Title rivals go head-to-head

11:58am Friday 25th April 2008

One of the biggest matches of the weekend is the one at The Conigre, Melksham, where Division Two leaders Cooper-Avon welcome high scoring White Hart Combe, who are three points behind them in second spot and who could spoil the promotion celebrations.

If Gary Newman's Cooper-Avon side can take maximum point from White Hart Combe then they will be guaranteed one of the two automatic promotion places, but should they lose it would throw the race for the title wide open.

White Hart Combe have netted 21 goals in their last three league outings and are currently unbeaten in 12 games and have lost just two matches from the 19 that the have completed. But they will be kicking themselves that they aren't closer to the leaders than they are, having dropped unexpected points against Audley FC and more recently in a 0-0 draw with basement side Horse and Groom.

The match has all the makings of being a classic between two heavyweights of the division and Cooper-Avon, who are unbeaten in 16 games, will have to be at their very best if they are going to move a step closer to Division One.

Manager Gary Newman will hope that top scorers, James Ponsford, Simon Gillatt and Josh Robinson are all on form and he will be looking to goalkeeper Alex Shaftoe, who has kept eight clean sheets this term, for another top performance, But the defence in front of him will also have to be at their best if they are to deny the likes of James Stone, Lee Fernandez, Craig Fullam and co.

When the teams met earlier in the season honours were shared as the teams fought out a 3-3 draw. Simeon Mills, Simon Gillatt and Tom Robinson netted for Cooper-Avon, while Sean Rushmore, Stone and Fullam were on target for White Hart Combe.

The match has goals written all over it and is unlikely to end goal-less but there is every possibility of it ending in a draw. With home advantage, Cooper-Avon might just edge the game by the odd goal in a high scoring battle to send the champagne corks popping for a second successive season.

Should White Hart Combe lose out their hopes of promotion would have taken a knock but they wouldn't be over, so the north Wiltshire side will be hoping for a little miracle and will give everything in their bid to beat Cooper-Avon as their remaining matches are against Pig and Whistle United and Chippenham Police, which they should win.

Chippenham Police v Crown Cosmos

KNOCKOUT Cup winners Crown Cosmos return to league action after their exploits in the presstoprint sponsored competition that saw them beat Premier Division side Westbury Rangers A 1-0 at Hardenhuish Park last weekend.

Will Kibby's side will be hoping that it won't be a case of after the Lord Mayor's Show and that they will gain what should be a comfortable victory over relegation threatened Chippenham Police.

Crown Cosmos defeated the police 5-1 back in September, thanks to a hat-trick from Stuart Skinner and one each from Eliot Williams and David Lloyd, and in what is another David versus Goliath battle there should be no way that the police should bother Cosmos.

The boys in blue go into the encounter on the back of a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Audley and it would take a brave or stupid man to bet against Cosmos from improving on their earlier win as they need plenty of goals to stay ahead of White Hart Combe in the goals scored column. But after Cooper-Avon beat Horse and Groom 17-1 just over a week ago they will need to run riot if they are going to catch the tyremen.

For the police it will be their last match at the police headquarters in Devizes before the bulldozers move in and start work on turning their pitch into a road.

Adam Davey's side would love to bring an end to an era with a victory and they won't go down without a fight but on this occasion they are likely to suffer a knockout blow. If it was a boxing match Cosmos would probably cause the police to throw the towel in at the break, but if they can withstand the expected onslaught from Cosmos and are still on their feet after 45 minutes who knows what might happen.

Sutton Benger v Hullavington

ADAM Reeves's Hullavington side were the surprise package until a couple of weeks ago when they were on the brink of setting a new club record of eight successive victories.

But back-to-back defeats against FC Bradford and Pig and Whistle United have seen them tumble down the table from second to fifth place.

Hullavington make the short trip to Chippenham where they face Sutton Benger at Stanley Park and the villagers will be hoping they can return to winning ways and pick up their 12th two pointer of the season.

Hullavington will welcome back both Gavin Thompson and Matt Wlkins at the back and the game will also see the return of Jif Wilkins, who has just finished serving a 63 day ban.

However even though they are tipped to convincingly beat Benger, who are third from bottom, they will have to raise their game a little otherwise Benger might fancy their chances of denying Hullavington their expected win.

Hullavington shouldn't really fear their hosts as they beat them 7-3 a month ago, with leading scorer Ed Wilkins scoring four of the goals. Steve Merryweather bagged all three goals for Sutton Benger but since then he hasn't hit the target.

Hullavington will be hoping that Sutton Benger, who drew 5-5 with FC Bradford on Thursday night after throwing away a three goal lead, will still be a little shell-shocked from their exploits but with Benger's place in the division still under threat they will be wary that their hosts still have everything to play for and that they will have to do more than just turn up to claim the spoils as Benger might just get something from the game.

FC Bradford v Horse and Groom

THE last time FC Bradford played Horse and Groom, Pete Collier's side thumped their Westbury-based opponents 7-2, thanks to goals from Martin Robinson (3), Charlie Powell (2) and Russell Francis (2), with Dave Jenkins bagging a brace for the Horse.

This weekend's meeting at Poulton is likely to go the same way as FC Bradford look to inflict another blow to the Horse and Groom's chances of survival, which is still hanging in the balance after FC Bradford fought back to claim a 5-5 draw with Sutton Benger on Thursday night night which means that Tim Beecham's side still have an outside chance of beating the drop, although they must win two of their remaining four fixtures if they are to have any chance of doing so.

It is really hard to see anything other than a convincing victory for the hosts, and with the Horse and Groom going into the game on the back of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Sutton Benger, they could be a little deflated, but they will want to prove the pundits wrong as they have been written off for most of the season and will be trying harder than ever to conjure up a victory from somewhere that would shock everyone.

They showed what they are capable of doing a few weeks ago when they held White Hart Combe to a goalless draw and if they can raise their game then they might just claim a point from a match that should see them suffer defeat number 16 of the season.

The Crown Devizes v Audley FC

THE Crown will be on a high after beating Bremhill View Social Club on Thursday night and will be confident that the have the beating of Audley, who go into their final match of the season on the back of a 6-0 victory over Chippenham Police and in what should be a position of safety.

But should Steve Mallard's Audley side suffer defeat against the Sands Lane based outfit and other results go against them there is still an outside chance that Mallard's side could get dragged into a relegation battle.

When the teams met in October Chris Yeo scored a hat-trick for the Audley but it was enough to prevent his team from losing 6-3, as goals from Paul Revening (2), Robert Hannah, Darren Thorpe, Ian Brown and Mark Bridewell made up the Crown's half dozen.

The Crown, who still have three matches to play, will start as favourites to beat the Audley, but if Chris Yeo can maintain his great run of form that has seen him net seven goals in the Audley's last five matches the visitors to Rowde might just return home with something to show for their efforts.