Mid Wiltshire Division

With league leaders Melksham Town seeing their game postponed due to a waterlogged pitch there was a chance for both Bradford Town and Devizes Town to close the gap at the top of the table and both took full advantage. On Monday night Devizes Town were back in action, playing at Green Lane and after last week’s traumatic events hoping for an incident free game against bottom of the table Amesbury Junior Badgers. Amesbury were playing their penultimate game of the season and went into the match still looking for their first points of the season. Whilst they scored two goals for only the second time this season there was to be no upset as Devizes hit six of their own with Nathan Palmer also scoring an own goal for one of the Amesbury goals. Devizes led 2-0 at half time thanks to goals from Gary Campbell and player-manager Craig Townsend. Three more goals for Townsend in the second half, as the manager led from the front and as a result took his tally for the season to 12, plus a first of the season from Craig Daykin secured the three points for Devizes, Maurice Davies with the other goal for the Badgers.

Bradford Town were up against St Andrews on Tuesday night and once again the game went to form with Bradford securing a 4-0 win. Indeed, Bradford Town have now hit four goals in each of the four games that have been played between the two sides in the past two seasons. Once more it was the strike duo of Rhys Schell and Steve Tweddle who did the damage, Schell smashing a hat-trick to move onto 19 for the season and Tweddle with the other goal which sees his own total move to 17. The win saw Bradford Town move to within a point of second place Corsham Town and 12 points behind Melksham but with two games in hand on Corsham and three on Melksham with Bradford set to meet Melksham on March 1^st.

The same night that Bradford Town were securing their ninth league win of the season, FC Calne were making it eight league wins and five on the bounce with a 3-0 success over the other Amesbury Junior side. The win avenged the 4-0 defeat they had suffered at the hands of the same opponents at the beginning of the season. It was 0-0 at the break but second half goals from Adam O’Keeffe (2) and Paul Maddox gave FC Calne the points and that fifth straight win. For Amesbury, after their good start to the season, that is now just one win in the last eight games, that only win coming against their stable mates the Badgers.

North Wiltshire Division

There were just two games this week in the North Wiltshire Veterans’ Division but all of the top three were in action. On Tuesday night league leaders Royal Wootton Bassett Town were up against a resurgent AFC Swindon who, whilst bottom of the table, had taken four points from their last two games. When the sides had met earlier in the season Royal Wootton Bassett Town had won 4-0 and after last week’s defeat at the hands of Cricklade Town were keen to return to winning ways to maintain their title challenge. After chances at both ends it was the league leaders who went in front, Chris Head rounding the keeper to slot home for 1-0. The second was not long coming. After the AFC Swindon keeper pulled off a great save the ball fell kindly to Steve Shaw who was following up and he fired home for 2-0. There was one more goal before the break and once against it was Shaw the scorer, the striker hitting a low shot into the bottom corner of the net giving the keeper no chance.  Fellow strike partner Steve Howse then had the chance to extend the lead just before half time whistle but his header in front of an almost open goal went agonisingly wide as the teams turned round with the score at 3-0.

Three soon became four after the restart when Dan Badman headed in from a corner for his third of the season. Royal Wootton Bassett Town continued to press for more goals and a neat one-two that started on the edge of the 18-yard box between Ben Gould and Chris Head saw the latter put a tantalising ball across the six yard box that Gould turned into the net to make it 5-0 and send his tally for the season into double figures. Head, who was involved in much of the league leaders attacking play, then raced clear of the back line to fire in number six. There was still time for one more goal, with Head once again involved, his ball into the box finding Shaw who shot into the bottom corner to complete his hat-trick. In the closing stages Head went close to getting a third himself, but his powerful shot was well saved by the AFC Swindon keeper as it finished 7-0 to Royal Wootton Bassett Town. Your Sport Swindon were at the game and the highlights can be viewed by subscribers by clicking on the link below or accessing from the link on the Your Sport Swindon page on the League website.

The final game of the week in the North Wiltshire Division was at the Gerard Buxton Ground on Wednesday night and it saw the top two scorers in the Division, Redhouse’s David Rendle and Priory Vale’s Richie Miles up against each other for their respective sides. However, for once it is not the two potent strikers who are making the headlines but the two sides defences as the two title challengers fought out a 0-0 draw in a game of limited chances. The point meant Prior Vale are now two points behind the leaders Royal Wootton Bassett Town with a game in hand, with Redhouse six points behind Priory Vale but with three games in hand and four games in hand on the leaders. None of the top three are in action next week but the following week both Prior Vale and Redhouse play again giving Priory Vale the chance to move top and for Redhouse to close the gap.Your Sport Swindon were again at the game and the highlights can be viewed by subscribers by clicking on the link below or accessing from the link on the Your Sport Swindon page on the League website.

9 February 2022