MATCH PREVIEW: Chippenham Town vs Salisbury | National League South | Tuesday 4th November
The night before Bonfire night is set to provide a fiery Wiltshire derby.
Salisbury visit the Thornbury Surfacing Stadium, in the first Wiltshire derby of the season, with both sides looking up the table. CTFC are looking to grab points on the board following a series of performances that have merited more points on the table.
The opposition
Salisbury gained its first football club in 1885, as a club born from Stratford Road spent flirted between the Western League and Southern League between 1905 and 1939, opting to fold during the Second World War a new club (Salisbury) was formed in 1947 and joined the second tier of the Western League.
This new side remained in the Western League structure until their acceptance into the Southern League in 1968. They remained in that structure for 25 seasons, flirting with the top division for a season in 1986/87.
1993/94 saw a name change to Salisbury City before more continued seasons in the Southern League and being crowned Division One champions in 1995. By 2006 they were promoted into the Conference South, and their first season at that level was met with immediate promotion to the Conference, via the playoffs beating Bishop’s Stortford and Braintree Town. Salisbury were demoted by two divisions for 2010/11, owing to a breach of league rules during ongoing off-field issues.
Despite this, two promotions in three seasons granted them a return to Step 1 during the 2013/14 season. They would only be allowed one season at this level before forced relegation due to another breach of rules. This would lead to the extinction of Salisbury City as a club, with Salisbury FC forming in the wake of the news.
The phoenix side began life in the Wessex league and, via two promotions in three seasons, by the outbreak of COVID-19 plied their trade in Step 3. Two curtailed seasons followed by two consecutive 15th place finishes preceded their promotion in 2023/24, beating AFC Totton in the Playoff final on penalty-kicks.
Last season, the phoenix club’s first at this level, yielded safety on the final day courtesy of their draw against already relegated Welling, and St Albans’ loss at the title-winning Truro City. The summer of 2025 saw new ownership for The Whites and a swathe of summer signings. This season Salisbury sit in the relegation zone, in 23rd position, dumped out of the FA Cup in the 3QR and also out of the Wiltshire Premier Shield.
Derby day history
Wilshire’s borders can be viewed as ambiguous and the county’s lines can be argued one way or another. We promise this has something to do with football! According to local Governance, Swindon can be argued to be separate from Wiltshire, meaning by some definitions, this match between Salisbury and Chippenham Town becomes Wiltshire’s Premier derby, in terms of current footballing hierarchy.
Ding-dong battles between the sides during the Western League Div 2 days were regularly watched by thousands, with our last meeting with Salisbury FC (Extinct 1939) coming on the 1st of May 1939 in one of the Whites’ final matches.
Post-war and the now Salisbury (to become Salisbury City) and us would battle across the Western League between the mid 1940’s and late 1960’s of which some older supporters may remember. The first cup meeting between the two came in 1951/52, as thanks to a replay we would beat the Whites in the run that granted our first ever visit to the FA Cup First Round. Those two ties were attended by 3747.
Salisbury’s acceptance into the Southern League in 1968 reduced meetings to just a solitary FA trophy affair in 1974, which CTFC won 2-1.
We caught up with Salisbury, by then renamed to Salisbury City by the early 2000’s, as in 2005/06 and their Southern League title winning season, we met twice falling to a defeat in February that furthered Salisbury’s promotion push.
Due to The White’s trials and tribulations further up the pyramid we met just twice more before their reform, in the 2010/11 season. The first match of the season saw a 1-1 draw with Sam Allison netting our equaliser before February’s match finishing 1-0 to Salisbury, as the Whites were promoted. We would not face Salisbury in that incarnation again.
Our first competitive meeting with the new Salisbury side came in the 2016/17 FA Trophy. Thanks to who else but a Dave Pratt brace, with the winner in the final minute, we beat our Wiltshire neighbours.
We finally re-crossed league paths last season, as despite finishing beneath us Salisbury beat us home and away, with this fixture offering a chance at redemption.
Familiar Faces
Salisbury’s current squad includes just one former Bluebird, with Academy graduate Noah Coppin plying his trade in south Wiltshire. Coppin has been with the Whites since he departed us in 2023. He helped them to their 2024 promotion, and so far this season has a goal and assist in the league.
Just one of our current squad has played for Salisbury, with summer addition Canice Carroll spending time with The Whites last campaign, playing 13 times in the league and wearing the captain’s armband on four occasions.
Dangermen
Salisbury made 16 signings during the most recent window, with the two most high profile coming from the EFL in the shape of Tom Davies and Matty Taylor.
Tom Davies, a centre-half, began his professional career with Fleetwood Town, and made league appearances for Accrington, Portsmouth, Coventry, Bristol Rovers, Barrow and most recently, 135 League Two appearances for Tranmere Rovers. He has twice achieved promotion into League One, as a title winner with Portsmouth in 2017 and with Coventry in 2018. Davies, now aged 33, penned a deal with Salisbury during the summer and has made 11 league appearances so far this season, scoring in their draw with Hornchurch.
Matty Taylor, a conventional centre-forward is an infamous figure to those with local EFL knowledge. Taylor began his career with Oxford United in the Conference before joining Forest Green Rovers. Taylor then joined Bristol Rovers, crossing into a third club in the local area, with FGR and Rovers member of clubs considered major rivals. Taylor scored 61 league goals during his three seasons as Rovers earned back to back promotions, and he clearly turned the ears of Bristol City to which he then joined. He became one of very few to make the jump from Rovers to City. Taylor made 67 Championship appearances for the Robins before re-joining Oxford United this time in League One. A loan at Port Vale and permanent transfer to FGR preceded a move to Cheltenham during which time he was relegated from League One but responded with 37 appearances in League Two. Taylor signed for Salisbury this summer, but has yet to score in league action
Supporter information
Supporter segregation will operate for this National League South fixture.
Away club supporters must purchase the correctly specified ‘AWAY SUPPORTER’ match ticket and enter the stadium via the Sheldon School end entrance. Any visiting supporter found in the wrong end of the stadium risks being ejected without refund.
Random bag searches will operate on entry to the stadium, with gates opening at 18.30 for this fixture
Please note: No alcohol will be permitted outside the clubhouse, due to our licensing rules
Online tickets can be purchased via our INTIX page– with Pay on the Gate tickets being available for both sets of supporters.
