Corsham Print
Wiltshire Senior League
Premier Division Preview Season 2019-20
No. 3 - Cricklade Town & Trowbridge Town
With the new 2019-20 Season almost upon us, we look forward to the new season with a brief look at each of the teams in the Premier Division for Season 2019-20. The preview is based on pre-season discussions with the respective team managers as they look forward to the coming season. Each preview will look at two teams and today the two featured teams are Cricklade Town and Trowbridge Town.
Cricklade Town
Season 2018-19 Position
After losing two of their first three games last season, Cricklade then went on an unbeaten run through September and continued their good run through October and early November. However, three defeats in a row as the calendar year came to a close and a poor run through February and March saw them fall away to eventually finish in 8th spot. However, a good end of season run which saw them go unbeaten in the last five games, including a 5-0 win over Corsham Town Res, sees them come into the new season in a confident mood.
In the Dugout
Craig Kent (pictured below) is another manager going into his second season in charge of a Premier Division club and after going solo last season will have an assistant for this coming season, with former player Mike Lees stepping into the dugout. The two will be assisted on the coaching front by Chris Baxter.
Craig’s Aspirations for Coming Season
JCraig is looking to build on last season’s unbeaten run at the end of the season and is aiming for a top four place at a minimum. A good run in the two cups would also be a bonus with the Fountain Trophies Cup being a more realistic target than the Wiltshire Senior Cup. In the latter competition Craig would be happy to entertain one of the Step 6 clubs to test his side against higher league opposition but the League Cup is the more realistic one to target to win and another cup final would be good.

Who Does Craig Expect to be Title Challengers?
Like many Craig sees Wroughton and Kintbury Rangers as the two teams most likely to be up there at the top of the table again. Overall Craig’s view, like a number of other managers we have spoken to, is that the league is looking a lot stronger this coming season.

Key Summer Signings
Craig has managed to hold onto the group of players who ended last season on such a good run with a couple of new additions. One such new signing is Sam Field, a player who has moved into the area having played last season for Stround & District League Division One champions Didmarton. Tom Hoskins, who was unavailable at the back end of last season due to family commitments, has retuned and will be an important player for Cricklade this coming season.
Games Craig is Most Looking Forward To
The local derby games with Purton are always the games Craig looks forward to most and this season he is also looking forward to the away trip to play the new side Frome Collegians, noting that the team may travel down to this new ground in a minibus.

Bogey Side
Wroughton are Cricklade’s bogey side as Cricklade have lost all six encounters between the sides since Cricklade returned to the league, with four of those defeats being by a one goal margin and the other two by two goals only. Trowbridge Town are another side that Cricklade tend to struggle against having lost 7 times in the 12 occasions that the sides have met in the past 10 years, including when both were in the Hellenic League.

Pre-Season
Pre-season has been overshadowed by the serious injury suffered by Kris Redford in their pre-season game away at Laverstock & Ford. Kris unfortunately broke both his tibia and fibula in his leg. Following an operation in Southampton Hospital Kris, pictured below, is now back at home recuperating and all involved in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League wish him a speedy recovery his injury.

Other than a heavy 8-0 loss against Royal Wootton Bassett Town and also against Horspath by a similar score with a mixed reserve/first team squad, Cricklade have shown up well in pre-season. They lost narrowly to Western League side Calne Town in their opening game, defeated local neighbours Minety 3-0 and put in good performances against two Step 6 sides in Wokingham & Emmbrook and Laverstock & Ford.
Opening Fixtures
A tough opening month sees Cricklade play all of last season’s top three at home.

Sat 17-08-2019 Shrewton United (H)
Tue 20-08-2019 Wroughton (H)
Sat 24-08-2019 Pewsey Vale Dev (A)
Tue 27-08-2019 Royal W. Bassett T Dev (A)
Sat 31-08-2019 Kintbury Rangers (H)
Trowbridge Town
Season 2018-19 Position
Season 2018-19 was a season of dramatic improvement over the previous season for Trowbridge Town as they climbed six places in the table to finish in 6th spot. If it hadn’t been for a sticky period at the end of September and the beginning of October that saw them go without a win for four games, three of which were lost, they would probably have gone on to finish top three. Eleven games during the season were drawn and if only some of these could have been converted into wins, then again it could have meant top three. They finished the season with a fantastic 14-game unbeaten run, including 9 draws, and will no doubt be looking forward to looking to extending that unbeaten run at the start of this coming season.

In the Dugout
Ant Ottaviano is back in the dugout for another season and will again be assisted by Danny Herkett, with the same management team looking to build on last season’s fantastic unbeaten run at the end of the season.

Ant’s Aspirations for Coming Season
Ant’s aspiration is to do as well as last season and maintain the form where his side got to at the end of last season. Ultimately, like a number of sides in the division, the club are ambitious and longer term would like to once again climb the National League System, having once been the top non-league side in the County. With that in mind the great work that was started on their pitch last season has been continued through the summer months and work to enhance and improve the facilities at Woodmarsh to enable progression remains ongoing with support and guidance from both the FA and the Western League.

Who Does Ant Expect to be Title Challengers?
Ant expects last season’s top two of Wroughton and Kintbury Rangers to once again be challenging for honours, noting that they were the top two for a reason last season and are expected to be setting the standard again this coming season.

Key Summer Signings
Ant has secured the services of four U21’s from the local area who will definitely add value and enhance his squad from last season. Whilst he has lost top striker Josh Hard, who scored 22 goals last season, to Calne Town he is confident that he has suitable replacements.

Games Ant is Most Looking Forward To
The games against the top six are the matches Ant is most looking forward to as it is always good to test yourself against the best. In addition, the two new local derbies against Holt and Frome Collegians are eagerly anticipated, and with Trowbridge meeting Frome four games in they will not have to wait long. Ant also noted that he enjoyed playing at the fantastic facilities at Melksham Town.

Bogey Side
Trowbridge have just a solitary point to show from their four fixtures against Kintbury Rangers. Their record against Shrewton United in recent times is also not good having lost 8 of their last 12 meetings. Another side they have struggled against in the last ten seasons, going back to their Hellenic League days, is Purton, although they did win at Purton last season.

Pre-Season
Pre-season has seen Trowbridge generally challenge themselves against higher league opposition with their first four friendlies being against Western League opponents. Whilst they did not win any of the four games they gave a good account of themselves in all four games which saw them draw 3-3 with Devizes Town, lose 3-1 against Radstock Town and Calne Town, and go down 4-1 in their opening fixture against Step 5 side Bradford Town.

Opening Fixtures
Trowbridge open with a home game against Royal Wootton Bassett Town Dev before a midweek trip to Melksham. The first of the new local derbies against Frome Collegians is schedule for the second midweek fixture.

Sat 17-08-2019 Royal W. Bassett Town Dev (H)
Tue 20-08-2019 Melksham Town Res (A)
Sat 24-08-2019 Marlborough Town (A)
Tue 27-08-2019 Frome Collegians (H)
Sat 31-08-2019 Pewsey Vale Dev (H)
 
The two teams to be featured tomorrow in the season preview are champions Wroughton and Corsham Town Res.

Just a reminder to all Premier Division teams that, in accordance with league rules (Rule 18(B)(ii)), for the first game of the season teams need to register a player by 3pm on Wednesday 14th August if they require them to play on Saturday 17th August.

Friday 09 August 2019
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