Town up to second as fight for promotion hots up

Sat. 17th March. Toolstation Premier Div. Clevedon Town 1 Melksham Town 5 Sat. 24th March. Toolstation Premier Div. Hengrove Athletic 0 Melksham Town 1

THE fight for promotion is hotting up for Melksham Town who now sit in second place in the league – but manager Kieran Baggs says the club remain ‘underdogs’ and must stay in ‘top gear’ for the remainder of the season.   

After wins against Clevedon Town and Hengrove Athletic, Town have pulled ahead of Bradford Town by one point, with the advantage of a game in hand – but Willand can jump into second if they win their game in hand.

“Bradford have had a bad run lately, but Willand have a game in hand, so if they win they will go above us, and they are having a great run at the moment, so for now we remain the underdogs. We will wait to see what we have to do to win a promotion spot. But for now, we will do everything we can to remain in the second spot. We have to stay in top gear for the rest of the season, because one mistake or slump in performance could change everything.”

In 2018, Town are yet to be defeated in the league and their unbeaten run continued with a 1-5 win away to Clevedon Town.

“It was a brilliant performance in very difficult conditions,” said Kieran. With the snow and the wind it was one of the only games to go ahead in the Bristol area. But the team did not let the conditions affect them and it was probably one of the better performances of the season.

“Overall it was an excellent display from the team. We took our chances and deservedly got the three points we needed.”

The match saw goals from Chris Allen, Jake Brown and a hat-trick from Gary Higdon.

“It was a great day for Gary, his goal tally for the club now stands at 257, which makes him the club’s all-time record goalscorer. He’s a real asset to the team and all credit to him for this new milestone.”

Towards the end of the match, a red card was given to Dave Thompson, which saw him miss the next match against Hengrove.

“This is a big loss, Dave has been playing great since he returned from injury. He will also have to miss upcoming matches against Bradford and Cribbs. But he will be patient and get himself ready to return.”

Next up for Town was an away match against Hengrove Athletic. Town won 0-1 with a goal from Rob Hobbs in the first half.

“This was a completely different performance,” said Kieran, “it was very scrappy. We didn’t play our best, so we were lucky to pick up another vital three points, especially with what’s coming up for us.

“Man of the match by a country mile was Mike Perrott, he was superb. He has been with the club for a long time, a lot longer than me, and his enthusiasm and attitude is second to none. He’s been a real credit this season and needs to maintain this form until the end.”

Coming up next, Town take on rivals Bradford at home, followed by Cribbs and then league leaders Street. “For the Bradford match this Friday, we want the town to come out again in force to support us at Oakfields. And in return, we’ll hopefully produce the result we need with a performance to match,” said Kieran. “For the Street match, the squad is fit and Dave Thompson will have returned from his suspension, so we’ll be at full strength.

“Street are on a 21-match winning streak and they have continually brushed aside the competition. So to take any points from them will be bonus points, because they are not slipping up. However, first we must take care of Bradford and then Cribbs. Once these games are out the way, we’ll start focussing on Street.”

Mixed fortunes

for ladies’ and

girls’ teams

Melksham Town FC had mixed fortunes in the Wiltshire Ladies and girls’ league cup semi-finals on the 24th March.

The under 11s Black team played in a very exciting semi-final v Marlborough Angels. Despite taking the lead three times, Marlborough equalised on each occasion. Both teams could not clinch a winner in extra time and Marlborough came out winners on penalties. There was better news for the U12 girls who came back from going behind early in the game to run out 5-1 winners, and now face Derry Hill in the final.

Melksham Town U13 girls, who play in the Mid Wilts league, were in u13 girls’ County Cup semi-final action against FC Chippenham at Oakfields. It was a great competitive match to watch, and ended in a 3-0 win for Melksham and a place in the County Cup v Swindon Spitfires.