Trowbridge Town & Calne Town Reserves observing a minutes silence before their game in memory of Dennis Kilford

With an almost full round of fixtures this week a minute’s silence was held before all the games played in the League on Saturday as a mark of respect to former League Chairman and President Dennis Kilford who sadly passed away on New Years Eve after a short illness. Messages on social media just after kick-off reported that the minutes silence were impeccably observed for an individual who was so highly respected across the game of football in Wiltshire and will be sorely missed by everyone in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League.

A minutes silence being observed at Wroughton and Pewsey Vale before their respective Premier Division fixtures against Shrivenham & Shrewton Utd as a mark of respect to former League Chairman & President Dennis Kilford

The only game postponed this weekend was at league leaders Amesbury Town due to ongoing pitch issues. With Amesbury inactive it gave Kintbury Rangers the opportunity to move back top of the table and Danny Langford’s side took full advantage. Having defeated Blunsdon 3-0 at Kintbury back in October they went one better in the return fixture whilst once again keeping a clean sheet against their opponents. On target for Kintbury in their 4-0 win were Jack Afonso, Jake Allan with his ninth of the season, Kai Stubbs Alleyne and Toby Thorp. The win saw Kintbury move two points clear at the top of the table but having played two more games than Amesbury.

Third placed Pewsey Vale entertained Shrewton United at the Recreation Ground and had an early opportunity when they were awarded a penalty after just 15 minutes. However, the spot kick was saved by Sam Gates in the Shrewton goal and it remained goalless at the break. The deadlock was finally broken five minutes into the second half, but it remained just the one goal until the last minute of the match when two further goals from the home side gave a rather flattering look to the final score line given how Shrewton United had performed on the day. On target for Pewsey were James Guthrie, who moved onto 16 for the season, Andy Rossiter and Luke Peterson.

Fourth placed Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development were home to Ludgershall Sports who had recently knocked them out of the Fountain Trophies Cup following a penalty shoot-out. They avenged that earlier cup defeat in style with a comprehensive victory over the Sports. They led 5-0 at the break thanks to two goals from both Nathaniel Bell and Flynn Walters, Bell taking his total for the season up to 18, plus one from Mani Mesas. Royal Wootton Bassett added three further goals after the break without conceding at the other end as they ran out 8-0 winners. On target for the home side in the second half were Harry Walters, Afonso Ferreira and Alex Stephenson.

Flynn Walters and Nathaniel Bell who both scored twice in the first half in RWBT Dev's 8-0 win over Ludgershall Sports.

Larkhall Athletic Development had lost narrowly last week against Kintbury Rangers to put a dent in their promotion ambitions, the FA having recently confirmed their promotion application along with applications from Amesbury Town, Kintbury Rangers and Trowbridge Town. With just one promotion place available Larkhall suffered another blow to their promotion hopes on Saturday against Kingsdown at Southbrook Rec, with the damage being done in the first half. On a difficult pitch given the recent bad weather, Alex Fenton put Kingsdown ahead on 21 minutes after an error by the Larkhall keeper. The home side doubled their lead just after the half hour mark, Louis O’Shea setting up Ollie While who fired in at the back post. It went from bad to worse for Larkhall six minutes later when they conceded a penalty which was duly despatched by While for his second of the game to make it 3-0 to the side who had finished as runners-up to Larkhall last season in Division One. A much improved second half showing from the Bath based side saw them pull one back on 65 minutes through Eddy Pope and then they scored a second five minutes from time through James Book to make it 3-2. However, they were unable to find an equaliser, that first half deficit proving too big to come back from as Kingsdown took all three points to move above their beaten opponents on goal difference. Both sides have played the same number of games and have games in hand over all the sides above them in the table.

Trowbridge Town’s scheduled opponents Salisbury Development had called off at 5:30PM on Friday night and Trowbridge and the League had sought frantically to try and find a replacement opponent at short notice. Normally there is not a happy ending in such circumstances, but attempts were made with Malmesbury Vics Development, Melksham Town Reserves and Calne Town Reserves to try and ensure Trowbridge had a fixture. With Malmesbury having always been the team without a game this weekend, that one was always looking the least likely to be a runner, but enquiries were still made by the Malmesbury club secretary with his management team but as expected this one was unsuccessful. Messages were also then left with the Melksham manager whilst enquiries were made with Calne Town Reserves. Impressively Calne Town came up trumps with joint managers Tom Boakes and Tom Crawford able to arrange for a side to travel to Trowbridge at incredibly short notice to give Trowbridge a fixture.  Melksham later confirmed that they might have also been able to have helped but by then a game with Calne Town Reserves had been confirmed. On the pitch it started well for Calne at Woodmarsh, Matt Robinson putting them ahead from a free kick from 25 yards. Trowbridge got themselves back on level terms from the penalty spot after a foul on George Bendle. Player-manager Ryan Baggs took the responsibility for the penalty and made no mistake to level matters up at 1-1. It got even better for Trowbridge four minutes before the break, George Bendle firing in a shot from the edge of the area, which took a small deflection off the Calne defender and looped into the top corner for 2-1 to Trowbridge at half time. Calne were almost back level within a minute of the restart, Trowbridge keeper Dan Blackwell denying the visitors with a save from point blank range. They were not to be denied on 65 minutes though, Luke Masero netting with a low shot past Blackwell for 2-2. Having got back on level terms three minutes later Calne then suffered a setback when they had Josh Morse dismissed for a foul on Jack Miluk. From the resulting free kick George Bendle put the ball in the net but the goal was ruled out for an offside and it remained 2-2. Trowbridge sought to take advantage of the extra man and put the Calne Town Reserves goal under intense pressure as they sought the winner, but the Calne defence held firm. They thought they had finally got it in the last minute of the game when Miluk put the ball in the net only to again see a goal disallowed for a second time, this time for handball in the build-up. In the end the two sides had to settle for a point apiece following an entertaining game which had only been made possible by the efforts of the Calne management team on the Friday night who no doubt would have been pleased to come away from last season’s champions with a point, especially given the circumstances.

Ryan Baggs and George Bendle who both scored for Trowbridge Town in their 2-2 draw with Calne Town Reserves.

There have always been close ties and good relations between Wroughton and Shrivenham and with the two clubs both wearing blue and white hoops the very first league meeting between the sides in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League had been designated the “hoops derby” on social media. As is often the case in derby games it was a close-run affair with Wroughton eventually edging it by the odd goal in three. Leading scorer Jonathan Peachey-Score had given Wroughton the lead just after the half hour mark and it remained just the one goal at the break.  Shrivenham were back on level terms 15 minutes into the second half, their own leading scorer Bradley Hirst getting his 13^th of the season. What would turn out to be the winning goal was scored 20 minutes from time, Jonny Davoille scoring following a Wroughton corner with a well taken goal to give his side all three points. The win for Wroughton saw them a climb a place in the table to ninth spot. Your Sport Swindon were at the game with their cameras and subscribers can view the highlight’s by clicking on the link below or the link from the Your Sport Swindon page of the League website, where you can access all the games covered by Your Sport Swindon. 

Jono Peachey-Score and Jonny Davoille who got the goals for Wroughton in their 2-1 win over Shrivenham at the Weir Field

There had been one game in midweek in the Fountain Trophies Cup which had seen Melksham Town Reserves become the final side through to the quarter final stage of the cup following a 5-2 win over Bratton. The two clubs are to be praised for their co-operation in ensuring that the game could be played early in the month to facilitate the scheduling of the quarter final games. There were two goals for both Tom Dowell and Elliot Haffenden for Melksham, Olly Clarke with the other Melksham goal, with Max Bishop and Tom Thomson scoring for Bratton. Bratton are still involved in a cup competition with a semi-final date against Trowbridge & District League champions Seend United to come on the first Saturday in February. Melksham Town Reserves will now be home to Wroughton in the quarter final of the Fountain Trophies Cup with the date still to be confirmed due to having to work around Melksham Town first team fixtures.

Division One

When League leaders Faringdon Town had met Purton in the league back in August at Tucker Park, they brought Purton’s run of four straight victories to start the season to an end with a 3-2 win. The two sides had then met again in the Fountain Trophies Cup, again at Tucker Park, and this time it resulted in a convincing 7-2 win for Faringdon at the end of November. The sides met for the third time this season at the Red House on Saturday and Purton avenged those two earlier defeats with a 2-0 win to give their promotion hopes a boost. Purton started the brighter of the two sides and player manager Matty Bennett went close on two occasions. On ten minutes he was put through down the left, but his low shot went wide of the post. He was then again put through, but his attempted lob went straight into the arms of Faringdon keeper Jack Gibson. The leaders first chance on goal came on 17 minutes, Liam Hares heading just wide from a Matt Pill corner as Josh Connolly missed his attempted headed clearance. Bennett continued to be Purton’s main threat and he again went close on 18 minutes, cutting in from the left and turning his defender before firing in a shot that was pushed away for a corner by Gibson in the Faringdon goal. It was from the resulting corner that the deadlock was broken, the ball falling to Bennett on the edge of the area whose low powerful drive was blocked but the ball spun up nicely to give centre back Connolly an empty net to aim at and he made no mistake with a well-placed header. Gio Wrona had a chance just before the half hour mark to double Purton’s lead, but his low side footed shot went straight to Gibson who saved comfortably. Gibson was again in action minutes later to once again deny Purton, this time pushing away a low drive from Purton’s player manager Bennett. Levi Cox also saw a shot from the edge of the box pushed away by Gibson. At the other end Faringdon had a couple of half chances but the teams turned round at the break with Purton holding that slender lead with Faringdon having their keeper to thank that they were not trailing by more.

Seven minutes into the second half Faringdon thought they had got back on level terms, a corner in from the left eluded Purton keeper Simon Notman and fell to a Faringdon player who fired in only to see the goal disallowed for an apparent infringement in the box. Faringdon went close to getting back on level terms ten minutes into the half, a ball into the box from Matt Pill finding Adam Sly whose first time volley is pushed over by Notman. Three minutes later at the other end it was the turn of Gibson to once again deny Purton, a ball in from the right finding Levi Cox, whose lofted chip was pushed away to safety by Gibson. Cox continued to pose a threat and went close again on 65 minutes when a defence splitting pash from Gio Wrona put him clear on goal but with the goal gaping he saw his shot shave the side netting when it looked certain he would score.  Cox however would ultimately be the match winner as he capitalised in the final minute of the game on a mishit back pass from Peter Fletcher, intercepting the pass back, rounding keeper Gibson before firing in for Purton’s second. The win saw Purton consolidate in fourth spot, nine points behind Faringdon with two games in hand, and with games in hand also over the two sides immediately above them in the table as they look to secure promotion back to the Premier Division after a number of difficult seasons. Your Sport Swindon were at the game with their cameras and subscribers can view the highlight’s by clicking on the link below or the link from the Your Sport Swindon page of the League website, where you can access all the games covered by Your Sport Swindon.

Second place Park United took full advantage of the leaders defeat to close the gap at the top with a narrow hard-fought win over Kingsdown Development who gave the title chasers a difficult game. In the end a solitary goal decided matters in Park’s favour to leave Park five points behind the leaders with a game in hand.

Third placed Devizes Town Reserves dropped points in their quest for honours when they were held to a 1-1 draw away at Cricklade Town, Chris Price scoring for the home side and Liam Moffatt scoring the Devizes reply from the penalty spot as he took his tally for the season to 11 goals.

Fifth placed Bratton bounced back from that midweek defeat to Melksham Town Reserves in the Fountain Trophies Cup with the biggest win of the day on Saturday, registering double figures against bottom of the table Stratton Juniors in a 10-2 win. They led 2-0 at the break thanks to a seventh goal of the season from Max Bishop and one from Drew Adams but stepped it up in the second half. Adams increased the lead within two minutes of the restart with hi second of the game before two own goals from the visitors saw Bratton make it 5-0. There was no let up. Adams completed his hat-trick ten minutes from time and there were further Bratton goals from Matthew Dew, Joe Moloney, Toby Murden and Adam Kenich. Despite a tough day at the office Stratton were able to register a couple of late goals, Brett Crow bagging a brace to make the final score 10-2 to Bratton who improved their goal difference with the emphatic win.

Marlborough Town remained in touch with the top five with a 2-0 home win over Bishops Cannings, Kieran Maidment getting his 12^th of the season and Dan Burke taking his personal tally to eight for the season.

There was local derby action at the Ian Richardson Football Ground where Shrivenham Development entertained Lambourn Sports who were under new management with Sam Broadbank and Daniel Sinclair taking over as joint managers from Dan Broadbank. There was not to be a winning start for the new management duo, Shrivenham edging it by the odd goal in a 2-1 success to avenge the 2-0 defeat they had suffered at Lambourn back in November. On target for Shrivenham were Joseph Haynes and a fifth of the season from Matthew Slevin, Jamie Stones with his sixth of the season in reply for Lambourn.

The final game of the day in the division was at Kintbury Recreation Ground where Kintbury Rangers Dev entertained Pewsey Vale Development. There were plenty of goals in this one with Kintbury taking all three points thanks to a 3-2 win, Kierron Kiff and Matt Milne scoring for Pewsey, Sean Cook and Luke Gray amongst the goals for Kintbury. The win for Kintbury saw them move to within a point of their beaten opponents but they have six games in hand and could yet still be involved in a potential promotion challenge.

12 January 2024