DARREN Perrin heaped praise on his players for their strength in adversity as Melksham Town returned to the top of the Toolstation League Premier Division on Tuesday night.

Town were trailing 2-1 at mid-table Gillingham Town before late goals from Shaun Benison and Gary Higdon turned the game on its head to hand them their seventh win in 10 matches this term.

Luke Ballinger had given the visitors the lead early in the first half but Perrin admitted it looked as though they were suffering from the effects of non-stop away matches - while their new Woolmore Farm stadium is completed - until the late revival.

"All credit to the players, after 60 minutes Gillingham were the better side and deserved their lead but the resolve and character we showed was fantastic,'' said Perrin.

"It just looked as though everything was going against us. To play the amount of games away from home we have just looked like it was catching up with us but they kept going and going.

"It's been a very good four days for us.''

Melksham defeated Brislington 5-2 at the weekend, Dave Thompson, Kieran Baggs, Ballinger, Warren Maidment and Callum Demkiv on target.

With 11 goals in two games, 10 matches unbeaten and second place in the table - boss Danny Greaves admits it couldn't be going much better for Bradford Town at the moment.

The Trowbridge Road men continued their magnificent start to the Toolstation League Premier Division campaign as hosts Longwell Green Sports were emphatically put to the sword 5-0 on Tuesday evening.

Greaves though, reckons Saturday's 6-2 dismantling of last season's champions Odd Down registered higher on the satisfaction scale.

"Playing the champions of last year, who won it comfortably then, made it a very good result for us,'' said Greaves, after Kane Simpson's hat-trick, a Dan Cottle double and Matt Morris dumped the Downers at the weekend.

"Then also coming down from that high against a team who have had a few bad results (Longwell Green) was a very pleasing result.

"We're delighted. We set ourselves a little target at the start of the season and we're exceeding that at the moment.

"We know the test will come with that first defeat, but we're a new group of players and we're only going to get better as we learn about each other.''

Cottle again bagged a brace in the midweek triumph, Morris, Karim Rendall and Alex Monks also finding the target as Bradford moved a point behind leaders Melksham.