TROWBRIDGE & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIVISION TWO: Late Bayley stunner hands Wanderers victory (From Wiltshire Times)

TROWBRIDGE & DISTRICT LEAGUE DIVISION TWO: Late Bayley stunner hands Wanderers victory

2:00pm Monday 22nd October 2012 in Sport News

It was third versus fourth at Lambrok Road where Trowbridge Wanderers Reserves, who have made a solid start to their Division Two campaign, hosted Westbury Town.

The first encounter between the sides, which Wanderers won 5-2 in early September, has proved to be an early indicator as to how the season would pan out for each side.

Since that early win Wanderers have gone from strength to strength while Westbury have promised much but at times have failed to deliver.

This was borne out by the latest result which saw Wanderers strike late on to claim a 3-2 win which that keeps Matt Rusling’s side who just avoided the drop last term in third spot.  

Westbury Town had the better of the first half and led 1-0 courtesy of a stunning 30 yard finish from Jamie Howse.

Jack Parker’s neat finish got Wanderers back on level terms and a goal on his debut from Tom Mann put Wanderers 2-1 ahead.

With just two minutes remaining Westbury thought they had earned themselves a draw when Ryan Earny scored from the penalty spot after Steve Martin had been brought down.

With time almost up, Wanderers snatched victory with Will Bayley’s dramatic 25 yarder earning them their 3-2 success.

Bratton 2 Melksham Town A 0

It was top versus bottom at Leighton Sports Centre, Westbury, where joint leaders Bratton entertained a struggling Melksham Town A side who went into the game still looking for their first points of the campaign.

As expected the visitors were unable to arrest a four-match losing run as an under-par Bratton claimed a somewhat nervy 2-0 win.

Shane Newman put Bratton in front and he scored their second when he followed up to knock the ball home after Dan Cox had missed from the penalty spot for the hosts, both goals coming in the first half. 

Calne Eagles 0 Heytesbury 1

HEYTESBURY continued their recent good form with a hard-earned win over Calne Eagles thanks to a first-half strike from Sam Sweetman which helped the visitors to Calne claim a third straight win in all competitions.

Calne started the stronger of the two teams and could have opened the scoring early on after fine work from Karl Sharratt set up his strike partner Adam Bewley who fired his snap-shot over the bar.

However, it was Heytesbury who opened the scoring after 17 minutes when stand-in centre back Stuart Windsor’s mishit clearance fell to Sam Sweetman who made no mistake from 10 yards out.

This goal led to Calne losing composure and up until half time Heytesbury dominated the game.

Striker Leigh Kennedy was unlucky not to double his side’s advantage when he sent a teasing Paul Arnold cross just wide of the post.

Chris Baker also had a great opportunity to score, but he was denied by a good save from goalkeeper Andy Windsor.

Heytesbury continued to play the slightly better football after the interval, but the introduction of Danny Thompson from the subs bench gave Calne new impetus after which they rediscovered their passing game.

Heytesbury’s fast attack still looked dangerous on the break and their winger Paul Arnold was somewhat unlucky not to earn his side a penalty when he was brought down inside the box by player-manager Roy Wenham, but the appeals for a spot-kick were waved away.

Calne were dealt a blow with 17 minutes left when they lost their captain Stuart Windsor through injury following a rather late lunge by Heytesbury’s Kieron Blissett.

This left Windsor being taken to hospital, with the early diagnosis suggesting that The Eagles’ captain will be out of action for six weeks. It also left Calne to play out the remainder of the game with 10 men as they had used all their subs.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Calne continued to enjoy a lot of possession and should have equalised when an Adam Bewley cross was met by Karl Sharratt from close range, but with the goal at his mercy, he blazed the ball over the bar.

The closing minutes the home side continued to enjoy a lot of possession, but Heytesbury defended well and held to claim all three points.

Steeple Ashton 4 Broughton Gifford 2

AFTER three straight defeats, Neil Taylor’s Steeple Ashton side made a welcome return to winning ways thanks to a 4-2 home win over Broughton Gifford who, like their hosts, suffered relegation from Division One at the end of the last campaign but unlike their hosts they have yet to hit the form likely to get them back in the top flight.

With Ashton on home soil for the first time in seven outings, it was Marc Sheppard who opened the scoring for them when he netted from the penalty spot to make it 1-0.

Guy Rowley doubled Ashton’s advantage only for Ben Forester to get Broughton back in the game.

A first goal of the club from Ashley Warner in what was his first start for the club saw Ashton regain a two-goal cushion.

Broughton dug deep and they clawed their way back into the game and thanks to a second of the afternoon from Ben Forester the cut the gap to the odd goal.

Both teams had chances to find the net in the second half but none were able to take any of them before Kieran Stone claimed the fourth and all-important goal for Ashton.  

The Lamb 3 Worton & Cheverell 2

SINCE their promotion from Division Three last term, Richard Stevens' Lamb FC side have proved their early-season doubters wrong.

The Trowbridge side had been expected to struggle with life in the higher division, but in truth they have adapted really well and their latest triumph, a 3-2 victory over Worton & Cheverell means they have won all five games to date giving them a deserved share of top spot.

Lamb forced the opening on seven minutes when Sam Stevens put them ahead from the penalty spot.

An excellent strike from Kieran Fereday on 20 minutes looked to have put the Lamb on course for a comfortable win, but that wasn’t to be as Worton worked their way back into the game.

On 27 minutes they reduced the deficit when Dave Close on the turn fired in from 18 yards and five minutes later they fashioned an equaliser when Jamie White finished really well to make it two apiece.

The second half ebbed and flowed with chances coming and going at both end and just when it was looking as if the Lamb were about to drop their first points of the season, Ashley Ellis popped up to score what proved to be the winner with almost the final kick of the game.

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