CHARD Town manager Adam Fricker this is quietly pleased with his side’s progress this season as they visit Chippenham today (3pm).

The Robins lay seventh in the Toolstation league, first division table after Saturday’s matches.

And considering the injury troubles experienced by Fricker’s limited squad this season, five wins from ten matches is a fair return.

A number of reserves and youth team players have been promoted to the first team – including Ben Mear, Callum Mooney and Braeden Symes – and all have acquitted themselves well.

Chard have lost just three matches to date – and all of those have been in midweek fixtures.

Fricker: “I don’t think it’s any co-incidence that the games we have lost have come in midweek.

“Even for younger players it’s hard to recover in time and of course there is also the problem of getting time off work.”

Fricker was hoping his players escaped unscathed from the trip to Westbury last night (Tuesday), And there’s a chance both Louis Gillman (knee) and Adam Cole (ankle) could return at the weekend.

Last Saturday the Robins returned to winning ways at home Calne Town after giving Barnstaple Town a good run for their money last Wednesday.

Barnstaple have won eight of their nine matches to date but Chard pushed them all the way in a 4-3 defeat.

On Saturday Chard beat Calne Town 3-1 in the league at Zembard Lane.

Calne did all of the attacking in the early stages on Saturday and came close to taking the lead in the fourth minute.

Good work by Glen Armstrong and Tom Boakes set up Neurin Jones to smash the ball towards the Chard goal but Jason Hutchings was quickly off his line to cut out the threat.

Chard’s first real attack came midway through the half when a throw-in by Jamie Barfoot was headed on to Sam Clark by Adam Cole, but the striker slammed his shot into the side netting.

The visitors should have gone ahead in the 37th minute as a mistake by Barfoot allowed Armstrong to run into the area, however, once again Hutchings saved the day as he rushed out to smother the shot.

With two minutes of the half remaining, Calne were awarded what appeared to be a harmless free-kick on the right hand touchline just inside the Chard half. And it came as a complete surprise when Alex Lewis’s long range strike sailed over Hutchings and into the net.

If Calne’s opener came as a bolt from the blue, so did the home sides equaliser a minute later.

Straight from the kick-off, the ball was moved up the centre of the pitch and then out to the right-hand side of the visitors penalty area, where Clark was on hand to slam a first time effort past Jamie Bartlett and into the far corner of the net.

Chard started the second half in a much more determined mood and Clark was unlucky not to increase the score in the 51st minute when his shot brought a superb full length diving save from Bartlett.

Six minutes later the visitors gloveman was on hand once again to save his side as Oscar Latas robbed a defender of the ball by the left hand corner flag, before sending in a cross that was met by the head of Nathan Warren, but somehow Bartlett got a hand to it to palm it around the post.

Chard’s domination during this period finally paid off in the 66th minute when Jamie Underwood sent a long pass out to Latas on the left flank and the lively forward curled a long range effort over man of the match Bartlett and into the net.

The victory was completed two minutes later by Warren as he prodded the ball over the line from close range.

Chard: Jason Hutchings, George Chlopecki, Jamie Barfoot, Nathan Warren, Leigh Bailey, Jamie Underwood (Elliott Dyer 79min), Ben Mear (Max Westlake 73min), Andy Martin, Sam Clark, Adam Cole (Braeden Symes 84min), Oscar Latas. Sub not used: Callum Mooney.

Chard reserves entertain their Elmore counterparts at Zembard Lane in the Premier Division of the Fresha Devon & Exeter League on today (3pm).