Following a wait of almost four months, the Whites had the chance to savour the sweet taste of victory once again after getting their season back on the rails against an excellent FC Calne side.
The hosts are right in the hunt for the Division 1 runners-up spot, through to the cup final and gave the Colts a real lesson in their belated first game of 2016 - a result which kick-started a winless run that featured a series of lacklustre performances. Confidence has nosedived as a result but, pre-match, the team were urged to adopt a positive attitude and start enjoying their football again, regardless of the scoreline.
They made a bright start that was in stark contrast to their efforts against Croft Blues the previous week and the pace of Luke VDB and Liam B stretched the Calne defence before the latter opened the scoring. His finish came at the end of a fine move that started with Max and involved Bradley and Matthew before Liam F threaded a magnificent pass through for his namesake to do the rest.
Liam F’s vision in the middle of the park was a real feature of the first half and another great piece of distribution released Luke VDB, whose fierce shot hit the top of the crossbar.
Calne drew level from close range when the Colts failed to clear a cross from the left and then rattled the woodwork after some great play on the edge of the box. The away side regained their composure and the lead when Toby took on a defender on the left and was brought down as the ball was about to go out of play. The referee pointed to the spot and Toby was handed the chance to finish off his good work, firing in a penalty that the keeper got his foot to before it flew into the roof of the net.
Brandon M broke clear on the right and tested the keeper as the Colts looked to extend their advantage but sadly suffered a recurrence of his knee injury at the start of the second half. All connected with the team wish him a speedy recovery.
The game began to open up even more as Calne pushed for another equaliser but Callum and Josh were quick and resolute at the heart of the defence and Max backed them up with a solid performance between the posts.
Luke S went close with a powerful header from Bradley’s corner and George was only denied by a last-ditch tackle as chances arrived at both ends. Colts were perhaps guilty of sitting too deep and inviting pressure in the closing stages and were thankful to crucial tackles from Matthew, Luke S and Bradley, as well as some wayward finishes from their hosts, before the final whistle signalled a return to winning ways.