Tuesday 29th November – Wilts Senior Cup Laverstock & Ford 4-1 Melksham Town
Saturday 3rd December – FA Vase 3rd Round Bemerton Heath 3-2 Melksham Town
Sat. 10th December – Toolstation Premier Div. Melksham Town 2-0 Bitton
MELKSHAM Town matched a club record this month when they made it to the fourth round of the FA Vase, but faced their first defeat in two months when they lost 4-1 in a Wiltshire Senior Cup knockout in November.
Town equalled the club’s FA Vase record when they made a late, late comeback to beat Bemerton Heath Harlequins 3-2.
Town went down 2-0 after six minutes, and although striker Gary Higdon scored a penalty on 21 minutes, they had to wait until the 86th minute to draw level with Ricky Hulbert’s equaliser.
Higdon sealed the deal three minutes later and put Melksham through to the fourth round.
Perrin said, “We played our get out of jail cards in this game. We started poorly and were lucky to win. All credit to the players again though – they had a mountain to climb and they kept going until they got there.
“By the end of the game I felt we were good enough to win and thanks to a remarkable comeback and a great goal from Gary Higdon, we did. It was fantastic scenes at the end as most of the crowd had travelled with us.”
Last weekend Melksham played an improved Bitton in stormy weather at the Conigre, coming out with a clean sheet and a vital three points as they chase the Toolstation Premier League top spot.
Town are joint second in the league with a game in hand after their second league fixture in a month.
Darren said of the game, “Bitton have improved massively and this was a hard-fought match in atrocious rain. We played well, especially in the first half, and I was delighted to come away with a clean sheet and the win.
“The victory was marred by Dave Thomson’s sending off, which was a disgraceful, ridiculous decision. He was penalised for a sliding tackle in which he clearly won the ball, and will now miss important games against Bristol Manor Farm and Bradford on Avon. I’m still furious.”
Town faced disappointment at the end of last month when a match in sub-zero temperatures saw them knocked out of the Wiltshire FA Senior Cup, a title they won in 2016, 2014 and 2013.
Laverstock & Ford, who play in the Wessex League’s First Division, opened the scoring early on with Town equalising through Mike Perrott before half time. But Town soon fell behind after the break and went out 4-1.
Manager Darren Perrin said, “We had enough chances to put the game to bed in the first half, but we didn’t manage it. In the second, Laverstock clearly wanted it more so fair play to them; we seemed a bit timid. As title holders we were obviously disappointed but we have moved on.
“The game should never have been played in such horrendous conditions. It was about minus five and the pitch was like concrete – all the other games in the area had been called off.”
Town now face a tough run in to the new year, with matches against the first, third and fifth placed teams in the league. League leaders Bristol Manor Farm will be their next FA Vase fixture away from home.
“We couldn’t have a harder three games but we’re ready for it,” added Darren. “We’ve got a good attitude and we’re going to fight it out. Bring it on!
“On behalf of the club we’d like to thank all of our fans and the community for their amazing support all year, and wish them all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.”
• Melksham Town are set to play their first fixture at Oakfield Stadium on Saturday 14th January.
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