MELKSHAM Town have shot to the top of the Toolstation League Premier Division after scoring nine goals in four days.

Darren Perrin’s men claimed their first win of the season last Saturday as they dispatched Chipping Sodbury Town 3-0 thanks to a brace from Luke Ballinger and a further strike from Dave Thompson.

The 2014-15 champions then followed that up on Tuesday night with a 6-0 thrashing of Bitton, with Ballinger, a full-back-turned-striker, netting a hat-trick and Jake Hiscocks, Gary Higdon and Dan Kovacs adding the others.

While Perrin is pleased with the start his side have made to the new campaign – they began the season with a 3-3 draw at reigning champions Odd Down – he is not going to get carried away.

“We played very well on Tuesday night and took our chances,” the Melksham manager said.

“Possibly, we could have scored a few more, but I was pleased with our performance.

“It has been a half-decent start. If I’m being picky, then maybe we should have won all three of our games – we were 3-1 up with five minutes to go at Odd Down.

“We move on now. We are not going to get carried away as we have got Buckland Athletic (Saturday) and Bristol Manor Farm coming up and they are two of the favourites this year.”

Perrin said that he was pleased with the form of ex-Chippenham Town man Ballinger, who has got five goals to his name already this term.

“He looks sharp,” Perrin said.

“He was a right-back for Chippenham and for us at the end of last season.

“But I just felt with his pace and the way he runs the channels, he can be quite a handful.

“With Luke, Gary Higdon and Dan Kovacs, we have some good competition up front.”

Perrin also revealed that Steve Hulbert has turned down a move to Evo-Stik League Southern Division One South and West side Larkhall Athletic after the Bath-based outfit put in a seven-day notice of approach for the defender.

Meanwhile, Bradford Town began their league campaign with back-to-back 1-1 draws.

Having seen his side go out of the FA Cup in his first match in charge the previous weekend, Danny Greaves collected a point from his maiden league game as Bradford boss at home to Wells City on Saturday, with Matthew Morris on target for the hosts.

Bradford were back at Trowbridge Road against another Somerset side on Wednesday night, this time taking on Shepton Mallet, with Dan Cottle on target as the game finished all-square once more.