RELEGATION-THREATENED Heytesbury picked up three valuable points in their bid to keep themselves in the Second division for another season.

Before the start of play, the villagers were rooted in the bottom two, but a 5-2 win away at Melksham Town A catapulted them two places clear of the drop zone.

Leigh Kennedy saw his opener for Heytesbury cancelled out by Melksham's ever youthful Frankie Coleman.

A second from Kennedy helped Heytesbury regain the lead but back came Melksham to restore parity for a second time - Mark Bowsher scored to make it two each at the break.

Heytesbury took the lead for a third time and once again it was Kennedy who proved the undoing of Melksham, completing his hat-trick to make it 3-2.

Craig Sheppard put Heytesbury 4-2 in front and when Sheppard added his second of the afternoon, the villagers had done enough to claim only their third win in 11 games.

Steeple Ashton 3 Calne Eagles 2

Steeple Ashton picked up another valuable three points in their pursuit of promotion back to Division One.

However, they were made to fight all the way by Calne Eagles, who on another day might have gained at least a point from this highly entertaining encounter.

League positions were turned on their head during the first half as Calne, playing their best football of the season, dominated possession for long periods.

Nonetheless, it was Ashton, against the run of play, who opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 20 minutes.

Calne full-back Kevin Hamersley felled Guy Rowley just inside the box and the striker comfortably dispatched the resulting penalty.

Despite this setback, Calne remained unperturbed and continued to press forward.

They were rewarded when winger Sam Rogers fired home from close range after home keeper Nathan Taylor could only parry Adam Bewley’s inswinging corner.

Eagles took a 2-1 lead before the break through Bewley, who finished clinically from 12 yards out after some superb interplay with midfielder Russell Driver.

In the second half, Steeple Ashton started to show the form that has taken them to the top of the table.

Their strike partnership of Nick Gittens and Guy Rowley began to stretch Calne’s back line, which was starting to tire after not playing a game for nine weeks.

Ashton centre back Steve Coveney headed just over from a corner kick and Rowley was denied by an outstanding save from keeper Andy Windsor.

Kev Hamersley and Gary Wootten also both made last ditch clearances from inside the six-yard box.

With 25 minutes left, the pressure told and Marc Sheppard equalised after he made a great run from midfield to fire home from just inside the box.

In response Calne rallied.

Jefferies and Bewley both saw good efforts go just wide of the target.

Diminutive 17-year-old midfielder Matt Richards also had an opportunity to crown an impressive debut for the Eagles, but he pulled his shot from just inside the box wide of the post.

Steeple Ashton scored their winner with eight minutes left on the clock when Rowley rounded the keeper and pulled the ball back to sub Kieran Stone, who stabbed the ball past Gary Wootten on the goal line.

In the very last few seconds of the game, Calne Eagles captain Stuart Windsor’s goal-bound header from a corner was cleared off the line and the rebound was headed over the bar by Gary Wootten as the final whistle blew.

MATCH OFF: Bratton v Trowbridge Wanderers Reserves