‘We need you more than ever’ – Perrin asks for big crowds as season comes to an end

Promotion still possible with a third place finish and Town looking for first ever Les Phillips Cup Final place

Fri. 14th April – Toolstation Premier Div.
Bradford T. 2-3 Melksham Town
Mon. 17th April – Toolstation Premier Div.
Melksham Town 0-1 Gillingham T.
Sat. 22nd April – Toolstation Premier Div.
Melksham Town 3-1 Longwell G

TOWN may have had their hopes for a top two finish dashed, but the boys can’t take their eye off the ball yet, with a chance at finishing third and a cup victory within touching distance.

As the season comes to  a close, Town’s last game against Wells City at Oakfields in the league is a must-win game if they want to finish third now; second place is out of reach.

They are still third in the Toolstation Premier Division – level on points with fourth place Buckland Athletic. If both teams win, Melksham Town will remain at third place due to a better goal difference, but if Town lose or draw Buckland Athletic can pip Town to third. A third place finish would mean Town could still promoted but their fate would be in the hands of the Football Association.

Town will then head to Gillingham Town on 1st May for the Les Phillips Cup Semi Final looking to reach the final for the first time in the club’s history.

On Friday 14th April, Melksham travelled to Bradford Town who were on a high following a 5-0 win to bottom of the league Sherborne Town.

Manager Darren Perrin said, “We didn’t play well in the first half but played much better in the second half, completely dominating the game. We played a lot more convincingly than the score suggests. Obviously we were helped in part by Bradford having a player sent off, but I was still really pleased with the lads’ performance. It’s always great to beat your local rivals, especially twice in the season. We enjoyed the game.”

Three days later, saw a disappointing 1-0 defeat for Melksham who welcomed  Gillingham Town to the Oakfields on Easter bank holiday Monday.

Darren said, “Our performance against Gillingham couldn’t have been any worse. We were shambolic and deserved to lose. I don’t know why, but we were lethargic and woeful.

“But to be fair to the lads, they came back with a mighty performance against Longwell Green. There was a lot of pressure on them to redeem themselves after how they played against Gillingham and they certainly did. Longwell Green have been working hard and we knew it would be a tough game but the lads were strong and we were delighted to take all three points.

“Now we look forward to this weekend and two big games. The players are ready and know that we have to win. Our potential for promotion is in the hands of the FA but for this to happen, we must win against Wells.

“We’re also very much looking forward to Monday’s semi-final against Gillingham. It’s a chance for pay back after our terrible result against them in the league, we’ve got a good attitude and we’re confident. But it’s also a chance for the lads to make history as Melksham have never made it to the final of the cup before. If we do make it to the final, I wouldn’t back against us to win.

“We’ve got the confidence but we need our 12th man – the crowd. It would be fantastic if we had a big crowd for our final game to cheer us on and we’d be delighted if we had a following away to Gillingham. The support from the Melksham community has been awesome since we moved to Oakfields, but this weekend, we need you more than ever.”