In front of a healthy Boxing Day crowd Melksham Town and Bradford Town locked horns for their first meeting since the Wiltshire Senior Cup final last season and as a dress rehearsal for the eagerly awaited FA Vase tie in January.
It was the visitors who came away with the spoils after a 3-0 victory and leaving themselves well placed for the return fixture early in the new year.
Bradford took the lead with their first meaningful attack on five minutes when Plummer slid a pass through to Jordan who rounded home keeper Brown and slid the ball home from a tight angle despite the best efforts of a couple of Town defenders on the line.
Minutes later Plummer spurned a good opportunity to score a second but scuffed his shot wide before Melksham rallied and Ben Thomson’s run and cross saw Higdon’s effort fly over the bar.
On 16 minutes the Town were forced to reshuffle at the back when Bennet came off injured and was replaced by Ibrahim.
Melksham created a glorious opportunity to equalise on 25 minutes when Higdon won the ball off the Bradford defence and threaded a pass into Kovacs who found himself one on one with Bartlett in the Bradford goal but the keeper stood tall and blocked Kovacs effort and the ball rebounded away to safety.
Melksham were now enjoying a good spell of possession with Thomson prominent on the Town flank and on 33 minutes Bartlett produced a flying save to keep out Perrott’s header from a Jeffery cross. On 36 minutes Melksham suffered further injury woes when Thomson had to be replaced by Stead .
On 40 minutes Bradford pulled further head when some indecisive defending in the home box presented the ball to Plummer and his cross was gleefully headed in by Jordan from in the six yard box to leave the visitors 2-0 ahead at the break.
As ever the next goal was going to be vital to the outcome and Bradford made the game safe on 50 minutes going 3-0 ahead when Hiscocks was allowed to run unchecked into the box and smartly volleyed home a cross giving Brown no chance in the Melksham goal.
On the hour mark Melksham introduced Barnett for Kovacs and on 65 minutes Perrott set up Higdon who found himself one on one with Bartlett but again the keeper kept out the effort to repel the Town forward.
On 70 minutes Brown was forced to tip over a Hulbert header but neither side could register another goal as the game reached its conclusion with Bradford running out deserved winners on a day the home side will want to put behind them as they begin a tough run of fixtures in the New Year.
