Wiltshire Senior League

Corsham Print

Wiltshire Senior League

Premier Division

Top Two Both Win

Top two Pewsey Vale & Royal W. Bassett Town Dev who both won thanks to goals from Liam Edmondson (Pewsey) and Dale Richards (RWBT)

There was one game in midweek in the Premier Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League and it involved two sides much in need of a win. Home side Melksham Town Reserves, having gone three months unbeaten, had lost both their games in March ahead of the visit of Calne Town Reserves on Tuesday night. The visitors were on an even worse run that had seen them go seven games without a win, six of which had been lost. The first meeting between the two sides back in November had finished all square and it was another close game in the return with a couple of defensive errors by Melksham assisting Calne Town Reserves in finally ending their miserable run as they edged it 3-2. On target for Calne were Kieran Fulford and Jordan Croad with their third goal coming courtesy of an own goal, Sam Dowell and a ninth of the season from Tom Mack replying for Melksham. That was now three straight defeats for Melksham ahead of the visit of title chasing Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development on Saturday.

Melksham Town Reserves were without manager Craig Kent for their visit by Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development and with their manager absent Melksham had something of a day to forget. Dale Richards put the visitors Royal Wootton Bassett 1-0 up early on firing in at the second attempt after being set up by Matt Bennett. The visitors two leading scorers then swapped roles, Richards this time setting up Bennett on the edge of the six-yard box for 2-0. Melksham goalkeeper Harry Pickering suffered a head injury after a collison with Tyler Sheppard and Melksham were forced to replace him between the posts. There was no let up from the visitors who were playing some of their best football of the season, Bennett once again setting-up Richards to make it 3-0. There was to be one more before half time Bennett’s cross from the left wing going in with help from a deflection off a defender to make it 4-0 at the break. Melksham had to make two more substitutions during the first half and when another player went down injured, they were forced to play the second half with just ten men. The visitors continued to press for more goals and ten minutes into the second half Richards had his hat-trick firing in from outside the box for 5-0. It remained that way until 12 minutes from the end when Matt Caslin pulled one back for Melksham. Richards once again restored the five-goal advantage with his fourth of the game before Tyler Sheppard added a seventh. Two further goals in the final minutes, one for each side, rounded off the afternoon’s scoring, Richard’s scoring his fifth of the game for Royal Wootton Bassett Town and Jake Dodge with another consolation goal for Melksham Town Reserves, his first since his transfer from Corsham Town.

Two more goals for Matt Bennett in Royal W. Bassett Town Dev's 8-2 win over Melksham

(picture courtesy of Steve Green)

League leaders Pewsey Vale traveled south to Salisbury FC Development to play a side they had beaten 3-0 early on in the season at the Recreation Ground. After a good first half of the season, which had seen Salisbury have several key players elevated to the first team, results have tailed off recently as a consequence, but they were able to name eight of the 14 that had played in that first fixture for today’s return game at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Pewsey had the better of things in the first half but were unable to convert that superiority into goals and the two sides turned round with the game still looking for the first goal. The deadlock was finally broken ten minutes into the second half. Salisbury’s defence failed to properly clear a Pewsey corner with the ball falling to captain Liam Edmondson on the edge of the 18-yard box, Pewsey’s skipper catching the ball on the half-volley and firing into the bottom corner of the net for a well taken goal. Both sides had further chances but the performances of both keepers ensured there was to be no further goals. With normal Pewsey keeper Louie Latouche missing, Sam Tuttle stepped up from the Development side for his fourth appearance of the season and kept his record of maintaining a clean sheet in every game he has played for the first team so far this season. The 1-0 win for Pewsey saw them maintain their three point lead at the top of the table.

Sam Tuttle who maintained his clean sheet record this season for Pewsey Vale

There was a local derby at the Old Showfield where Frome Collegians were looking to restore local pride having suffered their biggest defeat since joining the league in their first encounter this season with near neighbours Trowbridge Town. That first meeting had seen ten goals, with Trowbridge scoring nine of them that day, and Frome manager Karl Freeman would certainly have been delighted with the clean sheet his side recorded this afternoon, as they held the division’s leading scorers to a 0-0 draw. The dropped points by Trowbridge mean that realistically they will now have to settle for third place. The point for Frome saw them climb a place in the table above Shrewton United into sixth place two points behind Calne Town Reserves with a game in hand.

After that win in midweek brought their miserable run to an end, Calne Town Reserves made it two wins on the bounce with what in the end was a comfortable win over bottom side Purton. Calne scored early on but were pegged back by a Bensa Teshome goal for Purton but two further Calne gaols saw them lead 3-1 at the break. Calne stepped up their game after the break and with Purton legs tiring the home side were able to add five unanswered goals in the second half to run out 8-1 winners. Kassa Anderson hit a hat-trick, taking his total for the season to 19, Kian Fulford bagged a brace to add to the goal he scored in midweek and there were further goals from Oscar Webster, Harry Finney and James Robertson. Finney and Robertson both scored their first goals of the season for Calne and took the total number of different scorers for Calne this season in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League to 28, by far the most of any side in the division.

Just seven days after the first meeting of the season between Wroughton and Corsham Town Development the two sides were back in opposition again this afternoon at the Southbank Ground. As in the first meeting between the sides it was another close game between the two sides. Despite a number of key players being missing, with just five of the starting line-up from last Saturday’s win available for Wroughton, they went in front around the half hour mark through Jonathan Peachey-Score. Peachey-Score, who hit the winner the previous week, has been in a rich vein of goal scoring form since joining Wroughton from Shrivenham. Corsham got themselves back on level terms two minutes before half time, Jamie Cunning netting for the eighth time this season to make it 1-1 at the break. Corsham took the lead for the first time six minutes into the second half from the penalty spot after Cunning had been fouled in the box. Adam Mitchell stepped up to take the spot kick and made no mistake for his 17th of the season. The lead did not last long though as four minutes later Peachey-Score got his second of the game to make it 2-2. Corsham then put the Wroughton defence under sustained pressure and were rewarded with the winner 12 minutes from time, Max Wyatt firing in after being set up by Mitchell to make it 3-2 to Corsham, avenging the defeat they suffered at the hands of Wroughton the previous week.

Adam Mitchell (Corsham) & Jonathan Peachey-Score (Wroughton) who both scored for their respective sides in Corsham's 3-2 win

Devizes Town Reserves were playing their first game since the 5th of March but showed no signs of rustiness as they started brightly in their game with Odd Down Reserves. Sam Dodds put them 1-0 up in an impressive first half showing but Odd Down restored parity right on the stroke of half time, Marley Carpenter firing in from a tight angle for his sixth goal of the season. Odd Down stepped up their game in the second half and went in front for the first time in the match three minutes into the new half, captain and leading scorer Charlie Saunders hitting a stunning volley to make it 2-1 to Odd Down. They extended their lead on the hour mark Stephen Black rounding the keeper to make it 3-1. Ten minutes later Black was at it again hitting a second goal of the game and giving his side a comfortable 4-1 cushion. That was to be the end of the scoring and the 4-1 win for Odd Down saw them climb a couple of places in the table up to eighth spot above both Melksham Town Reserves and Wroughton.

Charlie Saunders (Odd Down) whose spectacular strike put his side 2-1 up in their 4-1 win over Devizes Town Res

Meanwhile, with their league game against Malmesbury Vics Dev postponed due to the impact of Hellenic League cup fixtures, Shrewton United played Bemerton Heath Harlequins in the Salisbury Hospital Cup and fell to a 3-0 defeat against their higher league opponents.