Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this chapter we headed to Wiltshire for some Southern League action as Melksham Town took on newly promoted Malvern Town at the Oakfield Stadium.
Some Notable People From Melksham:
John Fowler- Agricultural Engineer
Sidney Goodwin- Titanic victim
Andy Park- Mr Christmas
Horace Newte- Playwright
Henry Moule- Pioneer of the Earth Closet
Some Notable Former Players
Chris Zebroski
Archie Stephens
Brian Carter
A History Lesson From The Gloucester Groundhopper
In 1876, the Melksham Football Club was founded.They were founding members of the Wiltshire League in 1894. The club won the Wiltshire Senior Cup the next season after winning Division One in 1903-04.Because their new stadium was owned by Avon Rubber, the club was renamed Melksham & Avon United in 1920, before reverting to their former name in the 1926-27 season. They finished second in the league in 1924-25, 1929-30, and 1936-37.
The club changed its name in 1951 and went on to finish second in Division One in 1959-60 and 1971-72, as well as winning the Wiltshire Senior Cup again in 1969-70.
Melksham was promoted to the Western League in 1974. The club was demoted to the new Division One after placing third-from-bottom in the league in 1975-76, as the league expanded to two tiers. In 1977-78, they won the Wiltshire Senior Cup again, and in 1979-80, they won Division One and were promoted to the Premier Division. The club won the Wiltshire Premier Shield in their debut season in the Premier Division, a trophy they kept the following season and won again in 1984-85 and 1985-86. However, at the end of the 1987-88 season, they were demoted to Division One.
The club played at Challymead Common until 1883, when it relocated to the Old Bear Field. They moved to the Conigre in 1920; the land was part of the Melksham House estate, which had been purchased by Avon Rubber the previous year and converted into a social club. A wooden stand was built on one side of the pitch, and wooden fencing was put around it. Covered stands were built behind the Rugby Club End and on the other side of the pitch during the 1960s, and floodlights were introduced in 1986. The wooden platform was dismantled in the early 1990s and replaced in 1994 with a modern metal stand.
Melksham finished bottom of Division One in 1992-93 and were demoted to the Wiltshire Football League's Premier Division. The following season, they won the Premier Division and the Senior Knock-Out Cup, and were promoted back to the Western League at the first attempt. The club won Division One and was promoted to the Premier Division in 1996-97. The next season, they won the Wiltshire Premier Shield, followed by the Wiltshire Senior Cup in 2002-03 and 2007-08.
Despite being relegated to Division One in 2009-10, the club finished as Division One runners-up in 2010-11, winning promotion back to the Premier League.
Melksham won the Wiltshire Senior Cup in 2012-13 and 2013-14 before going on to win the Western League Premier Division in 2014-15. However, due to delays in implementing ground improvements, they were refused promotion. The club won the Senior Cup again the following season. In 2017-18, the team finished second in the Premier Division, winning promotion to the Southern League's Division One West.
In 2017, the club relocated to Oakfields, a new £7.3 million facility shared with Melksham Rugby Club on the town's eastern outskirts, in preparation for redevelopment at the Melksham House site. The first match at the new stadium was against Bristol Manor Farm in the FA Vase on 14 January 2017, with the visitors winning 5-3 in front of a crowd of 1,215.
Honours
🏆 Western League Premier Division (Champions: 2014–15)
🏆 Western League Division One (Champions: 1979–80, 1996–97)
🏆 Wiltshire Football League Premier Division (Champions: 1993–94)
🏆 Wiltshire Football League Senior Knock-Out Cup (Winners: 1993–94)
🏆 Wiltshire League Division One (Champions: 1903–04)
🏆 Wiltshire Premier Shield (Winners: 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1997–98, 1999–2000)
🏆 Wiltshire Senior Cup (Winners: 1904–05, 1969–70, 1977–78, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16)
Matchday: Melksham Town 2-2 Malvern Town
We travelled to Melksham on a cool Saturday morning as we looked for yet another game fested with goals. We arrived in Melksham, and had a quick look around the town. We had a full English at the Wetherspoons in the town centre. We then decided to walk to the stadium. The stadium is a significant walk from the town centre (around 40 minutes) so we instantly regretted the decision to walk.
Arriving at the stadium, we were instantly greeted by a large group of Melksham staff who were really helpful when we didn't have cash to pay for entry. They took us up to the club bar where we were allowed to pay for entry there (other clubs take note). We then had a drink in the club bar which was showing Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool. The bar itself is extraordinary for a club at the level that Melksham are at. The modern style of it, with large flat screen TVs and even a balcony overlooking the pitch. Outstanding.
We then took our customary circuit of the ground, and one thing was very clear from the start: the club take great pride from the look of the stadium. There is a black and yellow theme throughout (hence my song choice on TikTok) and the ground is really well kept. The main stand is absolutely massive and again, extraordinary for the level the club is at. To be able to rent out the bar for corporate events and even rent out the surrounding pitches on the complex of the stadium must be a great source of income from the club.
As stated earlier, the people at the club were as friendly as you could get. From the guys in the food stand ( We only managed to catch Stuart's name but there were three people in there who were really helpful and chatty, and genuinely interested in our travels). Stuart offered to take us for a tour of the dressing rooms after the match, but due to our own time constraints we couldn't take up the offer on this occasion. The stewards were lovely as were the club staff. They all really made our experience great.
There is food available at the ground, which a food stall open just as you walk into the ground which sells burgers and hotdogs. There is also a club shop that sells pin badges (hallelujah) for £4. The club shop I can only assume is a work in progress as the actual shop itself was empty, but the man running it got us the products we asked for.
Teamsheet
Melksham Town
Manager: Mark Collier
Joel Manning
Aaron Witchell
Nuno Felix
Sam Hendy
Joe Porton
Ben Brookes
Alex Henshall ⚽️
Albie Hopkins
Dion Molyneux
Harvey Woods ⚽️
Dave Thompson
Substitutes
Robbie James
Jake Dodge
Luke Ballinger
Tom Dowell
Sayeed Ibrahim
Malvern Town
Manager: Lee Hooper & Steve Cleal
Kieron Blackburn
Luke Payne
Lewis Platt
Adam Sauntson
Joseph Davis
Phillip Harris
Curtis Smith
Joe Bullock
Matt Turner
Jack Watts ⚽️
Levi Francis ⚽️
Substitutes
Alexander Bell
Thomas Fairclough
Thomas Henson
Carrick Hill
Ben Hayes
The home side's first chance came on five minutes, when Sam Hendy blasted wide. At the other end, Levi Francis's positive play inside the box helped the home team get numbers back to clear as he placed the ball across the face of goal. Ben Brookes broke through for the home side in the tenth minute, only for Keiron Blackburn to deflect the ball wide. Then, as the home side got enough of the early possession, Albie Hopkins rattled the crossbar from distance.
The home team took the lead in the 20th minute when Alex Henshall's effort from outside the area deflected off the post. Levi Francis fired a stunning strike from distance that flashed inches wide before Sam Hendy's free-kick from distance hit the underside of the crossbar and rolled to safety. Woods cut inside and curled home in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the first period to double the home team's lead.
The second half began with a tempting ball from Jack Watts that found the head of Joseph Davis, whose effort lands on the net's roof. Then, from a favourable position on the outskirts of the area, Jack Watts fired wide. Kieron Blackburn did well to deny Ben Brookes, who broke through after seizing a loose ball, just after the hour mark. Brookes got the next chance, breaking the offside trap to lift the ball over. Malvern were seeing plenty of the ball, with Levi Francis going close and Matt Turner seeing a clever header go just over. Malvern had threatened with a goal when Jack Watts turned the ball home, and Francis levelled the scores just two minutes later. As it was the points were shared.
Scores on the Doors
Atmosphere: 4/10
Food and Drink: 6/10
Stadium: 8/10
Welcome: 9.5/10
Overall Experience: 8/10
GG
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