Mel Gingell

CORSHAM Town's slim Toolstation League Premier Division title hopes were dashed after they took just two points out of nine in a taxing Easter programme.

A day after drawing 0-0 at Bitton The Reds were beaten for the second time this season by Ilfracombe Town on Saturday and drew 1-1 with title rivals Dawlish Town on Monday.

Corsham manager Mel Gingell admitted that after the weekend's results his side could not NOW win the the league.

Gingell said: "We're not going to win the league now, obviously.

"I thought we should have ended up with nine points and we ended up with two.

"The players have been tired out. That's three games they have played over the weekend.

"It's not sometimes the losing, it's how you're playing. I know we're starting to play well so I'm quite happy with that.

"We've started to come back into a bit of form, we've just got to have a go at getting second."

Corsham took the lead against Ilfracombe on the stroke of half-time when goalkeeper Steve Oliver flapped at a cross and Ross Lye stroked the ball home.

Lye was inches away from extending the advantage soon after the break but his drive smacked off the near post.

With the hour mark approaching, Ilfracombe grabbed an unlikely equaliser when Barry Yeo headed beyond Nick Gingell.

Two minutes later Ilfracombe completed the reverse when Gingell could only parry a Mark Hughes' free kick and James Davey rammed in the loose ball.

Corsham laid siege to the Ilfracombe defence in the final section of the game, but the closest The Reds came was when Jason Walsh hit the bar.

Corsham boss Gingell said: "We outplayed them, they had two shots in the whole game.

"We had 80 per cent of the game and in the last minutes we missed two shots and you can't do that."

Corsham came close to avenging their 5-1 thrashing by Dawlish Town nine days earlier, when they drew 1-1 with the Devon outfit.

Craig Gingell put Corsham ahead with an early goal, just as he had done in the previous encounter, when he stabbed in following a goalmouth scramble.

Dawlish won a fortuitous penalty when Liam Fullam handled, but he seemed to have been pushed.

Jamie Mudge converted the spot kick to notch his 27th goal of the season.

Gingell said: "We outplayed them. Even their manager said to me they were lucky to get a point.

"I think they thought they were going to walk all over us but the only goal they got was a dubious penalty."

10:30am Friday 28th March 2008

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