Melksham Town 1-3 Sholing
Scorers : Ben Brooks 35 / Dan Mason 23, 50, 54
Date: Tuesday 22 November 2022, 7:45pm – Southern League Division 1 South
Venue: Oakfield Stadium Attendance: 282
Melksham Town : Mcintosh Boyd, David Thompson, Joe Romanski, Aaron Parsons, Jaiden Pearce, Ralph Graham, Michael Perrott, (Dan McBeam 73), Sam Hendy ©, Ben Brooks, Jay Malshanskyj, Albert Hopkins. Unused subs : James Guthrie, Jack Camm, Oliver Webb, Ryan Morgan
Bookings : Ben Brooks
Sholing : Ryan Gosney, TJ Cuthbertson, Brad Targett, Rob Nicholls, Dan Miller ©, Rob Flooks, Sami Makhloufi (Cohwen Whitaker 88), Owen Roundell, Dan Mason, Lee Wort, Jake Cope (Wayne Robinson 80) Unused subs : Josh Batt, Byron Mason, Lochlan Colquhoun
Bookings : Brad Targett, Robin Nicholls
Man of the Match : Dan Mason
Dan Mason smashed a spectacular hat-trick as Sholing extended our lead at the top of the table to 10 points. There was also a hat-trick of assists from Jake Cope in an entertaining, end to end game.
Team News : Sami came in as Wayne Robinson dropped to the bench in the only change from Saturday. Byron was on the bench as an emergency sub if required, but Marv & Wags both missed out.
Was a chilly evening at the always impressive Melksham ground, but dry and the pitch looked in great condition for a game of high tempo passing football and that's what we got.
On 7 mins, Sami threaded a ball through the defence for Worty to run onto, but the young Melksham keeper (on loan from Bristol City), just got to the ball first. Brad Targett tried his luck from fully 35 yards with a shot that dipped and swerved and went narrowly over.
It was end to end stuff, Melksham had a good chance down the left side of our area, but the effort was put wide of the near post. Boatmen were to take the lead soon after on 24 minutes.
A freekick, wide on the left, was swung invitingly into the box by Jake Cope and DAN MASON rose highest to head deftly past the keeper from 6 yards.
Gosney got down well to smother a shot that skidded off the slick surface as the tempo from both sides continued to be high. D-Dan nodded a ball towards Lee Wort, who let the ball come over his shoulder before hitting it first time, but it clipped the outside of the near post and went behind. Dan Miller went close with a header from a corner on 30 minutes, nodding just over.
Melksham had a spell of pressure before equalising on 36 minutes. Ben Brooks made room for himself on the edge of the box and curled a well struck effort inside the far post, giving Gos no chance.
It was then the turn of each keeper to pull off fantastic saves. Firstly, Dan Mason spun in the box and fired a fierce shot that Boyd pushed away from close range. Then Melksham looked to be in as a player went into the area, but Ryan Gosney spread himself to deny the one on one.
A really entertaining first half came to an end with the teams rightly level. HT 1-1
Sholing took the game away from Melksham during a 5 minute spell of brilliant finishing. On 50 minutes, Cope passed to DAN MASON in space, 25 yards from goal and he smashed an unstoppable shot that rocketted past the keeper. As pure a strike as you are likely to see!
The hat-trick was complete on 54 minutes, both from D-Dan and from assists by Jake Cope. Copey fed DAN MASON who skipped past a challenge to advance in on goal, he drew the keeper and drilled a low shot beyond him and into the far bottom corner. A real strikers goal, his 15th of the season, 11 in the league to make him the Top Scorer in this division.
Boatmen, full of confidence were on fire for a 15 minute spell of expansive attacking football. Dan Mason almost got a 4th with a header that flashed wide. Cope ran at the back peddling defence and from a tight angle, shot across the face of goal. The ball came back to Owen Roundell, whose shot from 20 yards took a deflection to take it narrowly wide.
Dan Miller went close again with a header at the near post, before Copey took on and beat 3 players to get to the byline and pull the ball back to Dan Mason, who was denied from inside the 6 yard box by a block near the line.
Melksham continued to look decent going forward, a couple of close calls, but the Boatmen defence were on top of everything as we saw the game out to pick up our 4th win on the spin with an impressive performance. FT 1-3
Dave Diaper : "A great shift put in by the boys in our very pleasing, 1-3 win at Melksham Town. Both sides were at it from the start, but overall, I think we edged it, thanks in part to the clinical finishing from Dan Mason. Melksham are a good side, particularly going forward, so credit to the boys, who were determined to get the result and maintain the run we are having at the moment"
Next Game : Paulton Rovers v Sholing - Saturday 26 November 3pm - Southern League