Trowbridge Town Football Club is pleased to confirm its pre-season fixture list ahead of the 2023/24 Wiltshire Senior League season.

“The Bees” enter the new campaign as the defending champions in an expanded 18-team Premier Division, the highest tier of competition in county football.

Last season proved to be a landmark one for the Club on and off the pitch, with an enviable record in the league – 26 wins from 30 games – matched by ongoing progress in the battle to bring Woodmarsh up to the required standard to improve the offering for Mens and Youth football in the future.

Equally ambitious is the Club’s pre-season fixture list, as Manager Ryan Baggs and his coaching team, led by Matt Russling, prepare to face a roster of the best sides in Wiltshire and Somerset, including several opposition from higher divisions.

It’s a familiar foe that kicks off the pre-season programme, however, as Trowbridge take on their chief rivals for last season’s Wilts League title, Devizes Town, on Saturday 8^th July, using the 3G pitch at Green Lane.

Hellenic League Premier side Royal Wootton Bassett Town are next at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground on Tuesday, 11^th July, with a trip to Western League outfit Radstock Town in store on Saturday 15^th July.

Trips to Western League sides Odd Down (18^th July) and Warminster Town (21^st July) then follow, before a Tuesday night clash at Playing Fields with Shepton Mallet on 25^th July.

A tie against Bratton at Stanley Park (29^th July), plus matches against Trowbridge League champions Heytesbury (1^st Aug) and Frome Collegians Development (5^th August) round out the intensive pre-season warm-up for the Bees, with the new Wilts Senior League season slated to begin on Saturday 12^th August.

Notably, each of the Club’s fixtures in pre-season will be played away from home or at neutral venues, in order to give the pitch and facilities at Woodmarsh as much time as possible to be readied for the competitive campaign.

“It doesn’t feel like five minutes since we celebrated winning the league at Salisbury, but the focus has moved on straight away to how we go about defending it,” explains Baggs.

“Looking at the fixtures we’ve been able to put together, there are some really stern tests on there. But some of these teams are playing at the level of football we want to bring back to the town, so it’s a great early marker for us as a squad, in terms of where we need to develop.

“Ultimately, the club is putting in the effort off the pitch to help get Woodmarsh to where it needs to be so that, next time we win the league, we can enjoy the promotion that goes hand-in-hand with it, so as players and as coaching staff, we need to make sure we deliver our end of the equation.

“Playing all our fixtures away from Woodmarsh will also give our fantastic team of volunteers, and all manner of local support we’ve received, time to get the pitch and the surrounding facilities in the best possible condition for the start of the season.

“One of the really enjoyable things for us as a squad last year was the level of support we received away from home, and we look forward to seeing you all on the road in July and August.”

Trowbridge Town FC – 2023/24 Pre-Season Schedule