Saturday 14th November 2026
Pitching In Southern League
Division 1 (South)
Hungerford Town vs Shaftesbury
Rocky road for ‘Rockies ‘ as club negotiate a hard winter ahead.
By Avril Lancaster
Jim Milligan has plenty to think about as he deals with an ongoing injury crisis at Cockrams this season.
Shaftesbury travel to Hungerford Town on Saturday after a week that saw the gap at the bottom of the table closing in There is optimism that Jim Milligan will have players returning from the treatment room in the none too distant future.
Milligan is not one for excuses. He is from the football school of hard knocks, though as recently returned goalkeeper Alex Rutter mentioned Tom Jarvis, Blake Watts, Charlie Rayfield were on the road back. That’s virtually a whole defence. Jarvis the supplier of deft balls into Brett Pitman and Watts the former Yeovil Town player has had to sit it out since August.
Add to the fact James Ward is to return from suspension (after a red card versus Weymouth) it’s not been a season of much luck. Especially when on Tuesday night you see loaned out striker Dawid Regula turn back into a whippet and score a hat trick as Melksham Town stunned Worcester Raiders 5-1 at Claines Lane closing the gap at the basement as teams scrap for points.
Hungerford Town
Hungerford Town’s Bulpit Lane.
📸 Photo- Tim Lancaster
For us the ‘Crusaders’ are an unknown quantity. Everyone of course knows they were in the National League South not so long ago and dropped through the Pitching In Southern League Premier Division South last season into Step 4.
They were held 2-2 by Sporting Club Inkberrow on Tuesday night with goals from George Alston and Ackeem Stewart who appear to be their main threat in keeping them in the play off places as they look for a quick return to Step 3. Hungerford Town are sitting 5th with 30 points and a goal difference of +16 with three wins in five games.
Recent Form – Pitching In Southern League
Hungerford Town
Sporting Club Inkberrow (A) (PISLS1)D 2-2
Alston, Stewart
Worcester Raiders (H) (PISLS1) W 2-0 Stewart, Reivers
Willand Rovers (A) (PISLS1) L 0-1
Exmouth Town (H) (PISLS1) W 5-1
Alston (2), Clark, Smith, Nwachucka
Slimbridge AFC (A) W 3-0 Stewart, Stallard, Watts
DWLWW
Shaftesbury
Barnstaple Town (H) (PISLS1) D 1-1 Pitman
Hartpury FC (A) (PISLS1) L 0-4
Weymouth (H) (PISLS1) L 1-3 Santos
Westbury United (H) (PISLS1) L 1-4 Pitman
Bristol Manor Farm (A) (PISLS1) W 2-0 Morgan, Hoey
DLLLW