MELKSHAM Town hosted Highworth Town in the Wiltshire Senior Cup Quarter final tie looking to extend their run in the competition and hold on to the trophy they won last season.
The game was played on a heavy pitch, with the game only being given the go ahead in the morning after two pitch inspections, and it was the visitors who adapted to the conditions immediately with the home side on the back foot from the off.
It came as no surprise when the visitors took the lead after only nine minutes, when despite home keeper Tom Drewitt’s fine initial save, the rebound was calm.
Highworth went 2-0 ahead on 38 minutes when Wadieh was given the simple task of knocking home unchallenged from a corner, giving the home side a mountain to climb and facing the real prospect of a cup exit.
Shortly before the interval Town skipper Dave Thompson picked up a caution for a poorly timed challenge in keeping with a disappointing first half from the home side.
Town manager Darren Perrin could be heard voicing his disapproval at the half time interval and if ever a cliche “a game of two halves” was apt, the next 45 minutes were a perfect example.
Immediately from the restart Melksham laid siege to the Highworth goal and Williams cleared off the line from a Shaun Benison effort on 47 minutes. However on 48 minutes the Town got themselves back into the game when Melksham central defender Ryan Bennet firstly snuffed out a Highworth attack, and then expertly threaded a through ball into the path of Gary Higdon, who rolled the ball past the keeper and into the net.
As the pressure mounted Bennet was desperately unlucky to see his header from Ian Jeffery’s free-kick hit the inside of the post and run away to safety as Highworth were hanging on bravely.
However there was no respite, and on 53 minutes the home side drew level at 2-2 when Dan Kovacs slotted the ball home at the near post after latching onto Jeffery’s through ball, and the home side sensed the game was theirs for the taking.
The game was now being played almost exclusively in the Highworth half with a deceptive breeze at the home side’s back not helping the visitors, and Stu Greener, Higdon and Benison all saw half chances saved or go narrowly wide as Highworth battled to stay in the game. Substitutes Will Stead and Tom Robinson were introduced for Benison and Ibrahim as the Town reverted to a 4-3-3 formation, sensing a final push was required to get the all important third goal.
It was not until five minutes from time that Melksham dominance paid off, when after the unfortunate visiting keeper sliced his attempted clearance, Stead rolled the ball into the empty net much to the delight of the Town crowd to put Melksham 3-2 ahead.
Other than a booking for alleged time wasting for Melksham’s Kovacs, the home side held out in the last few minutes and go into the hat for the semi final draw where they will face either Purton, Bemerton or Bradford Town.
Team: Drewitt, Ibrahim, Smith, Bennet, Flockton, Greener, Benison, Thompson, Higdon, Kovacs, Jeffery. Subs: Stead, Robinson T.
