DIVISION ONE: Corsham leapfrog inactive Renegades (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

DIVISION ONE: Corsham leapfrog inactive Renegades

10:45am Monday 29th October 2012 in News

CORSHAM United took full advantage of Bradford Renegades' inactivity and a 5-2 victory over FC Boroughs saw them follow up their 3-1 success from the opening day but more importantly for Kai Flack’s team, the win puts them on top of Division One.

Sam Parker equalised for Boroughs after Stuart Tutty had put Corsham ahead, but a Darrin Moss strike and an own goal saw Corsham take a 3-1 interval lead.

A second from Moss extended Corsham's lead before Sam Jenner reduced the arrears for Boroughs only for Jamie Murphy to put the game to bed with his team's fifth of the morning.

Biddestone White Horse 1 Bromham (Sunday) 0

Biddestone White Horse completed a league double over Bromham (Sunday) but after beating them 4-1 earlier in the season, Scott Fleming’s side had to settle for a 1-0 score line in the reverse clash.

Tom Lye scored the only goal in the 80th minute after being set up by Dan King.

Prestige Bodyworks 2 North Star A 0

North Star A remain bottom of the table after they were beaten away at Prestige Bodyworks, whose 2-0 triumph was their third straight win over Liam Westland’s beleaguered side.

Prestige bossed the game from start to finish but they found North Star’s makeshift keeper Stuart Windsor on top form as he produced a string of unbelievable saves to keep the score line goalless for the open 45 minutes, along with Windsor’s heroics the woodwork also helped in keeping it 0-0.

Sam Pring thought he had put Prestige ahead on 50 minutes but his efforts was ruled out for an infringement in the build up.

Keeper Windsor again thwarted the Prestige attack but with the visitors to Buckley Barracks starting to celebrate an unlikely draw, Windsor was finally beaten when Jamie Treweke cut in from the wing and crashed home a great strike from 18 yards on 85 minutes.

And on the stroke of full-time, Jonny Grogan sealed victory for the hosts when he scored his first goal for the club to leave the final score 2-0 in their favour.

Steeple Ashton Rangers 8 Castle FC 3

Steeple Ashton Rangers welcomed familiar opponents Castle FC for their first clash this season and it was never going to be a spectacle with Ashton having to call last week's game off due to a lack of players and it nearly came close again this week from their opponents Castle as for a second week running they found themselves scratching around for a team despite having nearly 40 players signed on.

This lack of commitment cost Castle as they were comfortably beaten 8-3 as Ashton returned to winning ways after being well and truly beaten by Corsham United in their last home outing.

Steeple Ashton were again without many first team regulars and only managed a squad of 11, giving season debuts to Jamie Jordan and Jack Holdway, but it was the two of them who were instrumental in all Ashton's first half play, in a half they fully dominated.

It took Ashton ten minutes to break the deadlock, a neat one-two down the left between Mark Reynolds and Holdway found the latter in plenty of space to pull a cross back to Marc Sheppard 12 yards from goal, and his left foot volley beat the keeper.

Within minutes Ashton doubled their advantage - a cross from Jordan was spilled by Ashley Robinson in the Castle goal and Grist was on hand to convert from 12 yards.

It was Grist that added Ashton's third on 30 minutes when a counter attack was started by Jordan on the edge of his own box, he travelled the full length of the pitch before slipping in Grist inside right and his low shot from 20 yards squirmed under Robinson.

Ashton's near perfect first period was rounded off by Phil Lewis in rather fortunate fashion - a free kick from halfway by Mike Ritson was spilled by Castle keeper Robinson under Nathan Holloway's pressure and as a Castle defender attempted to clear the ball it ricocheted off Phil Lewis and into the net.

The second half started very much the same as the first with Ashton controlling most of the game.

The fifth came minutes into the half when Jordan's pinpoint cross found the head of Marc Sheppard and his header dropped into the bottom corner.

Ashton's sixth sealed Grist's hat trick, Jordan fizzed the ball into Sheppard behind the Castle back line and he was unselfish to the pull the ball across goal for Grist to convert into an open goal.

On 60 minutes it was 7-0 when Jordan teased defenders down the right before cutting in into his left and his lofty shot-come-cross eluded everyone and dropped into the top corner.

It was sloppy defending that allowed Castle a consolation, Jonny Emm drifted into the box, as he went to pull the ball across the box he was clipped by Steve Morris and a penalty was awarded.

Emm stepped up himself and sent Taylor the wrong way in the Ashton goal.

The eighth goal for Ashton found left back Mike Ritson forward on the right side of the penalty box and as he received Jordan's quick throw, he flicked the ball around an onrushing Castle defender and showed great composure to bend a shot into the far corner for 8-1.

The Castle upped their game in the final ten minutes as this was in some small part down to Ashton's complacency.

Castle found themselves 4 on 3 in their favour and as the ball was slipped inside right to Richard Macklin he showed great composure to fire across Taylor and into the net.

Castle's third was the last of the game - Shaun Moffatt dribbled the ball out defence and found himself on a run charging towards the Ashton goal, he drifted past three players before calmly slotting the ball low past Taylor in the goal with a finish any striker would be proud of.

"Credit to the lads who turned out today. We didn't want to call the game off and it nearly came to this during the week with almost 20 players unavailable for one reason or another. We need to pick some points up in the league sooner rather than later before we get dragged into a relegation battle," said Castle manager Tom Perkins.