The Veteran’s 2021-22 Season got underway this week just 41 days after the last one ended with action in both the Mid Wiltshire and North Wiltshire Divisions and also the Veteran’s County Cup.

The top match of the week was in the Mid Wiltshire Division where last season’s champions Corsham Town commenced their defence of the title against another of last season’s leading sides Devizes Town. The two sides had met three times last season, twice in the league and once in the cup. The sides had drawn one of the league games 1-1, the other league game and the cup match being decided by a solitary goal in Corsham’s favour. The latest game between the two also went Corsham’s way as they recorded their biggest win over Devizes so far, leading 1-0 at the break two further goals in the second period secured a 3-0 win. On target for Corsham were James Lye, Jonathan Scott and substitute Stephen Casey.

The same night in the Mid Wiltshire Division the two sides who had finished at the wrong end of the table last season, Chippenham Town Yard Dogs and Trowbridge Tigers met at Stanley Park. Again, meetings between the two sides last season had been close affairs, both sides winning their respective away game by a single goal margin. Monday night’s encounter was again a tight contest finishing 1-1 with Gary Knowles scoring for home side Chippenham and Ben Oakley replying for the Tigers. No doubt both sides will have been happy to get their season’s up and running with a point in their opening fixture.

The other game in the Mid Wiltshire Division on Monday night was the inhouse match between Amesbury Junior and Amesbury Junior Badgers. Leading 2-0 at the break, five further goals in the second period saw a comfortable win for Amesbury Junior over their stable mates. On target for Amesbury Junior were Jason Brice (2), Craig Clark, Glen Martin, Ben Taylor-Brown, Derek Barclay and Dean Shaw.

The North Wiltshire Division also kicked-off on Monday night with two of the new sides to the league, South Cerney Rangers and Swindon Old Boys meeting at Green Lane Devizes. It finished 1-1 with both sides picking up a point in their debut game in the league, Andrew King with the Swindon Old Boys goal, Robert Dickson with the South Cerney goal.

The following night two sides who were both in the league last season, AFC Swindon and Swindon Rovers, met at New College. Both games last season had been won by Rovers with AFC Swindon yet to score against Rovers and that trend continued on Tuesday night. A quick-fire hat-trick from Andrew Mark before half time put Swindon Rovers in control of the match before Mark Simpkins, who had ended last season in fine goalscoring form, got in the goal scoring act. Simpkins had scored in all three of Rovers final games at the end of last season, scoring six times in those three games. On Tuesday night he helped himself to four more and two late goals from Chris Doyle, one a penalty, rounded-off the scoring as Swindon Rovers ran out 10-0 winners on the night.

The other two games played in the week were both in the Preliminary Round of the Wiltshire FA’s Veteran’s County Cup. On Monday night two new sides to the North Wiltshire Division of the league, Priory Vale and Cricklade Town, met and it is Cricklade who progress to the next round courtesy of a 3-0 win, Dennis King scoring twice with the other goal scored by Matt Richards.

The final game of the week was at a busy Gerard Buxton Ground on Wednesday night, the home side Royal Wootton Bassett Town from the North Wiltshire Division edging a close game against Mid Wiltshire Division side FC Calne thanks to two goals from Jeremy Newton, FC Calne’s leading scorer from last season Dan Allison with the reply for the visitors. Royal Wootton Bassett Town join Cricklade Town and the nine sides who were given a bye in the First Round with four more Preliminary Round ties scheduled to be completed in the next week or so. With Marlborough Town having withdrawn from the league one of the 15 teams will receive a bye once the First Round draw is made.

10 September 2021