MELKSHAM Town chairman Darren Perrin hopes to see some fresh faces at Oakfields from now until the end of the Toolstation League Premier Division season.

A crowd of 2,208 watched Melksham’s FA Vase run come to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Hellenic League side Thatcham Town on Saturday, and Perrin is hoping some of those fans will return for the promotion run-in.

Not only has the Vase been a great way to engage new supporters, the club chairman also believes it has done wonders to raise the profile of the Wiltshire side.

“We average 350 to 400 people a game and at this level, it is obscene. We would love to get 600 or 700 here on a match day,” he said.

“People will get put off from the scenes (there were a few skirmishes between supporters) at the end of the Vase game, which I can’t condone, but if we can get an extra 10 per cent, then we are only going to go further and further.

“In prize money I would have thought that we would have banked £7,000 no £8,000, but I don’t really get too involved in the finances of it.

“It’s raised the profile of the football club, through the media, the supporters, getting through to the last eight, so now it is just about maintaining it.”

With the club currently fourth in the Premier Division standings behind Street, Willand Rovers and Bradford Town, manager Kieran Baggs has his sights set on a promotion spot.

Despite the heartache of the Vase defeat, Baggs says it is time to get ready to go again for this weekend’s away clash at Wellington.

“It’s my job to dust them down and make sure they’re ticking over and catch up on the couple of points that we are behind on Willand Rovers and Bradford Town,” he added.

“I think the (Vase) game itself could have gone either way, we were the better team in the first half and we dropped off a bit in the second half.

“The stakes don’t get any bigger than when you’re two games from Wembley, but it wasn’t to be.

“The Thatcham players were great so I wish them all the best.

“Sometimes you just have to congratulate your opponents and be a good loser.”

Promotion rivals Bradford Town are also in action this weekend, they take on top-of the-league Street at Trowbridge Road.