Tuesday night sees history being made as Wroughton play in the final of the Wiltshire FA’s Senior Cup for the first time, the oldest and most prestigious of the County Cup competitions organised by the Wiltshire FA. Previous winners of the competition include all the big team names in Wiltshire, including Swindon Town who were winners in the first six seasons that the cup was competed for.
Wroughton are the first representative from the Wiltshire Senior League to make the final since Season 2003-04 and they will be hoping they can follow in the footsteps of Trowbridge Town who won the cup that season, defeating Corsham Town on penalties. Wroughton’s opponents on Tuesday night at Westbury United's Meadow Lane Ground are Downton FC who sit sixth in Division One of the Wessex League, having won 20 and drawn five of their 35 league games so far this season, averaging 2.4 goals per game. Most of those goals have come from three players with Krzysztof Krystofowicz leading the way with 22 goals, Oliver Davies is two behind on 20 and Samuel Howe has bagged 15, all three scoring in Saturday’s 4-1 win at Ringwood Town. Wroughton know they will have to keep these three players quiet if they are to lift the cup.
Downton have played just the two games to make the final having been given a bye in the First Round. In the Second Round they entertained Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League side Devizes Town, inflicting the one and only defeat suffered by Devizes this season in all competitions, Downton winning 5-1 at the beginning of November. The semi-final saw them up against fellow Wessex League side Amesbury Town and two goals from Howe and one from Davies saw them comfortably through to the final. Downton go into Tuesday’s final as the current holders of the trophy having defeated Bemerton Heath Harlequins 2-0 in last season’s final. This was their third Senior Cup win having first won the cup in Season 1979-80 when they defeated Park 4-1 in the final and then won it again the following season in 1980-81, defeating Tisbury United 2-1. They have also been runners-up three times in 1991-92, 1994-95 and 2012-13.
Wroughton, who have won 12 and drawn six of their 22 league games this season, have averaged 2.5 goals per game and are still in the League Cup. Wroughton's goals this season have predominantly come from Jonathan Peachey-Score who is the Premier Division's leading scorer with 31 goals in all competitions, Sam Long has eight to his name closely followed by Luke Saunders on seven. They have played more games in the County Cup than Downton to make it through to the final, with wins against fellow Wiltshire Senior League sides Blunsdon and Pewsey Vale, before defeating Western League side Warminster Town in the semi-final. In the First Round a hat-trick from Jonathan Peachey-Score plus one from Fraser Little secured a 4-0 for Wroughton over Blunsdon at the Weir Field. Wroughton had home advantage again in the Quarter Final against Pewsey Vale. Peachey-Score was once again amongst the goals scoring twice in a 3-0 win, Luke Saunders with the other Wroughton goal. They had to play away for the first time in that semi-final encounter with Warminster Town. On a night of high drama in difficult conditions Wroughton held their nerve to win on penalties after the game had finished goalless at the end of 90 minutes.
All at the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League wish the Wroughton players and management team of Ben Jarrett and Nathan Hall all the best for the final and hope that they can bring the cup home to Wroughton. The final is set to kick-off at 7:45PM.
Wiltshire Senior Cup
Season 2022-23
Wiltshire Senior Cup Honours List
& Cup Finals
27 March 2023