Melksham Town began their new season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Fleet Town in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday 8th August.
Dan McBeam scored the only goal of the game with a shot from outside the box, booking Melksham a local derby against Devizes Town in the next round on Saturday 22nd August.
Manager Kieran Baggs praised his side’s character and defensive discipline after what he described as a difficult away fixture against a “really, really good Step 5 side”.
“Not a classic for the supporters but one thing they will notice is the character, the grit, the determination, the togetherness, that was all there in abundance today,” he said.
“It was a proper away performance. We got a goal early in the first-half and limited them to minimal opportunities.
“I don’t remember Foz (goalkeeper Adam Forster) pulling off too many heroic saves. Credit to everyone who was in front of him – and that’s not just the 11 who started. The substitutes who came on were all tremendous as well.
“Alex (Hallett) and Mark (Cooper) were outstanding defensively, and the boys in front of them, the midfield three, worked so hard.”
Kieran also praised the efforts of Harvey Pritchard and James Ollis up front saying that having a recognised number nine in James could make a real difference this season.
“The difference between us last season and this season is the quality we’ve got in the number nine this year,” he said. “It’s not just what he does with the goals; he occupies the two centre-halves, his work rate in behind, the press – he’s a real big focal point for us.”
Melksham now turn their attention to Tuesday night’s opening league fixture at home to Hungerford with the game kicking off after Melksham News has gone to press.
“I’ll take the result today, not necessarily the performance, but the result was really important at the start of the season,” added Kieran. “We roll into Hungerford at home on Tuesday night, against a team that’s come down from Step 3, so it doesn’t get any easier.”
Pictures: Starsphinx Photography
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