AFC Bell face test from Devizes neighbours

11:57am Friday 25th April 2008

AFC Bell might be sitting proudly at the top of Division Three after their victory over Corsham Park Rangers on Thursday night saw them open up a two point lead over Biddestone White Horse, but they could come back down to earth with a bang on Sunday when they clash with local rivals The Crown, who are presently in fifth spot and have a very good chance of coming out on top in the all-Devizes based affair as the pub sides go head-to-head at Green Lane.

AFC Bell defeated The Crown 4-2 in the reverse match back in December, with goals from Craig Townsend (2), Jonathan Couch and Lloyd Sartin. Jason Lucas and James Collett scored for Mark Adamson's Crown side and they would love more than to avenge that loss and derail AFC Bell's hopes of taking the title.

The match should be a closely fought one and it could go either way as the Crown have lost just six matches from the 22 they have played. After a sloppy start that saw them lose two games on the bounce they have recovered well, even if they have had a couple of blips here and there, and if they can manage a top four placing it would be a great achievement for Adamson and his men.

AFC Bell will be favourites to take both points but if Dan Sloan, Ashley Bartells, Antony Butler, Jack Fisher and Tom Slater can put in big performances then they might just have to settle for a point from what promises to be a thriller.

Westbury Rangers B v Biddestone White Horse

TWO victories in their last two matches, coupled with a dip in form for Pheasant, has put second in the table Biddestone White Horse back in with a chance of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Biddestone White Horse have two games left to play and they are both away from home.

Their penultimate match of the campaign is at Meadow Lane this weekend where they face Westbury Rangers B before their gladiatorial battle with fellow promotion hopefuls Pheasant the following Sunday.

Matt Unwin's White Horse side have suffered one loss all season but seven drawn matches could see them miss out on an automatic promotion place.

But their fate is in their own hands. Two more victories and they are certain of promotion but that is easier said than done and Dave Griffin's Rangers side will prove a lot harder to beat than they were in December, when singles from Paul Clifford, Ross Geoghegan and a Scott Fleming treble earned White Horse a 5-1 success.

Rangers have made a marked improvement since the start of the year, losing only two games from the nine they have played, and if White Horse arrive in Westbury thinking the points are already in the bag then they could be in for a shock as Rangers go into the game after drawing with Bromham on Wednesday night and with confidence flowing throughout the team they will fancy their chances of avenging their earlier defeat with a win that will once again throw the race for promotion wide open.

Blue Circle (Sunday) v Pheasant FC

PHEASANT make a second trip to Westbury in four days as they return to the cement works, scene of their Thursday victory over White Horse.

This Sunday's opponents will be Blue Circle, who suffered a hammering when the sides met in December as the Pheasant defeated them 10-1, with Tom Jones top scoring with five, Nat Auckland landing a brace and Gary Lock, Nathan Phillamore and Alex Orledge all scored one each. Greg Rogers was the cement boys' lone marksman.

Things should be a lot different this time around as Steve Martin's side are much better on their own patch and even though Pheasant are tipped for success the winning margin will be a lot smaller than before and the hosts might even have a chance of picking up a point if they have a half decent squad to pick from, which would include Jamie and Scott Howse, Wayne Bristow, Martin himself and the hard working Martin Hemmens, who might not score many goals but when he does find the net they are normally important ones and this could be one game that he pops up with a goal that could turn the game.

Pheasant will hope to have a good side to pick from themselves as they look for another victory to keep alive their dreams of promotion, but even if they should be missing a few of the bigger players, like Auckland and Jones, they should still have the players capable of seeing them home to win number 17 of the campaign.

Bromham (Sunday) v AFC Melksham

AFC MELKSHAM visit Bromham and if they can win away from home then their hopes of holding on to fourth place remain very much alive - but they will be limping over the line rather than running.

When the teams met earlier in the season the game ended 3-3, with Chris Dore, Sean Meer and Dan Rimmer scoring for AFC Melksham and Chris Sampson, Shaun Kingsbury and Steve Moxham replying for Bromham.

Since then both teams have suffered from inconsistency and having identical records over the past six matches of three wins and three defeats, the match should be a close one.

Bromham picked up their first point in three matches in their goal-less draw with Westbury Rangers B on Wednesday night and manager Ady Kember will be hoping for a return to winning ways as they look to avoid a fourth straight game without victory.

AFC Melksham will believe they have a good chance of beating Bromham and they will be hoping that Wayne Bailey will be fit to start the game while Bromham will hope that Freddie Paget can add to his 23 goals. AFC Melksham should claim victory as Bromham's home form has been very poor this term and they have managed only one win at the Jubilee Fields since October.

Pack Horse Rangers v Corsham Park Rangers

BASEMENT side Corsham Park Rangers, who were beaten by leaders AFC Bell on Thursday night, know their chances of survival hinge on the outcome of their match against Pack Horse Rangers.

Corsham Park, who have 11 points to their name, need at least one more victory from their remaining two matches to avoid the drop, but even if they get one, their future could depend on how many goals they concede against Pack Horse and Westbury Rangers B.

Martin Perrett's side might have already lost 5-1 against Pack Horse this term, when goals from Simon Reid, Andy Ponting, Dan Jackson and Justin Darby (2) gave Pack Horse a deserved win, but this game will be their best hope of gaining a couple of points.

Corsham Park might have taken one point from a possible eight but their opponents' recent form isn't a lot better as they have no wins in eight matches and have picked up two points from a possible 16.

With so much to lose, Corsham Park will raise their game for one of their biggest ever matches since they joined the league in 1999. If they can field 11 players from the off, they might nick a point.