SCREWFIX FIRST DIVISION: HIGH-flying Calne were unable to used Chard's notorious sloping Zembard Lane pitch as an excuse as they were beaten in Somerset for the second time in five days.

Poor defending proved costly for the visitors as they handed in-form Chard two first half goals on a plate, although they almost snatched a point after substitute Glenn Armstrong's 85th minute penalty gave them late hope.

Calne joint-manager Kelvin Highmore's top priority is to stamp out the basic errors that have contributed towards back-to-back defeats. He said: "I can't come up with any excuses for it. Whether they had the Senior Cup semi-final against Trowbridge on their minds, I don't know.

"They say there is a slope at Chard, but it is more like a hill. We were playing uphill in the first half and it is all about how you defend. Unfortunately we conceded three.

"Chard are eight or nine games unbeaten and you don't give sides like that goals and expect to get anything.

"It is a hard job to come back from that, even though we were kicking down Ben Nevis in the second half. We have to stop these silly goals we are conceding."

Calne, who faced Trowbridge in the semi-finals of the Wiltshire Senior Cup last night, dropped 20-goal top scorer Armstrong to the bench for the clash. The striker responded by winning and scoring a penalty after stepping off the bench to end his recent scoring drought.

Said Highmore: "We were hoping it would give him a kick up the backside before Wednesday night. He hasn't been producing in recent weeks and, with one eye on the semi-final, he was rested.

"We wanted to give Ben Highmore 90 minutes up front. He did alright and was unfortunate not to score in the end. He has given us food for thought. Glenn wasn't happy that he was left out, but that's the response we wanted. He came on and got the penalty."

Chard won the toss and elected to kick down the slope in the first half, but the visitors coped comfortably with the initial onslaught and Ben Highmore came close to giving them the lead on 11 and 15 minutes.

But Chard took the lead on the half hour when Calne failed to clear James Steer's corner and Danny Wilson poked the ball home.

From the restart Ben Moore and Dale Pottinger combined to set up Martin Wheeler for a stinging volley that deflected in off James Lye.

The goal frenzy continued as Wilson bagged his second with a spectacular overhead kick from 15 yards on 35 minutes. What proved to be the decisive goal arrived in first half stoppage time. Goalkeeper Daryll Simms failed to deal with another Steer corner and Rob Davis' header crept over the line despite the attentions of Mick Garcia.

Calne laid siege to the hosts' goal in the second half, but Chard looked dangerous on the break and Steer hit the crossbar on 58 minutes.

The visitors introduced strikers Steve Davis and Armstrong and the latter pulled one back from the spot with five minutes to go.

Highmore then shaved an upright, before Davis was denied by goalkeeper Tom Maloney. In their last attack, Andy Towers headed Highmore's cross on to the bar.

Calne will be looking to end their Somerset hoodoo when they travel to mid-table Wellington on Saturday. They also visit Bitton on Tuesday night, kick off 7.45pm.

Said Highmore: "We've had a tremendous season and we still have 21 points to play for. We want to finish as high as we possibly can."