Having suffered a 10-2 defeat at the hands of FC Calne at the start of October, Bradford United Reserves would have been looking for a much better result when the sides met in the reverse fixture at Bradford’s Culver Close and agaisnt they odds they turned the form book on it’s head and claimed a brilliant 3-2 triumph.
FC Calne had the better of the first half but all they had to show for their superiority was Steve Wordley’s lone strike.
Will Darley got Bradford back on level terms and they took the lead thanks to a spectacular individual effort from Florian Fluit, who after beating three players produced an excellent finish to score his first ever goal for the club. Bradford were unable to hold onto their slender advantage and Calne squared things up after being awarded a hugely disputed penalty, which was tucked away by George Bettles to make it two-each.
With both teams going for the victory, it fell to Elliott Hinton to become a Bradford hero when he netted what proved to be the winner as his glorious effort earned his team a surprise but wholly deserved three points.
Bratton Reserves 1 Westbury Town 3
With just two victories from their seven league outings this term, Bratton Reserves hosted in-form local rivals Westbury Town looking to claim their first win over Ian Gray’s side since October 2009.
But, as in recent times, it was Westbury who came out on top by taking maximum points for a fifth time this season thanks to a 3-1 success.
In an evenly matched first half, it was Scott Wolford’s goal on 15 minutes for Westbury that separated the sides. The second half was just as competitive but once Westbury got their noses further in front with two goals in the 60th and 65th minutes, the first from Luke Smith and the second from Daryl Maxwell, the point were theirs.
Scott Storey pulled goal back for Bratton on 85 minutes when his 40 yard free kick which was meant to be a cross nestled in the top corner, BUT Westbury had already done enough to secure the bragging rights until the sides meet again.
The Lamb 10 The Stiffs 1
Trowbridge-based sides The Lamb and The Stiffs locked horns for a second time this season and having already beaten their local rivals 8-0 away from their Stallards home, Richard Stevens saw his table-topping Lamb side rout their guests 10-1 to chalk up win number eight of the season and maintain their 100 per cent start.
Ryan Underwood started the ball rolling for the Lamb and further goals from Orrie Galvin, Andy Ferguson and Scott Ball’s own goal gave them a 4-0 half time lead.
Galvin made it 5-0 before the Lamb’s top scorer Sam Stevens notched his first of the afternoon which was quickly followed by his second.
Craig Sheppard claimed number eight and one apiece from Kieran Fereday and Bradley King-Taylor made up the 10.
Mike Ritson was the Stiffs lone marksman.
United FC 1 Melksham Town ‘A’ 2
Fresh from their 3-2 success away at FC Calne last weekend, Melksham Town A were on the road again with a trip to Trowbridge and a showdown with United FC, who with two wins from six matches, have yet to reach the pre-season expectations which saw them tipped as one of the teams to be challenging for a top two finish.
Melksham were hoping that their visit to Clarendon College wouldn’t see a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show and so it was as Wesley Frith’s side battled their way to a narrow 2-1 win.
After a goalless first half, Leigh Rogers put Melksham ahead but they were pegged back when Lukaz Bareja put one of his many efforts into the net. United paid for missed chances when Bradley Butcher grabbed the winner for Melksham to give them a victory which sees them hold onto second place behind the Lamb and ahead of Westbury United A.
Westbury United ‘A’ 16 Westwood Social 0
Westbury United A and Westwood Social Club have both shown glimpses of grandeur this season but at the same time they have been unable to find the consistency they need to mount a serious challenge for promotion.
That said, the two teams went into their second meeting of the season in third and fifth place respectively and like the first encounter that saw Westbury win 5-2, they took the spoils for a second time courtesy of an unexpected 16-0 triumph.
Westbury, who had beaten Polenez Westbury in their previous two games and scored 29 goals in the process, were left shell shocked by their own success as they had expected a much harder match at home to Ben Cowdrey’s side who had beaten Melksham Town A 2-1 a couple of weeks ago.
Westbury’s first half goals were scored by Kieren Nunn and Mitch Spackman, Marc Lanfear bagged a couple and Jordan Matthews helped himself to a hat trick.
The second half saw the onslaught continue as Westbury hit another nine unanswered goals - Marc Lanfear added another four to complete a double hat trick, Matthews took his tally to five for the afternoon, with two more to add to his first half treble. Ian Young scored two and Jack Hayward’s lone strike made up the winner's 16.
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