Awards evening at Melksham Town FC

Melksham Town FC rounded off their season with their presentation evening at the club’s Meads of Melksham Community Stadium on Saturday.   

The club’s annual awards were presented at the event for the First Team, Reserves, Ladies, Development, Vets and Under-18 teams.

The awards were as follows: Chairman’s Player of the Season: Mark Cooper. Manager’s Player of the Season: Reserves – Liam Brooks. Under-18s – Callum Kirkman. Ladies – Tilly McVey. Development – Josh Flynn. Vets – Ian Dowell.

Supporters’ Player of the Season: 1st Team – Adam Forster. Ladies – Jade Whale.

Young Player of the Season: 1st Team – Leon Hardman. Reserves – Ben Gingell.

Players’ Player: 1st Team – Adam Forster. Reserves – Aaron Byfield. Vets – Dean Flockton. Ladies – Lily Somers. Development – Jake Dodge. Under 18s – Felix Scott.   

Ladies’ Most Improved Player of the Season: Libby Reeves; Bella Green.

1st Team Top Goalscorer: Jamal Lawrence. Ladies’ Top Goalscorer: India Mullis.

Club Person of the Season: Dan Blake.

Following the awards evening, Town manager Kieran Baggs praised the players, staff and supporters after the club secured its Southern League status following a dramatic late-season turnaround.

Kieran returned to the club alongside his management team with just nine games remaining, facing what he described as a “difficult” situation with “immense pressure and very little margin for error.”

Town won five of the nine games, including the last three, to avoid relegation — an achievement Kieran said reflected the “spirit that refuses to die” within the club.

“To secure our Step 4 status after everything this season has thrown at the club is something every single player, member of staff, volunteer, and supporter should be immensely proud of,” he said. “What this group achieved in such a short space of time truly was a great escape, and they deserve enormous credit for the character, honesty, and determination they showed when it mattered most.

Kieran credited the squad’s character and determination, adding that the players “fought for each other, for the badge, and for this town – and most importantly, for the supporters.”

He also paid tribute to fans for their backing during a difficult season, saying the atmosphere in the closing weeks reminded him of previous successful      periods at the club.

“The connection between the terraces and the team, the noise, the belief, and that feeling of everybody pulling together for one cause – that is what made this football club special before, and it is exactly what we must continue rebuilding moving forward,” he said.

Looking ahead, Kieran said the club aims to build on its survival by developing a competitive and sustainable squad, with a strong emphasis on local talent and closer links with its youth section.

“We want to build a side that represents the town properly and gives supporters a team they can be proud of every single week,” he added.  “There is still a huge amount of work ahead, and nobody is getting carried away. But there is belief again. There is energy around the football club again. Most importantly, there is togetherness again. And after the season we have all endured, that is something worth building on.”