Street Win Puts Buckland Back on Winning Road
Ellis Laight and Buckland Athletic experienced a mixed four days at Homers Heath with the Yellows losing out to Melksham United 3-1 on Saturday but bouncing straight back with a 2-0 victory over Street.
Table-topping Melksham United, Western League winners in 2014/15, continued their recent good record at Homers Heath, taking the lead through Luke Ballinger in a tight first half. The team in red doubled their advantage after the break with the hosts wasting a number of chances at one end and Ballinger taking his at the other, collecting a long ball to score his second of the afternoon. Richard Groves, signed in the summer, notched his first for the home side, finishing off a great team build-up with an accurate shot from distance to halve the deficit. Again Buckland pushed to level proceedings but again Ballinger punished them on the break, inside the last ten minutes, to restore the two goal cushion and see the Wiltshire side maintain their lead. Interestingly, Melksham have never lost at Homers Heath but Buckland have never lost at the Conigre.
The start of the midweek game against Street was as open as the previous one had been tight, both sides with early chances to get their noses in front and Street coming closest with Craig Herrod clipping the bar and a Ben Amghar header cleared off the Bucks’ line. Dave O’Hare was the next to be thwarted by the woodwork after his second half header, from Herrod’s free-kick, came back off the bar. Two goals in ten minutes then settled the tie, Cliff Walters and Jared Lewington, both with their second goals of the season, finished off similar incisive moves down the right to give the home side a clear run in. Still, the Cobblers refused to lie down and die and had two more chances cleared off the line before the end.
Buckland complete their run of three home games on Saturday with the visit of Longwell Green Sports.
