This week’s action in the Under 18 Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League stretched over five days with two games on Monday, two on Thursday and a final game on Friday.

The two matches on Monday were both in Berkshire with AFC Aldermaston entertaining Radstock Town and Kintbury Rangers Youth at home to Calne Town Reserves. At AFC Aldermaston it was Radstock Town who maintained their 100% winning start to the new season thanks to two second half goals. All the goals on the night came in the second half, Lex Southall putting the visitors Radstock ahead on 52 minutes. Jayden Purnell then extended the visitors lead with just over twenty minutes to go and the visitors were able to shut up shop until the final minute of the match when Luke Schofield scored with what proved to just be a consolation goal as Radstock ensured there was no further damage to return home with all three points. The win saw Radstock Town move top of the table ahead of Thursday’s encounter between Melksham Town and Royal Wootton Bassett Town.

Monday night also saw Kintbury Rangers in action looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season last week at Royal Wootton Bassett Town. Two first half goals from James Tomlinson and Joseph Sheridan put Kintbury in the ascendancy and they led 2-0 at the break against Calne Town. However, visitors Calne pulled one back in the second half through Reuben Badman but that was to be the end of the night’s scoring as Kintbury moved third in the table thanks to a 2-1 win.

Royal Wootton Bassett Town had the chance to move back top of the table above Radstock Town on Thursday night but knew they would have to win away at Melksham Town to do so. The two sides served up a thoroughly entertaining high-quality encounter on the outside pitch at the Oakfield Stadium. It was the visitors who created the better chances in the first half. Euan Spackman went close to putting his side ahead on 23 minutes, seeing his powerful shot superbly turned away by Melksham keeper Zak Beard. Minutes later Charlie Stammers saw his cross just go over the bar as the visitors went in search of the opener. However, with half an hour gone an accidental collision between Royal Wootton Bassett Town keeper Jack Rae and defender Alan De Paula, after the defender was pushed from behind, saw the keeper lie motionless for a lengthy period with concussion. Eventually he was able to get up and leave the pitch but was unable to take any further part in the game and the visitors were forced to introduce substitute keeper Finlay Cranswick-Coates. With the half ending Melksham started to put the visitors under pressure and went in front a couple of minutes before half time. A long ball out of defence from keeper Beard was allowed to bounce on the edge of the 18-yard box with the ball falling to Tom Dowell whose initial shot was well saved with his feet by Cranswick-Coates, but the ball rebounded back to Dowell who was presented with an easy tap-in for 1-0 to Melksham.

However, Royal Wootton Bassett Town were back on level terms within a minute of the restart, Alan De Paula getting on the end of a Joey Warren free-kick into the box for 1-1. Both sides continued to play some good passing football, but it remained all square until ten minutes from time mainly due to the efforts of the two keepers Beard and Cranswick-Coates. What turned out to be the winning goal came when Charlie Stammers finished off a flowing move from the visitors, Stammers being found with an excellent defence splitting ball from Flynn Walters, and he finished in style for 2-1. The visitors continued to press forward to make certain of the points. Leading scoring Jacob Rendell-Haines was presented with a couple of excellent chances to extend the lead but on both occasions, he was denied by Beard. The first came when he was put through by Noah Cranswick-Coates but Beard pulled off a great save to deny the striker.  The second was set up by Harry Bunce but this time Beard denied Rendell-Haines by saving with his feet. Then right at the death Harvey Watkinson had a gilt-edged chance to get on the end of a cross but his connection with the ball went just wide of the post as it finished 2-1 to the visitors. The good news is that the injured keeper Rae, after being closely watched overnight, is on the mend but will be unable to take his place for the Development side this weekend.

The other game on Thursday saw two of the new sides in the division this season, Bradford Town and Warminster Town, up against each other. Warminster Town had lost both of their opening two games whilst Bradford Town had one point from their opening three fixtures, that coming from a high scoring draw with Kingsdown Lions.  On Thursday night both teams were to end the night with a point each following a 1-1 draw, Lennon Burden with the Warminster Town goal. Next up for Warminster is a visit from league leaders Royal Wootton Bassett Town, whilst Bradford Town host AFC Aldermaston.

The final game in the division was on Friday night as the fixtures in the division stretched across the whole week for the first time. It saw Bishops Cannings open their league campaign having so far just played in the Wiltshire County FA Youth Cup. Their visitors on Friday night were new side Kingsdown Lions who had picked up one point from their opening two games in that draw with Bradford Town. Bishops Cannings squad includes substantially all the players from last season’s Devizes Town side that did the league and cup double and are once again expected to be up there challenging for honours again this season. Last season Caleb Hollow and Jack Smith had scored 34 goals between them in all competitions, and it was Hollow who scored the first Bishops Cannings goal on Friday night after some good work from Harvey Swain in the build-up. However, visitors Kingsdown got themselves back on level terms through Jack Campbell-Walker. Tyler Moore restored Bishops Canning’s lead before Harvey Swain himself got on the score sheet with a powerful shot to make it 3-1 at the break. Bishops Cannings continued to press for more goals and Jack Smith, having scored a hat-trick in their recent big County Cup win, notched his first league goal of the season. Lleyton Edwards then made it 5-1 before Smith rounded off the night’s scoring with a sixth and his second of the game for Bishops Cannings from the penalty spot, his fifth goal of the campaign in just two games. Next up for Bishops Cannings is a trip to Melksham Town next Thursday whilst Kingsdown Lions play their first home game on the season on Tuesday night when Kintbury Rangers Youth are the visitors. The other game next week sees Radstock Town travel to Calne Town looking to defend their 100% winning start to the season.

League Table

Leading Scorers

Results and Next Week's Fixtures

Wilts FA County Youth Cup

With nine of the 16 scheduled ties in the First Round of Wiltshire Youth Cup having been awarded to teams, the competition now sees eight (50%) of the Second Round ties also awarded, with four of the remaining five Floodlit Division sides forfeiting their games because players are already playing for other U17 or U18 Sunday sides in what is traditionally a Sunday competition. This leaves just Bishops Cannings as the only representative from the Floodlit League still in the competition, although there are other teams from clubs in our league still competiting. As has been said in a previous round-up, the old way of doing things, where just one team from each affiliated club represented the club in the competition and did so by applying to enter was so much better and would reduce or remove the problem of so many awarded ties and return the competition to its former prestigious status. The full draw for the Second Round and the leagues which the various teams are playing in is shown below:

1 October 2022