IT was a long time coming, but Chippenham United have finally kicked off a home game, more than four decades since their last one.

The club, which once rivalled Chippenham Town for support, has been brought back from the dead by builder Richard Thorne after a 42 year hiatus, who just wanted to see a team in the town for local players.

The club was forced out of business in 1962 because of financial difficulties after they dropped out of the Western League and into the Chippenham and District League.

The cash crisis forced the club to sell its ground, The Firs, in Hungerdown Lane. It was sold to a housing developer and now no trace remains of the club that once pulled in massive crowds.

Thorne, 30, of Beechwood Road, Chippenham is the new manager and responsible for starting the team back up again. He began looking for players in January and was amazed at the response.

The majority of the 15-man squad are friends or workmates, but one or two have joined from other clubs.

Said Thorne: "I knew a few footballers who were not playing, so I decided to start up a team.

"We are all mates, and that creates a good team spirit. People have always said that Chippenham Town need to involve more local players. So I started United up to do exactly that.

'We hope to build up that rivalry with Chippenham Town again. I called the team Chippenham United because the old United were made up of mostly local players."

The reborn club has already built up a loyal fan base as well. A pre-season friendly with West Swindon attracted more than 100 fans to the Yatton Keynell playing fields, twice as many as Devizes Town bring in for Screwfix Premier Division games.

More than 50 fans turned out in the pouring on Thursday evening when they played Bromham.

Funding for kits and pitch hire has come from Tiles Gallery and Porters Black, which conveniently doubles as the team's headquarters. Thorne is on the lookout for a new pitch in Chippenham with a clubhouse.

At the moment United are only training on Tuesdays at Yatton Keynell but Thorne wants to increase that.

He said: "I am looking at sports centres that we can hire during the winter so that we can train twice a week. This is an expensive thing so I am looking carefully at prices."

United have been playing in blue and white striped shirts given to them by Porters Black but they want to buy a red and white kit like the one their predecessors wore over 40 years ago.

United have already kicked off their season in the Wiltshire Junior Two league with Chris Yeo emerging as a goal scoring hero.

United's rebirth began with a nailbiting 4-3 win at AFC Rodbourne in Swindon two weeks ago. Yeo scored twice with Martin Clarke and Ben Smith adding the others.

Their homecoming was not as memorable. They were beaten 3-2 on a rain-drenched pitch by Bromham. Yeo was on form again as he netted two.

Last Saturday the team lost 4-3 away to Pinehurst. Yeo netted his fifth of the season and Jason Cole scored two.

Thorne dreams of one day playing Chippenham Town and properly renewing the passionate derbies that once attracted crowds of more than 4,000.

He said: "It is our first season but I expect a top five finish and to gain promotion. I have some good lads here."

The club's rise has been welcomed by some of its former players, who have fond memories of their days in red and white.

John Lyons, 58, played for United when he was 17 and is pleased to see the side reformed.

He said: "It's great to see that Richard has put the team back together after so many years. Chippenham is big enough for two teams."

Lyons, of Canterbury Street, Chippenham, first played for United after he left school in 1958. He was a winger and stayed with the club until it disbanded.

He said: "The team was made up of mainly local lads. It is good to see that this is the case now."

Ex-United left back John Wilkins, 69, of Brook Road Chippenham played in a few of the highly charged derbies with Chippenham Town.

The Western League games, played on Christmas Day and Boxing Day pulled in more than 4,000 passionate supporters and feelings would run high on and off the pitch.

Wilkins played for the side from 1957 until the club folded.

He said: "I remember one particular derby well because it was in the newspaper the following week.

"My schoolteacher Kevin Macloughlin was in goal for Town and I scored against him. It was a shot from outside the penalty box.

"It was great to score for United against Town and we used to get big crowds for the derbies. There was lots of enthusiasm but no trouble between the fans. It was a big rivalry, United always wanted to beat Town."

Maurice Mills, 70, of Chestnut Road Chippenham, was a no-nonsense defender known to teammates as Trapper.

He had one season at United in 1961 after he moved from Melksham Town.

He was pleased to see the club in action again. He said: "It is good to see United back. I will have to get up to Yatton Keynell to see them play.

It reminds me of when I used to play football all those years ago."

Thorne is still on the lookout for players. Anyone from Chippenham interested can contact him on 07836 637957.