DESPITE their nine-game winning run coming to an end with a home loss to Sholing on Monday night, Melksham Town are still riding high in fifth place in what is becoming a ‘remarkable’ season.
Manager, Richard Fey told Melksham News that if you would have told him back in May, when he took on the role as manager, that Town would enjoy a nine-game winning run and sit fifth in the table in the play-off places, he would have laughed.
“At the start of the season, I could have never imagined it as we only had one player… It’s remarkable how well we are doing and everyone associated with the club should be proud of what we are doing on and off the pitch. Crowds are up, we’ve got a good points tally and a set of players here that can compete with anyone in the league.
“Despite the loss on Monday night, it’s onwards and upwards. We have to be realistic, runs come to an end. The object at the start of the season was to stay in the league – we’ve done that! Now we have the opportunity to finish in the top half of the table and who knows what we can achieve now.”
The winning run continued away to top of the table Thatcham Town on Saturday 18th January as Luke Ballinger and Albie Hopkins struck with quality goals to earn a 2-0 win.
Richard said, “Before the game, Thatcham were top of the table and had only lost once all season. We were without our captain, Josh Ford, who was suspended for one game, but we managed to get Harry Rutty in from Chippenham on loan.
“The boys were outstanding, we took a good following of support and we rode our luck at times but we created some great chances. Luke Ballinger scored an excellent goal and Albie Hopkins came off the bench with about half an hour to go and gave us that bit of lift and scored a quality goal from just outside the box.
“It was pleasing to beat the top of the league as well as keeping a clean sheet against a team that’s flying in this division. We drew against them at home earlier on in the season, so we have taken four points from the top team, which is a massive achievement.”
Melksham welcomed Highworth Town to the infiLED area on Saturday 25th January and took all three points thanks to a late goal from off-the-bench new signing, Steve Murray.
Richard said, “For some reason at home we haven’t been as clinical as we have been away from home. We welcomed the return of Josh Ford, but we were without Will Christoper who got sent off at Thatcham. Josh came straight back into the side and was excellent.
“Again, it was pleasing to keep another clean sheet. I thought we rode our luck at times, but Jamie Bartlett pulled off some magnificent saves to keep us in the game. Then new signing Steve Murray came off the bench with 20 minutes to go and scored the winner in the last 10 minutes and we got the deserved three points.
“The pleasing thing for me was to keep the run going, nine wins on the bounce which, if anyone thought that at the start of the season to win nine games in the whole season, let alone on the bounce, it would be incredible.”
However, Town’s winning run came to a disappointing end as they lost 4-1 at home to Sholing on Monday 27th January.
Richard said, “It’s the end of the run and I am disappointed because when you win, you’re used to winning. When you win nine on the bounce, you think you’re never going to get beaten.
“I thought Sholing were very good. I didn’t think we were very good, there were individual mistakes that cost us. We also lost our captain Josh Ford through illness after 10 minutes.
“Everything seemed to go wrong on the night and we couldn’t get the second goal, as I thought if we did, we would have gone on and won the game, but it was just one of those nights.
“A game too many for us, two games in two days, the same for Sholing, but they dealt with it a lot better than we did.
“I’m not criticising the players because we’ve been unbelievable in the last 12 games, with the run we’ve been on and winning team of the month last month.
“I said to the lads afterwards, all runs come to an end, we just need to start another one and it starts this Saturday.”
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