9:11pm Saturday 25th October 2008
By Ned Payne
NAT Auckland struck early on as Melksham Town beat Bideford 1-0 for the second weekend running.
Auckland tucked away Ricky Trott's through ball on eight minutes, to ensure the Conigre outfit followed up last weekend's Les Phillips League Cup win with a Western League victory at The Conigre.
Auckland scored from Melksham's first attack of note, as he confidently finished Trott's chipped through ball with a first-time strike into the right corner.
The frontman came within a whisker of doubling the lead minutes later when he clipped the left post following Dave Macey's slide-rule pass.
Bideford finally made an opportunity of their own just short of the half hour as Ellis Laight hit a lacklustre effort straight at Gareth Evans.
Evans was forced into his first save of the day minutes later, as he dived to parry away a terrific 35-yard drive from Ian Down.
Down volleyed meekly wide shortly after but Melksham still looked unlikely to concede.
Bideford had more of the ball as the half wore on but Wayne Thorne's men looked dangerous on the counter.
From one of these quickfire attacks, David Thompson danced through two challenges but was twice denied by Kenny Griffiths, and then Auckland's follow-up was blocked.
Mick Barker saw his 18-yard strike gobbled up by Evans in the dying stages of the half, his effort summing up Bideford's lack of conviction going forward.
The second period saw the visitors dominate possession but a determined Melksham rearguard denied them a single chance until the 70th minute.
Substitute Jamie Densham, who had come on eight minutes earlier, side-footed a cross towards the right corner but Evans dived to make the save.
Bideford upped their efforts in the final part of the game and Nathan Phillimore was brought on for Macey as Melksham went with five at the back.
Radley Veale directed a bicycle kick wide and Ian Down shot off-target before Bideford had their best chance of the game on 76 minutes.
Ellis Laight flicked a header across goal from a corner and it smacked off the right upright.
Further pressure from the visitors followed, but Melksham continued to defend doggedly and kept Bideford at bay.
Thompson might have made it 2-0 seconds from the end but Griffiths was quickly out to block his shot.
Bideford substitute Ben Wood blasted wide from range late on in a desperate attempt to salvage something, but Melksham held on.
Melksham boss Wayne Thorne said: "After last week when we went down there, this was always going to be a bit harder because of the revenge factor.
"I thought the lads were tremendous today. It was a great goal and he (Auckland) was a constant threat.
"Over the last month he's started putting himself about and has been horrible to defend against."
Thorne also praised veteran David Seal, who played as an emergency central defender.
Seal was drafted in because Thorne himself was suspended, Greg Tindle was unavailable and Ryan Trowbridge was struggling with illness.
Thorne said: "We needed a little bit of experience at the back and he (Seal) cleaned up any danger we had."
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