whilst trying to be as competitive as possible in the Wiltshire Senior League. Troy knows his side might lose more than they win but as long as they are competitive in as many games as possible he feels he will be doing his job. Like a number of the Premier Division managers Troy is tipping Trowbridge Town for the title with perhaps Pewsey Vale running them close. With Calne Town and Salisbury having strong first teams, Troy believes they could also do well this season.

Managers best moment of last season: Any of the wins, the opening day win at Melksham Town Reserves was a particularly enjoyable game. 

Managers’ worst moment of last season: Anything to do with the pandemic. Last season was even harder than the previous one with the late start, initial lockdown, a short re-start and then the big lockdown over the winter months. 

Best record is against: Stratton Juniors and Trowbridge Town - Malmesbury won their only league game against Stratton Juniors which was played last season and also defeated them in the Fountain Trophies Cup. They also seem to like playing Trowbridge Town with just two defeats in the last seven league fixtures between the sides.

Worst record is against: Shrewton United -  All seven games played against Shrewton in the last five seasons have been lost. Malmesbury also struggle against Melksham Town Res with just that win last season and one draw to show from their last 13 meetings. Their record against Corsham Town Development is also not good with just one win in the last nine meetings.

Known pre-season results:
17-Jul-21 Devizes Town Res (A) L 1 - 3
27-Jul-21 AFC Chesterton (A) L 1 - 3
31-Jul-21 Stratton United (A) W 5 - 2
04-Aug-21 NALGO FC (H) L 0 - 1
11-Aug-21 Minety (H) W 5 - 3

Opening fixtures: Malmesbury open the season at the place of their surprise opening day victory last season with a trip to the InfiLED to play Melksham Town Reserves on Friday night under lights. 

Fri 13-Aug-21 Melksham Town Res (A)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Purton (H)
Wed 25-Aug-21 Royal W. Bassett T Dev (H)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Marlborough Town (A)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Wroughton (H)


Position in 2020-21 at time of Season being curtailed: 14th

Features of 2020-21 Season: Marlborough started last season with a narrow 2-1 defeat away at Stratton Juniors but bounced back to beat Cricklade 1-0 at Elcot Lane. They then lost the next six games before the season was brought to a premature end and sat level on points at the bottom of the table with Devizes Town Reserves and Ludgershall Sports. They started in the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup but after playing an ineligible player in the opening group game and having the points taken off them, coupled with issues with being able to raise a side with restrictions impacting their reserve side, they withdrew from the competition.

Manager: Marlborough have been through something of an upheaval in the summer. Initially there was the news that manager Andy Ealey would step up to a new Head of Football position. He then appointed replacement first team and reserve team managers but then subsequently departed to join Purton, with a few of the players and coaches also joining him. This left newly appointed first team manager Steve Chadwick to pick up the pieces after all the departures. Chadwick had previously been in the dugout at Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development in 2018-19. A UEFA B qualified coach he has also previously been Head Coach for the Wiltshire FA's U16 Representative Side, having started his coaching and managerial career with Malmesbury Youth. 

Key players retained: A fair number of last season’s squad have left the club, with four leaving to join their former manager at Purton. Leading striker Jake Farrell has moved to Melksham Town Reserves and the influential defender Josh Connolly has moved to Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development. Four regulars from last season who have remained at the club are Jamie Conway, Kieran Maidment, Robert Harland and Simon Neale.

New signings: Marlborough Town have linked up with Marlborough Youth for the first time and the bulk of the side this season will be made up of Under 18s from the youth set up. Steve had 27 names in the squad when we spoke to him but was hopeful that they would be able to add to the squad in the coming weeks. 

Manager expectations: For his own side it is going to be a tough season, but they have set themselves some little targets in what is going to be a massive learning curve for some of his new players. The main contenders for the title  in Steve’s view will be Pewsey Vale, Trowbridge Town, Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development and Devizes Town Reserves. 

Best moment last season: The win over Cricklade Town. 

Worst moment of last season: Pulling out of the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup after one game. 

Best record is against: Malmesbury Vics Development – Marlborough have lost just twice in the last nine league meetings, winning six of them.

Worst record is against: Somerset based sides, Wroughton and Melksham Town Reserves - Marlborough have yet to beat either of the two Somerset based sides but their have only been three fixtures in total against these teams. The two sides that Marlborough tend to struggle against are Wroughton, with just two wins in the 16 meetings in the last 10 seasons, and Melksham Town Reserves who they have beaten just twice in 12 meetings.

Known pre-season results:
10-Jul-21 Royal W. Bassett T Dev (A) L 2 - 8
14-Jul-21 Calne Town Res (A) L 1 - 9
07-Aug-21 Melksham Town Res (H) L 3 - 12

Opening fixtures:

Sat 14-Aug-21 Odd Down Res (A)
Tue 17-Aug-21 Stratton Juniors (H)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Royal W. Bassett T Dev (H) 
Tue 24-Aug-21 Pewsey Vale (H)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Malmesbury Vics Dev (H)
Tue 31-Aug-21 Purton (A)
 
Position in 2020-21 at time of season being curtailed: 2nd

Features of 2020-21 Season: Started off badly losing four of their opening five games, their only win in that spell being a 6-0 demolition of Shrewton United. They then went on a remarkable unbeaten run in the league which took them up to second place in the table by the time the league season was brought to an end. It started with a narrow 3-2 win away at Corsham Town Reserves. They then won their next seven games scoring 29 goals and conceding just three. The winning streak was ended ironically against the same opponents where it had started, with Corsham Town Reserves coming away with a point from the InfiLED. Melksham then won their final game before the winter lockdown brought the curtain down on the league season. Melksham Town Reserves participated in the Fountain Trophies Cup but used the competition to give first Senior football opportunities to a number of their Under 18 side in preparation for the coming season.

Manager: Melksham Town Reserves are one of the eight clubs with a new manager this coming season, former Cricklade Town manager Craig Kent being appointed to take over from David Macey and Chris Carr. When we caught up with Craig ahead of the season and asked how he was finding it at his new club he described it “as amazing, like a breath of fresh air. You turn up, things are done for you, and we are so well looked after”. 

Key players retained: Very few of last season’s squad that reached second place in the table will be back at the InfiLED Stadium this season. Three regulars that have remained are Dean Flockton, Patrick Kapelka and young keeper Harry Pickering. Also back are some exciting prospects from Melksham’s successful Under 18 squad from last season, around ten of that U18 team will be part of Kent’s squad including Cameron Pearce and Billy Hawkins. Striker Harvey Flippance had signed for Melksham Town Reserves but has since moved to Calne Town first team. 

New signings: Nine players have followed Craig Kent from Cricklade Town, two of whom, Alex Baker and Kyle Bird, have already been getting opportunities with the first team. Others to move across include Will Backhouse, Tom Hoskins and striker Jason Tatum. Kent has also picked up Marlborough Town’s leading scorer Jake Farrell and Joe English from Purton.

Manager expectations: Like a number of managers we spoke to the Melksham manager sees Trowbridge Town as the favourites for the title with Jamie Jordan having signed a number of players with Western League experience. Craig also expects one of his former clubs Calne Town Reserves to also do well. He believes Corsham could also be up there but it will be interesting to see what happens with a change of management at the Southbank Ground. He also commented that Shrewton United and also Devizes Town Reserves, who have signed quite a few of last season’s Melksham squad, should not be ruled out and he expects to see a core 6-7 sides battling it out at the top of the table. Included in Melksham’s opening fixtures are Craig’s favourites for the title Trowbridge Town, and he is happy to be playing them early on. Craig noted he would be happy if his side can pick up at least nine points from the opening six fixtures which would set his side up nicely for a good season.

Jason Tatum and Alex Baker who have joined manager Craig Kent in moving across from Cricklade Town

Best moment of last season: That long unbeaten and winning run after the bad start to the campaign.
 
Worst moment of last season: Losing the opening three matches.

Best record is against: Calne Town Reserves – have won all six league meetings between the two sides in the past ten seasons. They also have a 100% winning record against Stratton Juniors but have only played them twice, both away from home.

Worst record is against: Wroughton - Melksham had a poor winning record against Craig Kent’s previous club Cricklade Town and may be part of the reason for the recruitment. With Cricklade now out of the league Melksham’s worst record is against Wroughton with just two wins in 11 meetings over the past 10 seasons.

Known Pre-season results:
Craig described pre-season as the most difficult he has ever known due to games having to be called off with players being required to self-isolate. Training though has being good with healthy numbers in attendance

10-Jul-21 Redhouse (A) L 1 - 3
28-Jul-21 Malmesbury Vics (A) L 1 - 2
07-Aug-21 Marlborough Town (A) W12 - 3

Opening Fixtures:

Fri 13-Aug-21 Malmesbury Vics Dev (H)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Corsham Town Dev (H)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Devizes Town Res (A)
Wed 25-Aug-21 Odd Down Res (A)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Purton (A)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Trowbridge Town (H)

Position in 2020-21 at time of season being curtailed: 6th

Features of 2020-21 Season: Odd Down Reserves received many plaudits from those that played and watched them last season. Their youthful side, supported by veteran Terry Wade, won six and drew one of their 14 fixtures played and sat in sixth place in the table at the time the league season was ended. They also fell to late winners in other games including their opening game of the season at Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development but by the same token came from 2-0 behind on no less than five occasions to win games. They also did well in the South Group in the Fountain Trophies Cup, losing just one of their six group games, that a narrow 3-2 defeat at the hands of fellow Somerset based side Frome Collegians. They finished second in the group behind Corsham Town Reserves, just missing out on a place in the final.

Manager: James Riccio, a former Odd Down first team player, who is also the chairman of the highly successful Youth club Bath Arsenal, will be at the helm once again, assisted this season by Andy Towers with last season’s assistant Terry Wade now taking over the club’ Under 18s side. 

Key players retained and new signings: James has lost a few of last season’s side to university, including both of his goalkeepers. Once again the side will be a youthful one this coming season, with the departing players being replaced by players from either the clubs own Under 16 and Under 18 sides or Bath City Academy. Tom Ellis-Ricketts, one of the standout performers last season, has also progressed to the first team. A key new signing is new striker Angus Williamson, a strong physical striker, who returns to the club from university and has been finding the net in pre-season.

Manager expectations?
James enjoyed his sides first season in the league and felt his side more than matched most of their opponents technically but lost out early in the season due to a lack of physicality, as they adapted to playing at this level. The results in the Fountain Trophies Cup showed they had responded to this challenge beating a number of the sides they had lost to in those early league games. With the Odd Down first team having dropped down a level in the Western League there is now just one level difference between their two sides and James expects there to be more inter-change of players between the sides than there was last season. James expects Pewsey Vale to once again be the team to beat this coming season. Having played Calne Town Reserves in pre-season he also expects them to be challenging at the top of the table, with Trowbridge Town and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development being two other sides to watch our for.

Managers’ best moment of last season: Coming from 2-0 behind on five occasions to win games.

Managers’ worst moment of last season: Nothing really of note, thoroughly enjoyed first season in the league.

Best record is against: Devizes Town Reserves – Odd Down did the league double over Devizes in what was Odd Down’s first season in the league. They also have a 100% record against Marlborough Town, but the sides only played each other the once before the season was curtailed.

Worst record is against: As a new side, there is no real pattern as yet but Odd Down did lose twice to fellow Somerset based side Frome Collegians last season, once in the league and once in the Fountain Trophies Cup.

Known pre-season results:
03-Jul-21 S. Supermarine Dev (H) D 3 – 3
10-Jul-21 Chippenham T Acad (A) L 2 – 6
14-Jul-21 Radstock Town (H) L 1- 4
17-Jul-21 Stockwood Wanderers (A) D 2 - 2
24-Jul-21 Somerton Town (A) D 3 - 3
04-Aug-21 Calne Town Res (H) L 1 – 2
07-Aug-21 Nailsea & Tickenham (A) L 0 - 5

Opening fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Marlborough Town (H)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Frome Collegians (A)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Ludgershall Sports (A)
Wed 25-Aug-21 Melksham Town Res (H)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Shrewton United (H)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Corsham Town Dev (H)

Position in 2020-21 at time of Season being curtailed: 1st, top of the table 

Features of 2020-21 Season: After an impressive pre-season Pewsey carried that form into their initial league fixtures. They won their first five games before a mini-blip saw them draw with Malmesbury Victoria Dev and then lose to Cricklade Town. They returned to winning ways with a 5-0 win over near neighbours Marlborough Town and went on another winning run that stretched to seven games. During that spell they only conceded goals in the game with Corsham Town Reserves, the six other games saw them keep a clean sheet. When the season was brought to a premature end they sat six points clear at the top of the table. Whilst Pewsey led the way they had not played either Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development or Wroughton and still had another game against Melksham to come and so the title race was still very much all to play for but Pewsey were in the driving seat. They then won all their group games in the Fountain Trophies Cup to reach the final which they won 1-0 against Corsham Town Reserves thanks to a stunning free kick from Ryan Thomas.

Manager:  Pewsey have the same management team that were so successful last season. Alistair Tuttle goes into the second season of his second spell as the boss at Pewsey Vale with Pewsey legends Alan Blake and Darren Tapper assisting him in the dugout.

Key players retained: After a successful Season 2020-21 Pewsey have retained all of their squad from last season, including the likes of leading scorer James Guthrie, cup winning goal scorer Ryan Thomas, Liam Edmondson and the exciting group of youngsters that includes Oscar Middleton, Harry Hoareau, Haydon Amor Rory and Oliver England. At the other end of the age spectrum the influential Ryan Banks is also back for another season and according to his manager looking one of the sharpest players in pre-season training.

New signings: Whilst there are no new major signings manager Tuttle will have two exciting youngsters who made a big impact at different times during last season available to him right from the off. Harry Hoareau scored seven goals in just six games when back from university last season but will be full time at the Recreation Ground this season. Oscar Middleton played only in the Fountain Trophies Cup at the end of the season but showed in the cup final what a talented player he is, and Tuttle expects both players to make a big impact this season.
 
In addition, Pewsey Vale will have a reserve side this coming season, playing in the Swindon & District League. This means they should not be short of players this season, although that was never a problem last season with the team going so well. Manager Tuttle noted that they have been having 45-50 players turn up for training which bodes well for the coming season, not only for the adult sides but also their Under 18 side. Getting the reserve side up and running is a major plus for manager Tuttle and is the latest in a line of positive actions taken by the hard working committee at Pewsey, that has also seen them undertake a major refurbishment of the clubhouse at Pewsey.

Manager expectations:
When we spoke to Alistair ahead of the season we asked him the sides he expected to be challenging his own cup winning side for honours this coming season. Judging by the signings they have announced Alistair expects Trowbridge Town to be amongst the leading sides but noted they had lost a number of their pre-season games. He also expects Melksham Town Reserves and Shrewton United to also be up at the top end of the table and noted that Devizes Town Reserves appeared to have picked up some players from Melksham and, consistent with a number of other managers, tipped them to do much better this season.

Pewsey Vale's players and management team with the Fountain Trophies Cup


Managers’ best moment last season: Winning silverware for the first time in a long while, especially given where the club was at when having to withdraw from the Wessex League.

Managers’ worst moment last season: Whilst understanding the reasons, the 2020-21 league season being curtailed with Pewsey doing so well at the top of the table.

Best record is against: Corsham Town Reserves (now Dev) and Marlborough Town - Pewsey have won the last four league games against Corsham and have won four of the last five against Marlborough, drawing the other game.

Worst record is against: Royal Wootton Bassett Town Dev - Pewsey lost both the last two meetings between the sides back in Season 2019-20.

Known pre-season results:
After defeat to Western League side Devizes Town in their opening friendly Pewsey Vale have won all four of their remaining pre-season games and once again come into the new campaign on the back of a good pre-season.

21-Jul-21 Devizes Town (A) L 0 - 2
24-Jul-21 Paragon FC (H) W 10 - 0
28-Jul-21 Hungerford T Swifts (H) W 4 - 3
31-Jul-21 S. Supermarine Dev (H) W 4 - 0
07-Aug-21 Redhouse (H) W 3 - 0

Opening fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-20 Wroughton (H)
Tue 17-Aug-20 Shrewton United (H)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Salisbury Dev (H)
Tue 24-Aug-21 Marlborough Town (A)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Calne Town Res (H)
Tue 31-Aug-21 Ludgershall Sports (H)


Position in 2020-21 at time of Season being curtailed: 12th

Features of 2020-21 Season: A side that did not play many games in both the league and the Fountain Trophies Cup, with just eight league matches played in total, the lowest of any side in the division. Purton remained unbeaten in their first three games, drawing away at Shrewton, and then defeating both Trowbridge Town and Malmesbury Vics Dev. The first defeat of the season came at the hands of near neighbours Cricklade Town and thereafter the sequence was “win one, lose one” until the season was brought to an end. They played just the one game in the Fountain Trophies Cup before pulling out due to issues raising a side.

Managers: Purton are one of the eight clubs to have a new manager as they go into the 2021-22 Season with Wayne Petrie leaving the Red House less than one season after arriving. Purton have appointed former Marlborough Town manager Andy Ealey as the new boss for the coming season and he has brought a number of his coaches from his old club to Purton to assist him  at his new club. 

Key Players Retained: For the second season running it is all change at the Red House with just two players remaining from last season. A number of last season’s squad have followed the previous manager to Swindon & District League side Shield & Dagger, whilst others have joined other Premier Division sides. The two that have remained from last season are Wesley Lima and Dale Bird, with Andy Ealey particularly pleased that the duo had remained at Purton. Lima featured in all but one of Purton’s fixtures last season and was a player that manager Ealey had sought to sign in the past.

New Signings: Four players have followed Ealey from Marlborough Town including one, in Chris Avery, who is returning to a former club where he had been the leading scorer in both the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons. The other three to move across from Marlborough are Luke Connolly, Simon Gayle and Tom Mooney. With so many departures Ealey has had to bring in a whole new squad and some of the key new signings include goalkeeper Arie Peursum, who has played for Cirencester Town, Scott Milloy who was previously at Bath City Academy, and Brandon Page, a player who has scored plenty of goals at District League level and has hit the ground running since joining Purton with a hat-trick in pre-season.

Chris Avery who returns to Purton where he was top scorer in previous seasons

Manager expectations: When we spoke to Andy ahead of the season, like many of the managers, he expects Trowbridge Town to be the side most likely to be at the top of the table come the season end given the signings they have been announcing. He commented that Melksham Town Reserves are always strong and would expect them to once again be up their challenging at the top. The other side he fancies to do well are Devizes Town Reserves, who despite their lowly position last season, will be a much better proposition this season.

Best moment last season: The 6-0 away win at Devizes Town.

Worst moment last season: Withdrawing from the Fountain Trophies Cup.

Best record is against: Frome Collegians, Stratton Juniors and Devizes Town Reserves - Purton have won both games they have played against the two sides fairly new to the league and also have an impressive record against Devizes Town Res having won four of their five meetings that have taken place in the past ten seasons.

Worst record is against: Corsham Town Reserves (now re-branded Corsham Town Development) - Purton have struggled against Corsham since Purton dropped back down from the Hellenic League, with just one win in six meetings.

Known pre-season results:
08-Jul-21 Cricklade Town Res L 1 - 3
24-Jul-21 Redhouse Res L 1 - 4
27-Jul-21 AFC Bedwyn W 7 - 5
31-Jul-21 KO FC D 2 - 2
07-Aug-21 Cricklade Town L 0 - 6

Opening fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Salisbury FC Dev (A)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Malmesbury Vics Dev (A)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Corsham Town Dev (H)
Tue 24-Aug-21 Stratton Juniors (H)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Melksham Town Res (H)
Tue 31-Aug-21 Marlborough Town (H)

 
Position in 2020-21 at time of season being curtailed: 3rd

Features of 2019-20 League Season: Royal Wootton Bassett Town had a fantastic start to the 2020-21 Season, remaining unbeaten in their opening nine fixtures, eight of which were won. They finally tasted defeat at Corsham Town, going down 3-2 to a late goal. They then suffered a second consecutive defeat, going down 3-2 again, this time at home against Cricklade Town, their cause was not helped by having a player sent off in only the second minute of the game. Their final game before the curtain came down on the 2020-21 league season was a narrow 1-0 win against Corsham Town thanks to a late winner against the run of play, to avenge that earlier defeat. Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development, along with Wroughton, decided not to participate in the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup when football was permitted to return after lockdown.

Manager: Stephen Yeardley, the club’s first team record all-time appearance maker, is now in his third season in charge and hoping that this season goes the full duration. He is joined in the dugout by Steve Shaw and coach Mark Simpkins. 

Key players retained:  Many of the regulars from last season will be back at the Gerard Buxton Ground this coming season including last season’s top scorer Dale Richards. However, strike partner from last season Bailey Gallagher will not be around much in the Development side this campaign having progressed to the first team where he has been a standout player so far in some of the early fixtures for the Hellenic League side. Also returning for another season are the two stalwarts of the Development side Nick Mason and Ben Brown. Experienced centre-back George Drewitt will also once again be playing for his hometown club with George Lance once again adding Hellenic League experience to the midfield area. Yeardley will have a host of forwards at his disposal with Ryan Withers, who returned from Corsham Town part way through last season, Tyler Sheppard and Manuel Mesas all re-signing. In terms of departures, striker Charlie McCuish has left to play in the Swindon & District League but the biggest loss will be at the back where regular goalkeeper Adam House will not be playing this season and the experienced and influential Tony Joyce is leaving the area due to work.

New signings: Manager Yeardley has a ready-made replacement for Bailey Gallagher in the shape of Matt Bennett who returns to the Gerard Buxton Ground from Wroughton. With 185 first team appearances at Bassett and 55 first team goals, Bennett brings plenty of experience to Yeardley’s side and still has the fitness levels to terrorise defences in the Wiltshire Senior League.   With the influential Tony Joyce leaving, Yeardley has also brought in the experienced Josh Connolly from Marlborough Town to provide support to his young side. Yeardley also thought he would have another talented young forward in Tom Moore in the ranks but so good were his pre-season performances he has already joined Gallagher in the first team squad. Whilst new signings normally make the headlines, manager Yeardley is also excited by a crop of youngsters from the Under 18s with Charlie Stammers, Joey Warren and Bertie Jaques-Matthias all impressing in pre-season games, with Zane Pinnock and Seb Smith also expected to get plenty of opportunities with the Development side this season. 

New signings Matt Bennett (from Wroughton) and Josh Connolly (from Marlborough Town)



Manager expectations
The loss of Gallagher and Moore to the first team in recent weeks means his side will probably now not  be as strong as last season, but the expectation remains that they will have a decent season. Like a number of the managers we spoke to ahead of the season, the two teams that Steve fancies to do well this season are Trowbridge Town and Pewsey Vale. Steve was also impressed with Calne Town Reserves who they met in a friendly at the back-end of last season who were a strong, physical side. Steve also expects Shrewton United to be up there with the leading sides this coming season.

Managers’ best moments last season: The number of times his side won games late on, especially in matches where key players were missing. This was reward for the hard work put in during training on fitness levels.

Managers’ worst moment of the season: Having youngster Michael Gilder controversially sent-off in the second minute of the home game against Cricklade Town, his side eventually losing a tight game 3-2.

Best record is against: : Somerset based sides. Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development have won all three games played against the Somerset based sides Frome Collegians and Odd Down Reserves in the last two curtailed seasons.

Worst record is against: Melksham Town Reserves – Royal Wootton Bassett have won just one of the last 11 meetings between the sides, that win coming last season. Their record against Trowbridge Town is also poor with just one win in nine meetings.

Known Pre-season Results:
10-Jul-21 Marlborough Town (H) W 8 - 2
20-Jul-21 Royal W. Bassett T 1XI (H) L 3 - 6
24-Jul-21 Cricklade Town (H) W 8 - 0
31-Jul-21 Fairford Town Dev (H) D 3 – 3
07-Aug-21 NALGO (H) D 3 - 3

Opening Fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Devizes Town Res (H)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Wroughton (H)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Marlborough Town (A)
Wed 25-Aug-21 Malmesbury Vics Dev (A)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Ludgershall Sports (A)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Stratton Juniors (H)
 
Position in 2020-21: Finished 6th in the Hampshire Combination & Development Football League which was played to completion last season.

Features of 2020-21 League Season: Started the season well winning their opening two games and, at the time their season was brought to a temporary halt in December, they had lost just two of their opening nine fixtures. When their season recommenced in April they won three and drew two of their final eleven league fixtures.

Manager: Mark Winter, Head of Youth at Salisbury FC, will be the man in charge of the Development team as the club embark on a new challenge. The move to the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League is designed to provide competitive weekly football for their young players and help bridge the gap between the first team, who currently play in the Southern League Premier South Division, and the existing youth set up. Joining the Wiltshire Senior League also provides an opportunity for the second side at the club to progress to the Wessex League through the National League System and be closer to that first team in terms of playing standard.

Key players retained and new signings: Salisbury Development's side will be predominantly youth based and is effectively an Under 23 side. Many of the young players will have been with the club since the age of six and progressed through to the club’s Under 18 side and then onto Development team as a pathway into adult football. A sizeable proportion of the team this season will be Under 18 players and manager Winter is expecting them to be the youngest team in the league. They have played several Wessex League first teams in friendlies and held their own and will come into the league looking to play good passing football whilst being tested physically by the demands an adult league brings.

Best record is against:  New to the league so still to be determined but club are looking forward to visiting 16 new teams this coming season.

Worst record is against: As above. 

Known Pre-season Results:
24-Jul-21 Ringwood T U23 (H) D 1 - 1
14-Jul-21 Andover Town (H) L 0 - 2
28-Jul-21 Amesbury Town (A) L 1- 4
31-Jul-21 Shaftesbury FC (A) W 4 - 2
05-Aug-21 Dorchester T Dev (A) L 2 - 9

Opening Fixtures:
Sat 14-Aug-21 Purton (H)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Pewsey Vale (A)


Position in 2020-21 at time of season being curtailed: 9th

Features of 2020-21 Season: Story is one of inconsistency. On their day capable of beating most sides but can just as easily lose, sometimes heavily, to the same sides. For example, they defeated Melksham Town Reserves 2-1 in the Fountain Trophies Cup group game having lost 6-0 to them earlier in the season in the league. They defeated Odd Down Reserves 5-0 in the league and then lost to them 2-1 in the FT Cup. They defeated Ludgershall Sports 5-1 in their first league meeting and then lost 2-1 to them in the return encounter.

Manager: Joe Sheldrake – now entering his fourth season in charge, and given all the managerial changes elsewhere, is now the joint longest serving manager in the Corsham Print Senior League Premier Division with an impressive win ratio of 58.3% in the league games he has overseen so far.

Key players retained: Craig Lewis, Charlie Utterson and Tyren Harrington have all been regular goal scorers for Shrewton in past seasons and all are back at the Recreation Ground this coming season. Most of last season’s squad are also back including the influential Steve Holvey and Jake Watson. whilst a couple of players have departed to Laverstock & Ford to play for their reserves, other than that the squad has been substantially retained from last season.

New Signings: Goalkeeping had been a problem position last season with the manager having to don the gloves on a couple of occasions, but Joe has signed Cam Miller in the summer and he has impressed during pre-season. The other signing that Joe expects to do well this season is central midfield player Jake Connor.

Both Charlie Utterson (picture courtesy of John Cuthbertson) and Craig Lewis (picture courtesy of Chris Dunn-Veale) return at Shrewton and both can be expected to be amongst the goals this coming season.

Manager expectations
When we spoke to Joe ahead of the season the sides he expected to be challenging for honours this coming season were last season’s leaders Pewsey Vale, Trowbridge Town, who he noted had brought in a number of players with Western League experience, and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development. He also expected Calne Town Reserves to do well on the back of their successful season in the Trowbridge & District League and their excellent pre-season results. Joe was also impressed last season with Odd Down Reserves and expects them to be amongst the leading sides with that extra years’ experience at senior level. With the multitude of managerial changes elsewhere, including at Wroughton and Melksham Town Reserves, he is not expecting those two sides to be as strong as in the past two seasons. He also felt that Devizes Town Reserves will be a much stronger team this season. Whilst not necessarily challenging at the top Joe expects Ludgershall Sports to also do better this season. Joe commented that last season was very competitive and expects this coming season to be even more so but is quietly confident his side will do well. For the first time in a while Joe comes into a new season without any suspensions hanging over from the previous season.

Managers’ best moment last season: Defeating Melksham Town Reserves when they were on their long unbeaten run.

Managers’ worst moment last season: Losing 6-0 to Melksham Town Reserves in their league meeting.

Best record is against: Malmesbury Vics Development and Devizes Town Reserves – Shrewton have won all 7 of the recent league meetings with Malmesbury and have won 11 of their last 13 meetings against Devizes, losing just once back in 2014-15. They also have a good record against Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development, winning eight of the last 10 league meetings.

Worst record is against: Melksham Town Reserves - Shrewton’s record is generally good against most teams in the league with their worst win record being against Melksham Town Reserves who they have beaten just four times in their last 12 league meetings. 

Known pre-season results:
03-Jul-21 Gillingham Town (A) L 1 - 3 
10-Jul-21 Sturminster Newton (A) L 1 - 5
24-Jul-21 Colden Common (A) L 1 - 6

Opening fixtures:
The fixture scheduling has not been kind to Shrewton who must play their first six games away from home due to cricket having use of the Recreation Ground in August. Their three opening games sees them meet fancied sides Calne Town Res, Pewsey Vale and Trowbridge Town.

Sat 14-Aug-21 Calne Town Res (A)
Tue 17-Aug-21 Pewsey Vale (A)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Trowbridge Town (A)
Tue 24-Aug-21 Ludgershall Sports (A)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Odd Down Res (A)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Devizes Town Res (A)


Position in 2020-21 at time of Season being curtailed: 13th 

Features of 2020-21 Season: Stratton had a tough opening game last season with pre-season title favourites Pewsey Vale the visitors to Meadowcroft. They left with all three points following a comfortable 5-0 win. Stratton bounced back to win their next two games but the second of those against Ludgershall would be their last league win of the curtailed season. They picked up a useful away point at Shrewton United but lost their other five league games. In the Fountain Trophies Cup their only recorded victory on the pitch came in a 1-0 win against Cricklade Town, their best result of the season.

Manager: There will be a new management team at Stratton Juniors this coming season, but it will not be the expected duo of Tom Crawford and Dudley Philpott at the helm after it was confirmed by Stratton this week that they had left the club, with the arrangement not working out for either the club or the management team. The managers being Melksham based had seen them struggle to bring new players to the club. The Stratton players were told of their departure at training on Thursday evening and Stratton have moved swiftly to appoint Pete Smith as caretaker manager whilst they consider their options.

Key players retained: Stratton have retained most of the regular players from last season with Ryan Cooper, Nathaniel Harrison, Alex Hiscock, Moses Naisarani, Chris Price, Oliver Surridge, Lewis Taylor and Harry Walters, who all made 10 or more appearances last season, all returning.

New signings: At the time of publication of this preview the one new signing we are aware of is Leo Whitehead.

Best record is against: Ludgershall Sports – Stratton Juniors did the league double over Ludgershall in Season 2019-20 and last season won the one meeting between the two sides.

Worst record is against: Shrewton United and Corsham Town Development – Stratton have lost all three games played against both sides. 

Known pre-season results: Stratton Juniors have had a nightmare time during pre-season with three sides calling off friendlies at the last minute due to issues with raising a side. The matches we are aware did get played are as follows:

29-Jul-21 Shrewton Dev (H) L 1 - 3
03-Aug-21 Wroughton (A) L L 0 – 4
07-Aug-21 Calne Eagles (A) W 5 - 3 


Opening fixtures: With ongoing activity to get the new ground at Merton Fields ready STratton requested that 
Sat 14-Aug-21 Ludgershall Sports (A)
Tue 17-Aug-21 Marlborough Town (A)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Calne Town Res (A)
Tue 24-Aug-21 Purton (A)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Frome Collegians (A)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Royal W. Bassett Town Dev (A)

Position in 2020-21 at time of season being curtailed: 8th 

Features of 2020-21 Season: Trowbridge Town’s 2020-21 Season, like the season before, is best described as inconsistent. They won half of their games and lost the other half, and only once did they achieve back-to-back league wins and they struggled against sides in the top half of the table. Their only victory over a top eight side came in a 2-0 away win at Odd Down Reserves, all their other five victories came against sides at the bottom end of the table. It was a similar story in the Fountain Trophies Cup group games, whilst they finally got the better of their near neighbours Frome Collegians, there only other win in the competition came against Ludgershall Sports.

Manager: At the end of last season Ant Ottaviano announced that he would be taking a break from football after three seasons at the helm. In his place Trowbridge have appointed Jamie Jordan who was part of their Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League title winning side in 2015-16 and last season was playing for Westbury United in the Western League. Jamie will be player-manager this coming season and has former Melksham Town joint manager Chris Carr as his assistant in the dugout along with two first team coaches. 

Key players retained: Trowbridge Town have retained the services of regular goal scorers Jake Sainsbury, Alex Pippard and Jordan Gullis. Also back are Tom Caldicott and Stephen Fox. Departures from last season include Elliott Caldicot and Nick Taylor, who have both moved to Devizes Town Reserves, and Joshua Hard who has not signed for the new season.

New signings: Jamie has made some big-name signings during the summer months and it is for this reason that most of the other managers in the division are tipping his side for honours this coming season. Joining him in moving from Westbury United are the experienced Mark Robinson and youngster Ollie Dew. Three players who have made the move from Melksham Town Reserves to Trowbridge are George Bendle, who netted eight times for Melksham last season, youngster Owen Pearce and defender Grant Gunning. Ryan Baggs, who like Jordan was part of the Trowbridge title winning side in 2015-16, moves back to the club from Corsham Town and will captain the Trowbridge side this season. Jamie has also been successful in luring Frome Collegians captain Matt Parsons to Woodmash. 

Manager expectations
Jamie expects Pewsey Vale to be the team to beat this season again with anyone who finishes above them likely to be the league champions. Although only just promoted from the Trowbridge & District League Jamie also expects Calne Town Reserves to surprise a number of the established sides in the league. When advised that a lot of managers were tipping his side as title challengers, whilst expecting a good season, he was not as optimistic as some of those other managers with his side still very much work-in-progress.

Trowbridge have ambitions to eventually return back to higher levels within the National League System and a recent edition of the popular football magazine “When Saturday Comes” was a reminder of how high they once were in the pyramid (see picture below). This season they will be doing work on addressing some of the drainage issues at Woodmarsh with a view to assessing whether further development of the site is possible to facilitate promotion at a later date. They already produce the best programme in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League and expect to see further improvements off the pitch as the coming season progresses. 


Key players retained: Trowbridge Town have retained the services of regular goal scorers Jake Sainsbury, Alex Pippard and Jordan Gullis. Also back are Tom Caldicott and Stephen Fox. Departures from last season include Elliott Caldicot and Nick Taylor who have both moved to Devizes Town Reserves and Joshua Hard who has not signed for the new season.

New Signings: Jamie has made some big-name signings during the summer months and it is for this reason that most of the other managers in the division are tipping his side for honours this coming season. Joining him in moving from Westbury United are the experienced Mark Robinson and youngster Ollie Dew. Three players who have made the move from Melksham Town Reserves to Trowbridge are George Bendle, who netted 8 times for Melksham last season, youngster Owen Pearce and defender Grant Gunning. Ryan Baggs, who like Jordan was part of the Trowbridge title winning side in 2015-16, moves back to the club from Corsham Town and will captain the Trowbridge side this season. Jamie has also been successful in luring Frome Collegians captain Matt Parsons to Woodmash. 

Best moment last season: Finally beating near neighbours Frome Collegians at the third attempt.

Worst moment last season: Back-to-back defeats against Shrewton and Wroughton which saw seven goals conceded and none scored.

Trowbridge like playing: Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development and Marlborough Town – Trowbridge have won seven of the last nine league meetings against Bassett, losing just the once. They also have a good record against Marlborough Town with 11 victories in the last 15 league meetings but played neither side last season. They also have a good record against Calne Town Reserves winning seven and drawing two in the 10 meetings at the start of the decade.

Trowbridge don't like playing: Purton – Trowbridge have just one win in eight meetings with Purton in the past 10 seasons and the record is even worse if you go back to when both sides were in Division One West of the Hellenic League. 

Known pre-season results:
03-Jul Corsham Town (A) W 4 - 3
06-Jul Bradford Town (A) L 0 - 1
14-Jul Peasedown MW (A) L 1 - 2
21-Jul Devizes Town Res (A) L 1 - 3
24-Jul Malmesbury Vics (A) D 3 - 3
28-Jul Westbury United (A) L 0 – 1
04-Aug Calne Eagles (A) W 5 – 0
07-Aug Wick FC (A) L 1 - 3
12-Aug Chipping Sodbury T Res (H) W 4 - 3

Opening Fixtures:
Tue 17-Aug-21 Calne Town Res (H)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Shrewton United (H)
Wed 25-Aug-21 Devizes Town Res (A)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Corsham Town Dev (H)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Melksham Town Res (A)


Position in 2020-21 at time of Season being curtailed: 4th 

Features of 2020-21 Season: Wroughton won their opening six games last season scoring 28 goals in doing so They then suffered back-to-back defeats against Frome Collegians and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Dev before returning to winning ways in their final two fixtures before lockdown. Wroughton then opted out of taking part in the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup, one of two sides to do so ahead of the competition.

Manager:  For the second season running there is a change of manager at Wroughton with Anthony Packer having left the position when the 2020-21 Season was curtailed. Wroughton chairman Kevin Cook has made an astute appointment in the summer with Ben Jarrett taking over the managerial position at the Weir Field. Ben played for Wootton Bassett Town, Forest Green Rovers Academy, Purton, Clanfield and Wroughton before going on to manage a Sunday league team for 12 years and will be assisted in the dugout by Craig Jones and Carlos Costa.

Key players retained: Ben estimates that around 80% of the successful Wroughton side of the past two seasons have left, with some being lost to other teams but others having taken up golf or other interests outside the game. Three of last season’s players have confirmed they are staying and have been regulars in pre-season, with Chris Flanagan, who was ever-present last season, being the first to commit for the new season. He has been joined by Ollie While and prolific striker Shane Hibbert. Whilst others have signed they are not necessarily expected to feature regularly.

New signings: Most of Wroughton’s squad this season will be made up of players from last season’s reserve side and youngsters from Wroughton Youth where Carlos Costa has been involved for a number of years. With the proposed new reserve team manager having departed to help at Purton Wroughton will be running just the one side this season and will have plenty of players, if somewhat lacking in experience. However, training and pre-season has gone well, and you can expect to see a youthful and physically fit Wroughton side this coming season. Ben and his players are raring to go, although they now face a tough opening fixture against last season’s leading side Pewsey Vale.

Wroughton's new management team at one of their pre-season friendlies and Shane Hibbert one of the players who has returned for the coming season.


Manager expectations: Like many of the other managers Ben expects Pewsey Vale and Calne Town Reserves to be the two sides who are likely to be battling out for the title this season. 

Wroughton’s best moment last season: The opening day 10-0 win away at Ludgershall Sports.

Wroughton’s worst moment last season: The 6-2 home defeat at the hands of Frome Collegians.

Best record is against: Malmesbury Vics Dev – Wroughton have won all seven of the eight meetings between the two sides in the past five seasons.

Worst record is against: Purton – Wroughton have won just twice in seven league meetings since Purton returned to the league from the Hellenic Division One West. 

Known pre-season results:
After a series of narrow defeats Wroughton ended their pre-season games with a draw and a win, the latter coming against fellow Premier Division side Stratton Juniors.

10-Jul-21 Letcombe (A) L 1 - 2
13-Jul-21 Shrivenham Dev (A) L 1 - 2
17-Jul-21 Faringdon Town (A) L 2 – 3
20-Jul-21 Shrivenham Dev (A) D 2 – 2
03-Aug-21 Stratton Juniors (H) W 4 - 0

Opening fixtures: Due to cricket at the Weir Field, Wroughton will start their season on the road with six away games, including a tough opening set of games against Pewsey Vale and Royal Wootton Bassett Town who were two of the leading sides last season.
 
Sat 14-Aug-21 Pewsey Vale (A)
Wed 18-Aug-21 Royal W. Bassett T Dev (A)
Sat 21-Aug-21 Frome Collegians (A)
Tue 24-Aug-21 Calne Town Res (A)
Sat 28-Aug-21 Devizes Town Res (A)
Wed 01-Sep-21 Malmesbury Vics Dev (A)

Opening Weekend Fixtures

Last Season


Finally a reminder of what happened last season in the league before the season was brought to an early end due to Covid:

12 August 2020

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