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

** 6 points deducted for breach of league rules

Division Four Report by Mr. M Schneider - Publications Secretary

The only match to beat the elements was the fourth division match at All Cannings between hosts The Kings Arms and Chippenham United RAOB who stepped into to take the fixture at the last moment when their match away at Market Lavington was off, and the hosts trip to North Star B was postponed. The Kings Arms probably thought that the points were in the bag when Richard Thorne’s side accepted the fixture and they can be forgiven for thinking so as United had not won a match in 10 attempts and had suffered a 7-1 defeats at the hands of their hosts a couple on months ago. United upset the form book as they claimed a 4-3 victory from a match that was played in tricky conditions but was a credit to all those involved including referee Paul Tandy who did extremely well to get the game played. United were indebted to Matt Page for the first win since the end of September when they beat Lyneham 7-2 but in the latter stages it was the visitors whose defence stood up and were counted as Cannings almost hit back to claim a share of the spoils. A hat trick from Page gave United a three-nil half time lead and when Gavin Freegard scored from the penalty spot to give United a 4-0 lead they must have thought that the match was won. Cannings staged a remarkable fight back, as first Jack Williams reduced the arrears, then Darren Lewis fired the hosts within two goals of United. Steven House who scored a four timer in the earlier game narrowed the gap to the odd goal but was as close as the hosts came to claiming a points as United held out for a deserved victory to end their 10 match winless run.

Adam Bewley’s Devizes based British Lion outfit have a five point lead over their rivals at the top of the table but with as many as seven matches in hand on the leaders the chasing pack that are currently headed by North Star B shouldn’t take long before they reel the Lion in. The Lion have suffered just one defeat since joining the league at the end of last season when the original British Lion side who had reached division one called it a day. The new look Lion side have done really well but they might not just be good enough this season to claim a top two finish but if they can finish in the top three that should be good enough to see them promoted.


High scoring North Star B who were on the verge of calling it a day towards the end of last season have had a fantastic first few months to the season and with 90 goals to their name from 10 games it should be a matter of time before they top the 100 goal mark. Under new manager Liam Westland the Star have twinkled and their seems very little sign of the light fading and the Priestley Road side should be a good bet for promotion and they may even go up as champions if they can maintain the form of the first four months.

Corsham Centre B are the only team in the division who can still boast a 100% record and James Whitehead’s side could take some stopping as they look for promotion in their second season on the league. A lot was expected of the Centre last season but they failed to deliver the goods but a new confident looking Centre side look as if they could be the finished article this season and if they can keep strikers Tom Lye and Warren Jones injury free then they should claim some silverware come the end of the season, but whether it will be gold or silver waits to be seen.

Melksham Jagerbar might not go on to win the title or even gain promotion in their very first season, but manager Barry Holloway can be very proud of his efforts to date and a little more reliability from key players may have turned a couple of his sides four losses into victories but Holloway knows that with 12 matches still to play his team could well cause a few shocks that may well help to decide where the champions crown may well end up. Jagerbar have some fine players and if they were to all be available on the same day as they were when they beat Cooper Avon in the knockout cup they would take some stopping but with players picking and choosing games Holloway’s job of putting together a championship winning side has been a lot harder than he would have thought it would be.

Gary Chandler’s Somerford side can’t be written off and if the villagers who have lost just one game in the last eight can press on in the second half of the season then they may well have a serious chance of upsetting teams such as Corsham Centre B and North Star B who they still have to play both home and away and if they can get the better of them then they may well put the cat amongst the pigeons and ruffle a few feathers before the season reaches it’s conclusion.

Westbridge Re-United are still coming to terms after having had six points deducted for player irregularities but they are making a good challenge to get back among the leading sides although it will be a massive ask for Paul Vought’s side shouldn’t be written off as they feel they have a point to prove and they will hope to do their talking on the field and if they can stay focused they may just finish in the top half of the table with ease and if results were to start going their way they could claim a top four placing which would be a great achievement after all what they have gone through.

Chippenham West End have seen both Phil Mellor and Paul Mannings leave to travel the world and although they will be hard players to replace manager Steve Fowley hopes that he may have a player or two up his sleeve who can replace the pair who are not likely to return to these shores until the start of next season. Mellor signed off with a hat trick in his final outing and it is hoped that his goals won’t be too hard to replace. West end have only nine matches to play so them could actually complete their season by the end of March should things go for them and although they are in eighth spot at the moment they could climb a few places or they may even finish as low as 11th place should they faile to chalk up a few more victories.

Clive Black’s White Horse side suffered relegation at the end of last season and even though the Westbury based side are playing a lot better than they have for a few seasons they are still looking for a couple of players who can give them the extra bite that will see them hold onto a lead. If they can find a couple of midfield Rottweiler’s then the second half of the season could bring a few more favorable results for the White Horse men.

Old Road Tavern, Kings Arms, Chippenham United RAOB and AFC Lyneham are currently in the bottom four positions in the table and it is unlikely that any of those sides will find themselves elevated from those positions before the season finishes in May. Lyneham are rock bottom and have yet to win a match from any of the 14 that they have played, but before the end of the season they would like to register at least one maximum points haul which so far has eluded them. Manager Chris Holden had high hopes that they may at least get the win they are after but it might come later rather than sooner. Kings Arms have failed to live up to expectations and have twice come close to calling it a day but if manager John Dix can keep his players on board and free from suspension then they might just have it about them to gather a few more points before the curtain comes down on a poor season.

After opening the season with two wins Old Road Tavern went into freefall until a 12-0 victory over Lyneham ended a seven match winless run but Bernie Court’s side will be well aware that they will not be playing the basement side every week so they are going to have to work a lot harder for victory. Of the four teams in closest to the foot of the table the Tavern look the more likely to move in the right direction but a few poor results over the next few weeks could leave the Tavern wit ha mountain to climb if they are to better their 19 point tally from last season.




If you notice that your results or tables do not appear to be updated from the previous week (but other divisions have been updated) please press F5 on your keyboard this should refresh the page.