MELKSHAM Town bounced back from their exit in the Wiltshire Senior Cup by progressing to the second round of the Les Phillips Cup on Monday night.

Fielding a young side Melksham took an early lead against fellow Screwfix Premier Division side Bridport.

They held on to the advantage before netting twice more late in the second half to book their place in the next round of the competition.

Manager Nigel Tripp was pleased with the overall display and feels his side are now starting to string together a run of consistently good performances.

"We played really well," said Tripp. "Everyone played well and battled hard.

"Bridport were a bit niggly and had a young side out but we came through it well.

"We were solid at the back and the back three kept nice and tight. That's five clean sheets in six games now and I count Highworth as a clean sheet."

He continued: "We have got it tight at the back and the midfield is looking better.

"We need to work harder up front to get some goals. Owen Bryan signed for us from Corsham on Monday and he will add more competition for places up front."

Melksham got off to the best possible start when they took the lead on ten minutes.

Simon Price got on the score-sheet with a good header from a Steve Pegler free-kick.

Debutant Owen Bryan was introduced to the fray as a second half substitute and he had an immediate impact notching Melksham's second with half an hour to go.

Goalkeeper Gareth Evans' long clearance missed the Bridport back line and Bryan went in bravely with the visitors' goalkeeper to send the ball into the net.

The result was made certain when Melksham scored their third and final goal in the 80th minute when Dean Ranger side-footed the ball home.