Shepton Mallet 2-0 Melksham Town – Toolstation Premier Division, Sat. 13th Sept.

The Town travelled to Shepton looking to build on a run of four consecutive victories, and for the first time this season the Town fielded the same line up as started the previous game.

The home side were much quicker out of the gates and were able to impose themselves on the game in the opening quarter with the Town looking strangely lethargic and out of sorts.

After only two minutes Town keeper Tom Drewitt was forced to claw away a long range effort from Thorne and after four minutes some poor defending saw Shepton’s Morgan sweep the ball home from six yards out to put the home side 1-0 ahead. Shepton  were forced to use all three substitutes by the 36th minute but this did not seem to upset their rhythm to any extent, and Stone missed a glorious opportunity to put them 2-0 ahead just before the break when he turned the ball over the bar from five yards out on 43 minutes.

The only effort of note Melksham had to show for their first half efforts was a low drive from Ash Barnett that was saved by home keeper Phillips at full stretch .

The half time interval was reached with the Town grateful to be still in the game and the home side holding a slender one goal advantage.

On 56 minutes Melksham introduced Leigh Rogers for Will Stead and on 63 minutes Melksham’s Gary Higdon drove into the box and saw his effort cannon off the inside of the post and away to safety, and the striker was unlucky minutes later to see his goal bound header from a corner cleared off the line as the Town grew into the game. On 70 minutes as the Town threw men forward Melksham’s full back Ian Jeffery, making his 200th appearance for the club, was cautioned for a foul on the dangerous Stone as the striker looked to break free, and as Melksham sought an equaliser Higdon volleyed well over from a Mike Perrott cross.

On 82 minutes Jeffery was replaced with Sibley as Melksham threw three up front in a desperate attempt to get something from the game.

The game became increasingly stretched in the last few minutes with chances at both end, and Drewitt produced a fine save to tip over a Pollard strike on 85 minutes. With the game drifting to a close both Rogers and Higdon could not force the ball home, but with Melksham committing men forward Shepton made the game safe with almost the last kick of the game when Billing knocked the ball home after linking up with Stone.