The Whites were a distant second best on their long-awaited return to action as FC Calne deservedly ran out comprehensive winners.
In a fixture switched to Castle Combe at the 11th hour due to waterlogging at Beversbrook, the Colts never looked likely to escape defeat once their visitors grabbed a pair of quick goals inside the first 15 minutes. At that point, heads dropped and a collective air of negativity took over, leading to a lacklustre, disjointed performance well below the level everybody knows this talented group of players are capable of.
As such, the Calne keeper enjoyed an extremely comfortable day at the office as Colts failed to find the net in a competitive fixture for the first time in more than a year.
Calne’s third goal before the interval left Colts with a mountain to climb – despite the elements being in their favour after it – and they were allowed to run through and add a soft fourth to add gloss to their victory in the second half.
The only real moment of alarm for the away side came in the early stages when George did well to find Matthew in space and he released Liam, who touched the ball round the advancing keeper 20 yards from goal but failed to find the finish to match. It proved a turning point as Calne then exposed two pieces of lax positional play at the back to take a firm grip on proceedings that they never relinquished.
Luke S’s performance between the posts was one of the few positives on the day and he controlled his area confidently and handled well on a wet and unpredictable surface. Josh was strong at the heart of the defence and was ably assisted by Bradley, Callum and Toby as Calne posed a persistent threat through some fast breaks and excellent movement in attack.
Max also broke up a number of raids from the visitors and Luke VDB was pacy and tenacious on the left flank. Brandon H offered support on the opposite wing and Brandon M worked hard but was kept at arm's length by a well-drilled Calne defence.
After edging a number of tight games this season, the Colts must now take their medicine for a poor display and know an immediate improvement is needed ahead of their next game - the acid test away to undefeated, three-times league and cup double winners Croft Reds.