Corsham Print
Wiltshire Senior League
   Premier Division
Pewsey Win To Set Up
Title Showdown on Saturday
 On Tuesday night Pewsey Vale met Stratton Juniors looking to go back top of the league and set up a winner takes it all showdown with Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development on Saturday. After the heavy defeat suffered in their previous midweek game against one of the two title challengers, Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development, Stratton had put in a much better performance on Saturday away at Corsham Town Development and were looking to continue that against the other title challengers. It started well for Stratton as former Pewsey player Corey Cullen put the visitors ahead, but four unanswered goals saw Pewsey lead 4-1 before an own goal reduced the deficit just ahead of the half time break. It could have been even worse for Stratton as keeper Jonathan Walters gave a penalty away but redeemed himself by saving James Guthrie’s spot kick. Two further goals for Pewsey and a late consolation for Stratton from Leonard Khan saw it finish 6-3 to Pewsey. Despite missing that penalty, James Guthrie scored a hat-trick to take his total for the season to 34, Ollie England bagged a brace and there was another from Harry Hoareau whose own personal tally is now an impressive 31. The win for Pewsey means the title will be decided this coming Saturday if there is a positive result for either side, only if there is a draw will the title be held over for another week when Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development would need to avoid defeat away at Salisbury FC Development to take the title given their superior goal difference.

The two teams have been the likely contenders right from the off this season, with both sides only losing twice all season. Pewsey’s only defeats have come at the hands of Malmesbury Victoria Development and Corsham Town Development whilst their title rivals Royal Wootton Bassett Town Dev’s two defeats were against Pewsey at the Gerard Buxton Ground and last week away at Trowbridge Town. Saturday’s encounter will see four of the top five strikers in the Division up against each other with Matt Bennett (41 goals in all competitions) and Dale Richards (33) in the blue and yellow of Royal Wootton Bassett Town and James Guthrie (34) and Harry Hoareau (31) in the black and white of Pewsey Vale. Between them the four strikers have netted an impressive 139 goals this season. 

Pewsey Vale's two leading strikers James Guthrie and Harry Hoareau (pictures courtesy of Dane Pollard)

Matt Bennett and Dale Richards whose partnership for RWBT Dev this season totals 74 goals

In the build up to Saturday’s big game Your Sport Swindon’s George Nash interviewed the two managers earlier this week with the following appearing on the Your Sport Swindon website:

Despite their game in hand, [Steve] Yeardley believes his team will begin Saturday’s showdown as firm underdogs in front of what will likely be a bumper home crowd.

“Throughout the whole season we’ve played catch up. We’ve always been behind two or three games. We’ve only recently managed to steer that the other way by winning those games in hand,” said Yeardley.
“We know that they’re the favourites. They’ve been favourites all season. So if we get anything then that would be awesome.
“But, regardless of the result, we’re happy with the progress we’ve made this year. If you had said at the start of the season that we’d be in this position having only lost two league games we’d have bitten your hand off.”

Former Vale shot stopper [Alistair] Tuttle, meanwhile, rebuffs his team’s favourites’ tag but admits that home advantage may well give them a slight edge.

“It’s on our pitch. We’ll have a big crowd there. From that perspective we might have a minor advantage but that’s not how we see it,” he said.
“Game for game, they’ve beaten teams by six or seven goals that we’ve only beaten by the odd goal. So it’s going to be an interesting game. It could be a cagey affair with them knowing they still have one game left to play so they might come and try to settle for a draw.
“We haven’t got that option. We need to win if we stand any chance of winning the league. So, on that basis, we will be pretty gung-ho on Saturday. As and when we can attack, we will do.”

In the reverse fixture back in October, Pewsey ran out convincing 3-1 winners at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground. Saturday, however, promises to be a much closer affair, with both teams coming into the game in scintillating form. Bassett have won nine of their last ten league outings while Vale have dropped just five points from a possible 30 in that time. But despite the prize that awaits the victor, both managers are keen to play down enormity of the occasion, choosing instead to reflect on what has been an impressive season both on and off the pitch.

“It’s been a hell of a season to be honest. Everyone around the place is buzzing,” said Tuttle.
“The club has had its ups and downs over the last five or six years. There has been Friday nights where we’re begging people to play and now Friday nights are me deciding who I’m likely to upset because they’re not playing on a Saturday.
“So it’s a totally different club to be around now. The focus this year was to get our Reserve team back up and running. We’ve done that with great success with Luke . They’ve managed to win the league which, to be honest, we weren’t expecting.
“It’s the first year with the Reserves and we wanted to make sure that the club had a successful model going forward.”

Of the positive steps Bassett have made this campaign, Yeardley said: “This year the boys have given the whole club belief.

“The club hasn’t won anything for a long time on the men’s side. The Ladies side have been very successful for a number of years and they have dragged the club’s name into the light with their success.
“So it’s time the men’s senior side had that bit of belief.”

It is certainly set up to be a fantastic climax to the 2021-22 Season at the Pewsey Recreation Ground on Saturday, with parking spaces likely to go fast, spectators are advised to get there early.

Elsewhere on Saturday there are four other games being played across the Premier Division. Third in the table Trowbridge Town conclude what has been an excellent season for Jamie Jordan in his first season in charge with a home game against Stratton Juniors. Trowbridge were 3-0 winners in Swindon earlier in the season and will be hoping to complete a league double this weekend. For Stratton it is their fourth consecutive game against a top four side in what has been a tough run of fixtures for Neil Lee’s side.

Calne Town Reserves are another side finishing their fixtures this weekend with an away trip to Malmesbury Victoria Development looking to secure a fifth-place finish. They can be caught by the three teams below them but if they can secure a win on Saturday only one of them, Frome Collegians, could pip them for that fifth spot and would need to take seven points from their last three games to do so. Calne were 5-2 winners over Malmesbury in the first meeting between the two sides back in January.

Frome Collegians start their quest for those seven points needed to guarantee that fifth place finish with a trip to the Weir Field to play Wroughton. The first meeting between the two sides was way back in August in the second week of the season with Frome winning 4-2 that day. 

The final game of the weekend is at the Redhouse where Frank Hunt’s Purton side end what has been a difficult season with a game against the side they opened the campaign against, Salisbury FC Development. Whilst results have not gone their way this season Hunt has gained plaudits across the county for putting a side out each week and completing the season. Salisbury have picked up again in recent weeks winning two of their last three games and will be looking to keep that good form ahead of the two games next week against Melksham Town Reserves and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium

League Table, Results & Top Scorers

21 April 2022
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