WESTBURY United roared into the semi-finals of the Wiltshire Senior Cup with a 7-0 thrashing of Purton on Wednesday night.

Dan Kovacs led the way with a hat-trick as United reached the last four of the competition for the first time in 30 years.

Joe Stradling and Ricky Hulbert also struck twice each on a one-sided night at Meadow Lane.

However, both Melksham Town and Chippenham Town exited the competition on Tuesday after suffering defeats on the road.

Melksham were beaten 4-1 at Swindon Supermarine, while Chippenham went down 1-0 at Salisbury.

On a disappointing night for the two west Wiltshire outfits, Melksham made a positive start at the Webbswood Stadium, quickly restoring parity through a well-taken half-volley from Neikell Plumber after Sayeed Ibrahim had shanked into his own net early on.

Melksham were the brighter of the two sides in the first period, springing regular counter-attacks on Marine. Reece Rusher had a volley cleared off the line as Town continued to pile on the pressure.

But a clinical strike from Marine’s Michael Hopkins, shortly before half-time, drained the energy from the visitors and two further second-half goals sealed Melksham’s fate.

Melksham boss Baggs rued his side’s cruel luck and felt on a different night his players could have sprung a surprise, but did concede the difference in quality showed in the end.

He said: “Anyone who came to the game would have seen the goals, and we feel it’s harsh to come away losing 4-1.

“If we went in at the break level, then I think we would have been able to sustain the game a little bit longer.

“They’ve scored with a freak own goal and we’ve played really well for 15 or 20 minutes, getting ourselves back in the game with a great strike from Neikell (Plumber).

“Over the course of the 90 minutes, they were the bigger threat and you could tell they played a league higher, but when you’ve got four or five lads missing of the calibre of Jon Davies and Nuno Felix, you’re always going to struggle to replace them.

“On another night, the two deflected goals and the 30-yarder might stay out, so I feel the scoreline it is a little bit harsh, but at the same time, it is a reality check for us."