Toolstation Western League Div One

Chippenham Park 2 Malmesbury Vics 1

MALMESBURY VICS slipped to just their second league defeat of the season on Tuesday night when going down 2-1 at near-neighbours Chippenham Park.

The loss allowed Keynsham Town to move ahead of them at the top of the table.

The Vics were perhaps a little below their best but a lot of credit has to go to a hardworking and organised Chippenham side.

The Vics took the lead after eight minutes when George Peare’s long diagonal ball from the back deceived the Chippenham left back and Jamie Packer nipped in to crash the ball home from inside the box.

That was as good as it got for the visitors, a Ewen Kenny shot which narrowly went wide, being the closest they came to another goal.

Chippenham continually denied their rivals the time and space to relax into their normal passing game. The hosts equalised midway through the first half when a corner from the left was headed back across goal for Ollie Price to nod past Joe Snell.

Things took a turn for the worse just minutes into the second half when Chippenham attacked down the left flank and the ball was pulled back for Lewis McCarron to smash it past Snell from the edge of the box.

Three substitutions and a change in formation could not galvanise the Vics into action. Indeed, but for some excellent saves from Snell the scoreline could have been a lot worse.

Malmesbury Vics: Snell, Baker, Cook, Fortune, Hughes, Peare, Packer, Cole, Bumphrey, Wilkins, Kenny.

Subs: Bond, Quinnell, Salt, Stone.