Plenty of positives for Melksham Town despite Yeovil defeat

Melksham Town were beaten 4-1 by National League side Yeovil Town in a well-attended pre-season friendly at the Meads of Melksham Community Football Stadium on Saturday.

Played in extremely hot conditions, the fixture drew a large crowd and provided Town supporters with an early look at the club’s new signings ahead of the upcoming season.

Despite the scoreline, manager Kieran Baggs took plenty of positives from the performance.

“The stadium was packed and it was nice to play in front of a big crowd again,” he said. “I thought we played some really good stuff at times and scored a fantastic goal but in the end the National League side showed their class.

“We can’t look into it too much because we didn’t see that much of the ball for long periods but, for me, I thought the reason why we kept it competitive for so long was our fitness levels.

“The performance was really good and it was great for our home fans to see the new signings and the new-look Melksham side going into the new season.”

The match offered supporters a chance to see several new faces, including Kitan Jaiyeoba, James Ollis, Max Williams and Wayne Nderemani, who impressed in the first half, while Harvey Pritchard made an impact from the bench.

“These lads are brand new to the Melksham fans so I was really happy that we could showcase a little bit of what we’re going to be for next season,” added Kieran. “But I think a truer reflection may be when we go and play Chippenham next Saturday and use that as a marker.

“It will give us a good indication of exactly what to expect this season, hard work, really good fitness levels and really dynamic going forward. I think we’re in a really good place.”

The Yeovil match followed a strong start to pre-season for Town, with a 3-1 win at Portishead, a 6-0 victory over Corsham Town and a 2-0 home win against Longlevens.

In the Longlevens fixture, youngsters Oli Montgomery and Felix Scott made their first-team debuts, joining fellow academy graduates Leon Hardman and Oscar Hall in the line-up, highlighting the club’s successful pathway from its under-18 setup.

Town continue their preparations with a home game against Southern League Premier side Chippenham Town on Saturday 18th July, followed by another home fixture against Devizes Town on Tuesday 21st July. Pre-season concludes with a visit from Bath City on Saturday 25th July.

There is also a testimonial for Dave Thompson on Friday 17th July with a special Melksham Legends Day

Meanwhile, the draws for this season’s FA competitions have been confirmed. Melksham will travel to Fleet Town in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday 8th August, before beginning their FA Trophy campaign away at Weymouth in the First Qualifying Round on Saturday 29th August.