Happiest days of Mel’s career (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Happiest days of Mel’s career

10:30am Friday 7th September 2007 in Football By Nick Mashiter

CORSHAM Town boss Mel Gingell said he is enjoying the happiest time in his football career after watching his side breeze into the next round of the FA Cup.

The Southbank outfit beat a lacklustre and weakened Lymington Town 2-1 in Saturday's Preliminary Round tie.

After the match, Gingell, who was controversially dismissed as Wiltshire U18 boss earlier in the year, received the Toolstation Premier Manager of the Month award for August.

"I'm probably enjoying it more than I ever have, because they're all local lads, which makes a big difference," he said.

"The passion is in the changing room when you get here for training nights. They don't think they can get beaten and that's the great thing about it - they're buzzing.

"They're a refreshing lot to run and it's fun.

"After that Wiltshire fiasco I thought bugger football' but I'm really enjoying this."

Gingell said the manager of the month award was an honour for the whole club.

"That was a dream," he said "I came here five weeks ago and didn't have any players. I think it's down to the players, if they hadn't kept winning then I wouldn't have got that prize."

Corsham's impressive start to the season continued against their Wessex Premier opponents.

The home side dominated the game from the start and were camped in Lymington's half for much of the match.

However, the initial breakthrough was not easy to come by as Corsham spurned a number of opportunities to test Lymington keeper Matt Willshire.

It took until injury time to break the deadlock - a long ball caught out the visiting defence and Jason Walsh slotted into the corner.

However, Lymington levelled in the 53rd minute when Craig Gingell turned a corner into his own net, although the Corsham boss felt a free-kick should have been given for a push.

The setback did not disrupt the home side's flow, as Lymington's ineffective midfield gave the defensive pairing of Sean Cummings and Stewart Simpson little protection.

A stinging 20-yard shot from Walsh hit the top of the crossbar in the 62nd minute and, in the 71st minute, Corsham regained the lead.

Lymington failed to clear a corner from the edge of their box and the ball dropped to Kevin O'Mahoney, whose half-volley on the turn found the bottom corner. The strike sets up a home tie with local rivals Melksham Town on September 15 in the next round.

"I thought there was only one side going to win," said Gingell. "I could never see us losing it really, we were in total command.

"We've got a good side here and that'll be a hard game against Melksham, which could go either way. That'll be a cracker for everybody concerned."