After the weather had adversely impacted the fixtures in the first two weeks of the calendar year it was a good week in the Under 18 Floodlight Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League as all five scheduled fixtures were played.
The action got underway on Monday night on the 3G at Green Lane Devizes where Bishops Cannings entertained Kintbury Rangers. When the two sides had met at Kintbury back in September, Kintbury had secured a comfortable 4-0 win, but it was to be a much closer affair in the return game with the two sides sharing four goals and the points following a 2-2 draw. The point for each side meant they remained as they were in the league table, Bishops Cannings sit in fifth spot with Kintbury two places below in seventh place.
Thursday night saw the first games of the week on grass with Calne Town playing at home for the first time since November after a couple of postponements due to the weather. It was not to be a happy return to home turf though as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Melksham Town as Melksham avenged the 5-0 home defeat they suffered at the hands of Calne at the beginning of October.
The other two games on Thursday impacted the top end of the table. Radstock Town went into their game against Wims 11 boasting a 100% record in the league this season from their opening eight games. That perfect record now stretches to nine games as they ran out 7-2 winners over the Swindon based side. Leading 2-1 at the break they upped their game in the second half adding five more goals to run out comfortable winners in the end and complete a quickfire double over their beaten opponents. The win saw them move level on points with Swindon Supermarine at the top of the table, but Radstock have four games in hand over the Swindon based side.
Swindon Supermarine were also in action and went into their game against Devizes Town with a perfect home record with seven wins in their opening seven home games. That unbeaten record at home finally game to an end though as an improving Devizes Town returned home with all three points following a 3-2 win. That is now six wins in their last seven games for Devizes, whose only defeat in that run game at the hands of Radstock Town and they are now just three points behind the joint leaders, having played the same number of games as Swindon Supermarine but also four more than Radstock.
FC Chippenham now look to be Radstock Town’s main challenger for the league title and they went into their home game against Westbury United with just one defeat in their opening eight games and a perfect home record which had seen they win all five previous games at Stanley Park. That record is now six from six at home as they secured a 6-2 victory on Friday night over the side at the bottom of the table to move to within three points of the joint leaders, with FC Chippenham, like Radstock, having four games in hand over Swindon Supermarine. Radstock's perfect record will face its sternest test to date this coming Friday when they travel to Stanley Park to play FC Chippenham for what is the first meeting of the season between the two sides.
This coming Sunday Amesbury Town are in Wiltshire FA County Cup action when they entertain Salisbury U17. With Salisbury U18 in the other semi final against Trowbridge Town, there is the prospect of an all-Salisbury final in this season’s competition. However, both Amesbury and Trowbridge will be looking to prevent that happening of course.
17 January 2025
