A TWO thousand strong crowd filled the stands at the Conigre to see the hotly anticipated match between Melksham Town and Manchester United legends last week.
The once-in-a-lifetime game did not disappoint football fans with a host of top names appearing for the United side. They included Champions League winner David May and FA Cup winners Frank Stapleton, Lee Martin, Arthur Albiston and Clayton Blackmore.
Peter Barnes, Russell Beardsmore, Peter Davenport, Fraser Digby, Alan McLoughlin, Andy Ritchie and Ben Thornley were also part of the United team.
The game was originally due to be played at Town’s new Woolmore ground but had to be re-arranged due to building delays. It was an action-packed 90 minutes with the Man United legends coming out on top with a 10-7 win.
Fans took to social media to praise Melksham Town FC on the success of the event. Mark Harrington said, “One of the best days ever with friends. Thank you for a great afternoon.”
Andrew Williams wrote, “Congratulations to all associated with today’s match. Cracking day and enjoyed by all I’m sure.”
Melksham Town manager Darren Perrin, who made a cameo appearance as a Melksham Town substitute said, “It was a memorable day and couldn’t have been more perfect. When you organise an event of this magnitude, you always have concerns that things won’t go according to plan, but everything fell into place and I couldn’t be more delighted.
“The Man United Legends were an absolute credit. They couldn’t do enough to accommodate the fans and supporters as well as the players.
“To have almost 2,000 people at the Conigre was fantastic and it looked amazing. The hard work of the committee and all the volunteers to get it ready in such a short space of time was incredible. It just shows the potential that the club has and that even in times of adversity, the people of Melksham trust us to deliver.
“The day was not in any way overshadowed by the disappointment of not being at the new ground. In fact, for me it was quite special to have the Conigre looking so amazing and to hold such a special occasion there, when it holds so much history.”
Lee Burns, Matty Bown, Steve Tweddle, Mark Keen and Paul Watts were the lucky winners of the raffle Melksham Town had organised and played in the legends’ team.
