It was a very good week for AFC Aldermaston Under 18s. They started the week with their penultimate league fixture of the season against Melksham Town on Tuesday night. For Melksham Town it was their final league fixture of the season having already guaranteed third spot in the table. Whilst a home fixture for Aldermaston, the game was actually played at Melksham Town as a result of a mix-up on the original scheduling of the game which had seen the whole of the Melksham squad, parents and management travel to Aldermaston for a game that had already been postponed earlier that day. Aldermaston did not let the loss of home advantage impact them as they returned with all three points following a 2-1-win, the victory coming courtesy of an injury time winner from Billy Rampton. With the 90 minutes up the scores remained level at one apiece, the goals being scored by Alermaston’s Finley Dove and Melksham’s Archie Haggerty. However, Rampton popped up to score the winner right at the end to deny Melksham a share of the spoils and inflict their fifth straight defeat in all competitions. It was the third consecutive game that Rampton had found the net. The win saw AFC Aldermaston move above Radstock Town into fourth place in the table with the two sides set to meet in Aldermaston’s final league game on April 11^th.

AFC Aldermaston were back in action just two days later with another lengthy trip, this time to the Gerard Buxton Ground in a Group A cup fixture against Royal Wootton Bassett Town. Aldermaston went ahead through Dan Seandes but the home side were back on level terms at the break thanks to a well taken Euan Spackman goal. However, a stunning strike from distance from Ryan Smith put Aldermaston back in front and they then capitalised on a goalkeeping error, Billy Rampton accepting the gift that came his way to put the game beyond their hosts with his eighth of the season as they ran out 3-1 winners and returned to the top of the Group A table. They are two points clear of second placed Calne Town with two group games to go for both sides. Royal Wootton Bassett Town sit back in third place, five points behind the leaders with a game in hand and will probably need to win all three of their remaining games to have any chance of reaching the final.

In Group B league champions Devizes Town retained their 100% winning start to their cup group games with a 4-1 away win at Pewsey Vale who fielded a number of 16-year olds in their line-up. Pewsey had gone close in last Friday’s FA Youth Cup, eventually being defeated on penalties after it had finished 2-2 against Swindon Supermarine. They were once again competitive against the champions but in the end Devizes had just a little too much on the night and returned to Nursteed Road with all three points. Goals from Danny Bowyer, Harvey Swain and Caleb Hollow put Devizes 3-0 to the good before Jude Cawley then pulled one back from the penalty spot for Pewsey. Hollow then ended any Pewsey hopes of getting back into the game when he scored his second of the match to make it 4-1 to Devizes.

Melksham Town finally ended their miserable run of defeats on Thursday night as they shared four goals and the points in another Group B cup fixture with Radstock Town. This was Radstock’s first game in the competition but for Melksham that is now just one point from their opening three games making it very unlikely that they will make the final. On target for Melksham in the 2-2 draw were Tom Dowell and a first for the club from Paul Cronin, Tom Hobbs and a first of the season from Joshua Singtothong for Radstock Town.

25 March 2022