Division Two League Table - 2008/2009 Last update 4 January 2009

Division Two Report by Mr. M Schneider - Publications Secretary

Oliie Selman’s Chippenham based Pheasant side currently top division two by two points from AFC Melksham and are one of just two sides in the whole of the league with a 100% record intact. Pheasant have won all their 10 league matches to date and in doing so have bagged 74 goals but the next two weekends are likely to see how the rest of the season will pan out for Selman’s side who have back to back fixtures against AFC Melksham who are in second placed and are tipped to be among a number of side battling it out for glory come May time. Whoever can take the upper hand should go on and clinch promotion but even if Pheasant lose any of the games they should still have it about them to claim a decent finish.

Great things were expected of AFC Melksham following the arrival as Mickey Hawkes as manager at the start of the season and so far the novice manager hasn’t disappointed. Melksham have reached the quarter-final stages of the WG Parr Trophy and are unbeaten in their 10 league matches to date but have dropped two points from a possible 20 which leaves them in second place behind leaders the Pheasant FC. Hawkes has put together a great side and as long as the likes of Owen Bryan, Steve Pegler and Gareth Evans stay fit they will have a very good chance of finishing in a top two position and they could even finish top of the pile if they can continue to entertain with the football rather arguing amongst themselves which has proved costly a few times this term.

FC Bradford may have lost three matches from the 12 that they have played to date and it would be fair to say that Pete Collier’s side are realistically out of the race for a top two finish, but if Collier can guide his team unbeaten to the end of the season then they could have a major say as to where the silverware might just end up. Bradford have lost against the top sides and would love to avenge those defeats when the teams meet later in the season and if they are on song there is no reason whey they shouldn’t give it a go when they take on Melksham and Pheasant later in the campaign.

Hullavington are another side who could play a major part as to where the winners crown might end up, Matt Wilkins side have been beaten by both Melksham and the Pheasant but 3-2 defeats in both games didn’t disgrace them and with a little more luck the points may well have gone the other way. Hullavington will look to top scorer Ed Wilkins for further inspiration in the second part of the season and the striker who has netted 25 times in 10 games shouldn’t disappoint as he has failed only to once in those 10 games to hit the target.

Craig Townsend’s AFC Bell side were among those sides expected to do really well this season and it would be fair to say that they were predicted to be challenging for a third successive promotion having won the division four and three title in successive seasons, but things have not gone to plan for the Bell and a run of poor results has resulted in them slipping down the rankings to fifth place. If Bell can gain promotion from here it would be a remarkable achievement but they will give it their best shot which might not be good enough and they may have to settle for promotion via the back door come the end of the season.

A lack of consistency is proving very costly for Biddestone White Horse who after a promising start have nose-dived down the table after managing just two wins in seven games. Biddestone are brilliant one week but abysmal the next and until they can find the right formula they are always likely to struggle but they won’t mind if they keep defying the odds when they have been written off, it’s when they are favourites for success that things go wrong and they suffer some strange defeats so form now on Biddestone will want to start every game as underdogs and then we might just see what they are capable of doing.

The Crown Devizes are one of those sides who still have plenty too offer and the second half of the season might just see them come to the fore. Mark Roberts side are mid table and if he could get the best from his side there is no reason why they shouldn’t finish the season in the top half of the table. The Crown will have to seize their chances against the so called lower ranked sides as the top teams seem a little harder to beat but if they can get things right there is no reason why they can’t beat they teams who are currently in the top half of the table.

Audley FC might be in the bottom half of the table but Steve Mallard’s side shouldn’t face any perils later in the season. The Audley already have 10 points to their name and there should be plenty more for the taking and with the division’s top scorer Chris Yeo doing well on 29 goals there is no reason why the Chippenham based side shouldn’t finish the season wit hat least 20 points to their name.

Pig & Whistle United should have nothing to worry about and their stay in the division is likely to be extended for another season at least. United have turned things around over the past two months and they are unbeaten in the four games that they have played in and if they can continue to move in the right direction the Melksham based side that was once threatened with relegation might have the chance to come up trumps wit ha few wins that are likely to upset the apple cart later in the season.

Affordable Mortgages Villa may well bottom of the table at the moment but a recent victory over relegation rivals Eastlands has given them a realistic chance of beating the drop. Along with the aforementioned sides Christian Malford and Sutton Benger find themselves embroiled in a four-way relegation dog fight that is likely to go down to the wire. It is really hard to call which two sides are going to beat the drop as this is one contest which promises to go the distance.



         

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