AFC MELKSHAM & FC BOX SET FOR FINAL SHOWDOWN

FC BOX BID TO RETIAN KO CUP, WHILE MELKSHAM SEEK REVENGE

A year on from their thrilling Knockout Cup Final both AFC Melksham and FC Box return to The Thornbury Surfacing Stadium, home of Chippenham Town FC this coming Sunday for the 2022/2023 and 55^th staging of the first ever Cinch Self Storage sponsored competition.

We are down to the final two teams from the 43 teams that started out way back last September, and if it is anywhere near as good as the one between the two sides last term that FC Box won 3-2 it promises to be a thriller.  

For AFC Melksham it will be their fourth cup final appearance on the bounce, having won one and lost the other two.  The current Premier division champions are still in with a shout of retaining their title, but they would love to avenge last terms defeat at the hand of FC Box who were then in Division two.  This season Box have already won the Division one title  and are bidding for a back-to-back, League & Cup double.

AFC Melksham joined the League at the start of the 2004/05 season when they were made up with a bunch of sixteen and seventeen year-old lads who had left the under sixteen league and needed somewhere for them to play. The youngsters found the transition difficult and spent two seasons without many wins but enjoyed the experience.

Since those early days AFC Melksham have progressed through the Divisions’ and have collected a fair amount of silverware along the way, the first coming when they finished the 2007/08 season as Division 4, runners-up.  In 2009 Mickey Hawkes guided them to the 2009 WG Parr Final where they beat White Hart Combe 2-1.

The 2011/12 season saw Melksham enjoy a great first season in the top flight where they finished fourth, however they also suffered a shock WG Parr Trophy Final defeat against AFC Calne.

Since then AFC Melksham have been ever present in the top flight and have never been outside the top four with greatest achievement coming in 2016 when they were crowned champions.  Last year was another title winning one for Mike Rogers team.  Add into the mix their 4 Wiltshire Sunday Cup semi-final appearances; it would be fair to say they have been among the top teams for the last few years.

With manager’s baton was handed over to the new look trio of Jordan Kirk, Aaron Wiltshire and Sam Clarke who have been a resounding success to date carrying on where Melksham left off last season, so although still involved in the title race, today could see them land a first piece of silverware

Melksham’s route to the final, which will be fourth in a row, began with a First round bye, before they hosted top flight stable mates FC Devizes who they beat 5-2 thanks to a hat trick from Rhys Talmash and a double from Derek Wheeler. 

Next up for Melksham was a tricky tie against Second division Audley FC which Melksham eventually won 4-3 on penalties.  Rhys Talmash and Owen Pearce scoring in 90 minutes, before successful spot kicks from John Bake, George Bettles, Paul Gittins and Talmash took Melksham through.   

Melksham then thrashed Premier division opponents 9-1 in their quarter-final clash, Zach Hillier led the carnage with 3, Rhys Talmash and Derek Wheeler scored two each, Paul Gittins and Joe Lamb add the other 2, which set up a semi-final meeting with Kingsmead.

In a match that would have made a great final, Melksham battled to a 2-2 draw with Kingsmead before a 5-4 penalty shoot-out success.  Rhys Talmash and Derek Wheeler scoring in normal time before Jack Baker, George Bettles, Kieran Pearce , Wheeler and Owen Pearce scored their penalties to see them return to Hardenhuish Park.    

FC Box were formed in 2021 from the ashes of Spartak Rudloe, beginning life in Chippenham & District Sunday Football League Division Two.

A very successful first season under then manager James Whitehead, saw the club claim a league and cup double in the form of the Division Two Championship and the Knockout Cup, where FC Box defeated today’s opponents, and 2021/22 Premier Division Champions AFC Melksham and that was after seeing off FC Devizes United and Wiltshire Sunday Cup winners FC Lacock in the Semi and Quarter Finals respectively.

With James Whitehead stepping down at the end of 2021/22, the double winning captain Liam Ralph and Club Secretary Stuart Donnelly picked up the managerial reigns for 2022/23 and have picked up where Whitehead left off.

The Knockout Cup holders were given a First Round bye and began their defence of the trophy in Round Two with an 11-0 win over Third Division The Pewsham with Ben Wickens bagging 5 goals, Spencer Dymond-Hall scored twice with the others being shared by, Toby Gingell, Adam Mitchell, Andrew Wilkins and Ross Hall.

The Third Round saw Box come through their toughest match in the competition to date against Division One rivals Lavis FC. Box eventually managed to find a way through the match with a hard fought 5-3 victory despite having had Captain Andy Wilkins somewhat controversially dismissed in the opening minutes of the first half, Corey Harbour-Burgess bagged a brace, Spencer Dymond-Hall, Adam Mitchell and Ben Wickens were also on target.

Division Two’s Spires Athletic were subsequently despatched 5-1 in the Quarter Final, Adam Mitchell (2), Ben Wickens, Dan King and Corey Harbour-Burgess all finding the net with fellow Division Two side British Lion following 5-0 in the Semi Final, Spencer Dymond-Hall and Adrian Webb score 2-piece with Ben Wickens completing the romp to leave AFC Melksham standing in the way of a second successive League & Cup Double.

For FC Box, today’s final and the whole of the 2022/23 season has been played in memory of former player and good friend, James Bamford.

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