DAVID Pratt may have fired his way to a notable Chippenham Town milestone last Saturday but he knows his goals will mean nothing if the team do not have anything to show for it come the end of the season.

Striker Pratt became the first player to score four times for the Bluebirds in a Southern League match when he got all the goals in a 4-0 drubbing of Dorchester Town at Hardenhuish Park.

Pratt’s haul, coupled with a surprise defeat for previous leaders Leamington, lifted Mark Collier’s men to the top of the Premier Division table.

The Bluebirds were in a similar lofty position 12 months ago but a poor end to the season saw them fall away and they even failed to qualify for the play-offs.

Pratt, who re-joined Chippenham from National League South side Bath City over the summer, does not want lightning to strike twice and would be only too happy to give up his goals if it meant for a successful Bluebirds season.

“I was really pleased on Saturday, I think four is the most I’ve had in a game in adult football,” said Pratt.

“To four score goals is quite rare so I was pretty happy but the most important thing is the team winning games and thankfully those goals helped us do that on Saturday.

“I’m really pleased with how this season has gone and one of the reasons I came here was to try to get promotion.

“When I decided to leave Bath it was because I wanted to win something, which you don’t get the chance to do often in your career, and we are in a strong place right now.

“We know what position the team were in last season so to let that slip was gutting and Mark knows that’s how all the players feel.

“Even the new players who have come in want to try to make up for that and at least get into the play-offs come the end of the season.”

Pratt has struck up a lethal strike partnership with Andy Sandell and the former’s four-goal haul last weekend took the duo to 40 in the league this term, with the Non-League Paper rating them as the highest-scoring pair in steps one, two and three of non-league football.

Sandell leads the way with 23 to 17, although Pratt is adamant there is no in-house competition despite his partner’s tally being bolstered by seven penalties.

“I think Andy got the golden boot in the league last season, so coming in, I knew he would get goals,” said Pratt.

“We just seemed to click straight away. He set me up for a couple on Saturday and playing alongside him, you know he’s either going to get chances himself or make some for you, so he’s a good player to play alongside.

“We are quite similar but we also have our differences. He is a big, strong lad, so he has got that in his game, whereas I am a bit more energetic and it seems to work well for us.

“I don’t look at the stats and whether me or Andy score or not, the main thing is that the team win games.”