Matchday #4 – Match Preview – Melksham Town (A)

by Duncan Gardner

It is of course a bit of a preview writer’s nightmare trying to find something new to write about a team we faced only two days before…but there are always ways to add to the word count!

Well let’s start with the obvious and remark on our previous encounter on Saturday at the Bob Lucas, a 5-1 win that took the overall tally against this team to 2 wins and 1 loss from our three meetings. There also appears to be something for the neutral in these matches with an average of 6 goals a game!

Perhaps that average will increase further if Toby Holmes continues his fine start to life in a Terras shirt – he needs another brace to notch 10 goals in his first 6 appearances – a feat achieved by Andy Anderson in 1948 but I’m struggling to find another more recent flying start for a bagsman.

Can we read into our win at the weekend to determine what will happen on this bank holiday Monday? Well the last three times we played the same team twice in a row in league and major cup…and won the first game…we went on to win the second fixture twice with one draw. Not bad…

What about all games on an August Bank Holiday Monday? Well the omens are not so good there in recent times – we have lost the last three on this day without rustling the onion bag even once! Our last win was at home to Maidenhead United in 2021 with the last away win being at Dorchester in 2017.

Talking of runs though, this game could mark something pretty special – I’m always ready to be proved wrong but I cannot find an occasion when we have won our first 6 competitive games of the season…ever…so if the Terras win again it could be club record territory.

Will it be six of the best for the Terras or will Melksham turn the day sour?