VALE of Pewsey secured a shock 2-1 win over high-flying Southbrook to severely dent the visitor’s Premier Division title hopes.

The hosts took the lead against the run of play on the stroke of half-time, leaving third placed Southbrook to rue missing three or four chances in the first 45 minutes.

The second half was no different, as Bev Bryan and Anthony Packer squandered golden opportunities as they both had penalties saved by the Vale of Pewsey goalkeeper. With Southbrook pressing, Pewsey hit Southbrook with a sucker punch to double their advantage with 10 minutes left.

Jamie Shepp gave the visitors a chance late on as he halved the deficit, but despite heavy pressure from Southbrook, Vale of Pewsey hung on to secure an shock victory.

Southbrook manager Albert Dearing felt his side were very unfortunate not to come away with anything. “When you miss two penalties, you get the feeling it’s just not going to be your day,” he said. “We were far the better side all over the pitch, but we’ve missed so many good chances.”

Wroughton and SKS Blyskawica played out a 2-2 draw in a mid-table clash at the Weir Field. After Rafael Costabile had put the visitors ahead, Wroughton fought back to equalise before Blyskawica took the lead again to give them a 2-1 advantage. Blyskawica attempted to see the game out during a cagey second period but Wroughton drew level with just 10 minutes remaining. After the game, Blyskawica assistant manager Gareth Parry said he was pleased with the result. “We played very well in the first half and in the second we were trying to hold on a little bit. The second half was a little bit frantic, and it was probably a fair result.”

The spoils were shared in a six-goal thriller at Bremhill View, as Wilts Calne and Marlborough Town played out a close 3-3 draw. Marlborough’s resurgence in form means they sit comfortably in seventh place, having spent the earlier part of the season scrapping towards the bottom of the table.

Elsewhere in the Premier Division, strugglers Chippenham Youth secured a superb 3-1 victory over fifth placed Trowbridge Town at Stanley Park. The result gives them a six-point cushion between themselves and bottom placed Purton reserves, while Trowbridge remain 10 points behind front-runners Supermarine Sports.

In Division One, Intel produced a stunning comeback to beat Malmesbury Victoria reserves 6-5 and move to within two points of top spot. Goals from Louis Wollen and John Horgan were not enough to give the visitors a half-time lead, as a stubborn Malmesbury side went into the break level at 2-2.

Intel made a shambolic start to the half, as they conceded three goals inside 20 minutes to give Malmesbury a seemingly unassailable lead, but Matthew Gumm pulled one back for Intel to give them a glimmer of hope before John Horgan grabbed his second of the afternoon to leave Malmesbury clinging on to their fragile lead.

Intel were rampant, as Craig Adams levelled as Malmesbury struggled to contain their opponents’ strike force, and there was one final twist in the tale as Adams notched again to complete the turnaround.

Victorious manager Mark Allen was delighted with his side’s character, saying: “To go 5-2 down with just 25 minutes left and then to go on and win shows the togetherness and character of the boys this season.”

Wootton Bassett Dev also produced a superb turnaround in windy conditions to beat basement side Blunsdon 5-2 at Sutton Park. After finding themselves 2-0 down after 15 minutes, the visitors rallied and four goals from the impressive Shaun Terry and one from Dennis King gave Wootton Bassett their first win in five games. After the game, Bassett boss Dave Terry praised Shaun Terry’s impact. “He’s been injured for six weeks and with the young lads a little low on confidence it was the perfect opportunity to bring someone with his experience in,” he said.