The new football season in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League gets underway this coming weekend with the Premier Division once again starting with 18 teams and it is hoped that this time round all 18 go the distance.

Making their debut in the Premier Division this weekend will be promoted sides Faringdon Town, Letcombe and Park. The other new side to the division Bemerton Heath Harlequins are without a game, their fixture against Shrivenham being unable to take place due to a charity event at Shrivenham’s ground and the Harlequins first team being at home in the FA Cup. The two sides will now play each other over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Last season’s champions Amesbury Town have been promoted to the Wessex League whilst Ludgershall were relegated to Division One but unfortunately yesterday announced they would be withdrawing from the league due to a lack of commitment from players meaning Division One will run with 15 teams.

So going into the new season what can we expect from the Premier Division sides, looking at them in the order they finished last season.

Last season’ s runners-up Kintbury Rangers are under new management with Danny Langford having stepped down to be replaced by Chris Collin with Mark James remaining part of the management team. With last season’s top two scorers Jake Allan (12 goals) and the Division’s leading scorer last season George Armstrong (42 goals) both having committed for the coming season Kintbury certainly have the fire power to go one better than last season and achieve a second Premier Division title having won the league back in Season 2017-18. In fact, most of last season’s successful squad have returned to the Recreation Ground for this coming season. Kintbury had what looked to be a tough looking fixture to start the campaign with a visit from Larkhall Athletic Development, who finished fourth last season and also made the final of the Fountain Trophies Cup. However, Larkhall have called off saying they are unable to raise a side despite their first team not having a league fixture and will be subject to discipline action. Kintbury will now start the season with another potential tricky game in midweek against Shrivenham who had a much improved second half to last season.

George Armstrong (above) and Jake Allan who will be both looking to match last season's goal scoring exploits

Pewsey Vale have finished in the top three in each of the last three seasons and were also top of the table in Season 2020-21 at the time the season was brought to a premature end. They are another side who will be under new management this season with Craig Kent having departed to take over Western League side Calne Town, a club he previously served as a player. Kent has been replaced by a management team led by former player Mark Field that also includes club captain Liam Edmondson and Adi Holcombe. With Pewsey another side to retain most of last season’s side, including the influential James Guthrie, expect them to once again be up there challenging for honours. They start their season with a home game against Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development and then entertain Trowbridge Town in midweek. Pewsey will once again field a nice blend of both experience in the shape of Edmondson, Guthrie and Ryan Banks, and youth with the likes of Rory and Ben England.

Captain Liam Edmondson who will also be part of the management team at Pewsey this season and last season' leading scorer James Guthrie.

With their 3G pitch still under construction Larkhall will be forced to play away from home for the opening month of the season. The club had hoped to have been promoted to Step 6 and with the Hellenic League losing numbers had actively petitioned the FA at Wembley to be allowed to take the place of some of the sides leaving the Hellenic League, something the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League would not have objected to. However, the FA stood by their principle of only taking one side form each feeder league and hence Larkhall are once again in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League for Season 2024-25. With a number of the squad having expected to be in a Step 6 league, they have lost a few players but with manager James Riccio, who remains in charge at Larkhall, having the ability and contacts to call on students from Bath University they are expected to once again be amongst the leading sides once again. They have, however, called off their opening fixture away at Kintbury Rangers saying they are unable to raise a side despite the first team not having a league fixture. Larkhall will now start with a visit to Shrewton United on Tuesday.

Larkhall's new 3G pitch which is currently under construction forcing them to play away from home for the first month of the season.

Trowbridge Town’s defence of the title they won in Season 2022-23 did not start too well last season and they spent much of the first half of the season in the bottom half of the table due to multiple postponements and narrow defeats. However, an impressive run of form after the turn of the calendar year saw them slowly climb the table to eventually finish in fifth spot. With heavy fundraising efforts in train to try and install floodlights to facilitate promotion to Step 6 at the end of the season, the pressure will be on the new manager Sam Houkes to get off to a good start. Last season’s joint top scorers James Rustell and George Bendle both return for another season at Woodmarsh. Trowbridge will start as one the favourites for the league title based on the form they showed at the end of last season and the fact that they have retained the majority of that squad from last season. Trowbridge open their campaign away to newly promoted Faringdon Town in what should be a good test for the newly promoted side.

Last season's joint top scorers George Bendle and James Rustell who will both be back at Woodmarsh this coming season in Trowbridge Town colours

Mark Simpkins remains in the dugout at Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development although last season’s assistant Jonathan Davis has stepped away to be replaced by last season’s Under 18 Floodlit Team manager Gavin Cook. Last season’s top scorer Nathaniel Bell and regular Matthew Capel have left to join Craig Kent at Calne Town, but Simpkins has brought in some experienced firepower to replace last season’s top scorer in the shape of Dale Richards and Ryan Withers, two players who were both part of the club’s title winning side in Season 2022-23, Richards netting 35 times that season. Expect the rest of the side to have a youthful feel to it although the majority of the side will now have at least one or two seasons at this level. Royal Wootton Bassett have that trip to Pewsey to start their season before entertaining Blunsdon on Tuesday night at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground.

Dale Richards & Ryan Withers the potent strike force that has been brought in to replace last season's leading scorer Nat Bell who has joined Western League Calne Town

Season 2023-24 was an excellent one for Melksham manager Justin Flowers who did not experience the previous season’s relegation concerns this time round, spending most of the season in the top half of the table and eventually securing a seventh-place finish. His side then rounded off the season with an impressive performance in the final of the Fountain Trophies Senior Cup to win the cup for the fourth time.

They certainly saved their best form for the cup competitions, also making it through to the semi-final of the Wiltshire Senior Cup, eventually going out to Premier Division champions Amesbury Town. Most of last season’s cup final winning side, including cup final goal scorers Josh Bright and Elliott Haffenden, have once again signed for the yellow and black and Justin Flowers' side could well be challenging for the league title this coming season. Melksham open with two home games against Malmesbury Vics Dev and Kingsdown.

Josh Bright and Elliot Haffenden the two goal scorers in last season's Fountain Trophies Cup Final who will look to try and fire Melksham to Step 6 next season

Similar to Trowbridge Town, another side who had a good second half to the season in Season 2023-24 were Shrivenham. Glenn Horsell’s young side, with a years’ experience now behind them at this level, will be looking to kick-on and maintain the form they showed in the second half of last season which saw them win away at eventual champions Amesbury Town. The side could well challenge for honours this season in what is looking to be a very competitive division. Leading scorer Brad Hirst will once again be wearing the blue and white hoops although strike partner Finnlay Hopkins has stepped up to the Hellenic League Premier Division with Royal Wootton Bassett Town. Shrivenham start their season in midweek with that trip to Kintbury.

Brad Hirst who hit 15 goals last season and James Hirst who also hit double figures for Shrivenham in 2023-2 will be looking to maintain their strike rate this season

After their first season in the league following promotion from the Swindon & District League, which saw them finish fifth, Blunsdon slipped four places in the table last season but on their day were capable of taking points off the leading sides. Joint managers Ian Rosewell and Troy Prentice remain in charge at Sutton Park for the new campaign. Top scorers Danny Hale and Nick Craft have both re-signed as has Harrison Ellis, probably the best goalkeeper in the division. The club have a settled squad and if they can get off to a decent start, they could well emulate that top five finish in that opening campaign. They are without a game on the opening day and start with that visit to Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development in midweek.

Top scorer Danny Hale and keeper Harrison Ellis who will both be back at Sutton Park this coming season for Blunsdon.

Adrian Wilkinson and his side had a difficult season with fixtures last season with teams calling off against them due to being unable to raise a side coupled with issues with the pitch at Southbrook Rec. The former issue should hopefully be solved by the policy change not to suspend points deductions this season and the second issue has been addressed by scheduling more home games at the start which also helps deal with the lack of availability of other grounds. On their day last season Kingsdown were more than capable of beating the top sides in the division, as evidenced by the double they did over runners-up Kintbury Rangers. However, in the end a backlog of fixtures caught up with them and they eventually finished in 10th spot, although they were just four points off a top six finish in a congested middle of the table. They will look to improve on that in their second season in the Premier Division. Key player Antonio Gerrish is back for another season, as are keeper Dan Lawrence and skipper Tyler Wilkinson . 

Keeper Dan Lawrence and skipper Tyler Wilkinson who will both be back playing for Kingsdown this coming season

Season 2024-25 sees the return of Ben Jarrett to the Wroughton manager position where he will be joined by last season’s Cricklade Town manager Nick Salter. Despite a number of clubs seeking to sign last season’s top scorer Jonathan Peachey-Score, who netted 33 goals in 23-24, Peachey-Score is once again back in the blue and white of Wroughton for another season. Also retained are the experienced Aaron Maximen, Jonny Davoille, Max Scholefield and Luigi Hernandez along with a number of promising youngsters.  Wroughton will be looking to get off to a good start and aiming for a top five finish this season. They start the season away at Shrewton United and follow this up with a home game against Malmesbury Vics Dev.

Key players Jono Peachey-Score and key midfield enforcer Max Scholefield who are set to spend another season at the Weir Field for Wroughton

Tom Boakes will be the sole man in charge of Calne Town Reserves this coming season after sharing the role last season. Expect Calne to once again be a young side this coming season. Last season’s leading scorer Sean Bailey, who hit 16 goals, has re-signed for another season as have Ryan Flynn, Samuel Jones, Ben Wootten, Jack Fry, Harry Stiles and Harrison Sartin who, like Bailey, all made over 20 appearances last season. Calne start the season with a visit from league newcomers Letcombe in what will be this weekend’s featured match. They follow this up on Tuesday night with another home game against a promoted side with Park United the visitors. 

Sean Bailey who will be looking to carry on his rich vein of form in front of goal at the back end of last season.

Shrewton are one of a number of sides under new management this season with George Plank taking over from club secretary Sam Mortimer in the dugout. Whilst Shrewton United were once again to finish in 13th place in Season 2023-24, it was a much less stressful season than the previous one with Shrewton only slipping down the table to that 13th place finish right at the end of the season as the teams around them caught up with their fixtures. Shrewton finished a comfortable 13 points clear of the bottom two positions and their safety was never really in doubt. With a new manager coming on board for Season 2024-25 and having retained leading scorers Lewis Cross and Chalie Utterson they will be hopeful of a much higher finish this time round. 

Last Shrewton United's squad for the new season which once again includes the experienced Charlie Utterson

Malmesbury are another side, like Larkhall, who will have to spend the month of August on the road, with their pitch having been re-laid during the summer. Rob Needham remains in the managerial seat for another season, and he will be hoping for an improvement in results as they spent the whole of last season at the wrong end of the table, but they were never in danger of relegation, eventually finish in 14th place, some ten points clear of second from bottom Salisbury Development. Towards the end of the season youngster Beau Hicks was in fine goal scoring form which Needham will be hoping carries on into the new season and Malmesbury have also retained the services of last season’s leading scorer Joe Tranter. With Malmesbury first team having been promoted to the Hellenic Premier Division the Development Team are expected to be a stronger proposition this coming season. Malmesbury start with that away game at Melksham Town Reserves followed by a trip to Wroughton in midweek. 

Last season's leading scorers for Malmesbury Victoria Development's Beau Hicks and Joe Tranter are both back at the Flying Monk this coming season

Season 2023-24 was to be another season where Salisbury struggled at the wrong end of the table and, in the end, they were to finish second from bottom and in one of the relegation positions. However, the decision to remain with 18 teams in the Premier Division and the fact that no sides from the two District feeder leagues had applied for promotion meant they were given a reprieve. After two seasons of struggle, they will be hoping that Season 2024-25 sees an improvement in results for the young Salisbury side under manager Nick Edwards. They were very competitive towards the back end of last season and will hope that form continues into the new season. Leading scorer Dyllan Roocroft will be back in the white and black for Salisbury looking to beat last season’s tally of 12 goals. Salisbury start the season with a trip into Swindon to take on Kingsdown and follow that with a local derby fixture against Bemerton Heath Harlequins in midweek.

Sean Bailey who will be looking to carry on his rich vein of form in front of goal at the back end of last season.

And now to the four new clubs....... 

In recent seasons Bemerton have been playing in the Hampshire Combination and Development League and after initially struggling at the wrong end of the table for a number of seasons things picked up considerably in the last two seasons before joining the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League. They had actually been second in the table at the time that Covid brought the 2019-20 Season to a premature end, but this was followed by two seasons again at the wrong end of the table. However, the arrival of new manager Jay Madden once again saw a dramatic improvement in their fortunes. A third-place finish in Season 2022-23 was followed by a title winning success in Season 2023-24, with Bemerton winning 24 of their 28 league games to finish an impressive 13 points clear of second placed United Services Portsmouth. Bemerton have opted to come across to the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League for Season 2024-25 with ambitions to play at Step 6 which could not be achieved by remaining in the Hampshire Combination and Development League. As well as achieving that league title last season they also won the prestigious Wiltshire Junior Cup, defeating Bratton in the final, and will start as one of the title favourites in Season 2024-25. 

Last season's title winning Bemerton Heath Harlequins Res squad

Faringdon's first season in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League would prove to be a successful one. Leading Division One for much of the season they eventually had to settle for second place in the table, two points behind champions Park United. They also made the Quarter Final of the Fountain Trophies Cup, where they were knocked out by the cup holders Larkhall Athletic Development but had the honour of being the Division One side who went furthest in the competition. They have a new manager in the dugout for their first season in the Premier Division with Nicky Smith the new man in charge. They have a tough opening fixture at home to Trowbridge Town which will be a good barometer of how well they are likely to do at the higher level before then meeting another promoted side Letcombe in midweek. Leading scorer Kyle Bowyer has re-signed for another season.

Last season's promotion winning Faringdon Town squad

Season 2022-23 saw Letcombe finish as runners-up to Swindon Supermarine Development in Hellenic League Division 2 South. Last season, whilst up against most of the same teams, the division was rebranded as the Central Division with Letcombe going one better and finishing as champions of the division, losing just two games all season and finishing an impressive ten points clear of runners-up Headington Amateurs. The title success also entitled the club to take promotion to the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League under the pyramid agreement established between the Wiltshire Senior League and Hellenic League. Letcombe have a reputation for giving youngsters a chance with a number of 16 and 17 year old players always on their books. The key to the Club's future is keeping them together for a number of years. They are an ambitious club who are keen to return to the Hellenic League at Step 6 with plans for floodlights in progress which would enable elevation from the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League. Expect them to be challenging for honours in Season 2024-25 in what is shaping up to be a very competitive division with a number of clubs looking to move up to Step 6. 

Last season's promotion winning Letcombe squad

A successful first season in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League saw Park United involved in a close title race with Faringdon Town and Purton. Going into the final fixtures there were just three points separating the sides although Faringdon had a game in hand, and any of the three could still win the league. Faringdon drew their first game against Bratton and a 4-0 win for Park over Shrivenham Dev saw them claim the title. Manager Darren Moss has assembled a strong squad ahead of the new season with plenty of experience at this level and are expected to do well in their first season in the Premier Division. Pre-season games saw them defeat last season's champions Amesbury Town. 

Last season's promotion winning Park United squad

Going into the new season there are no real clear favourites and it is looking like it could be a closely contested title race in the league’s 49^th season. Best wishes to all the clubs for a successful season. 

Your Sport Swindon's Harrison Burridge has interviewed the managers form Kingsdown, Royal Wootton Bassett Town and Shrewton United ahead of the new season and subscribers can read his exclusive interviews by clicking on the link below: 

2 August 2024