MELKSHAM Town came from behind to advance beyond the first FA Trophy preliminary round on Saturday, beating Slimbridge 3-2 at Thornhill Park.

The performance binds well with Town’s impressive start to their Evo-Stik South Division One South campaign, which has seen them total 13 points from their first seven fixtures with three wins and four losses.

Kieran Baggs’ side took the lead initially on 23 minutes as Jon Davies successfully converted a penalty before Slimbridge hit back just minutes later to draw level before half time.

The hosts then re-took the lead with just over 15 minutes played in the second half, ensuring Town faced an uphill battle in the concluding half hour.

Luke Ballinger swung the game’s momentum back in Melksham’s favour on 70 minutes when delicately placing his shot into the bottom corner.

Melksham continued to press in the concluding minutes before Neikell Plummer superbly volleyed home Ballinger’s cross in the 89th minute to send Melksham into the first-round proper of the competition.