WILL Richards’ stunning first-half strike against Kettering Town was enough to secure Chippenham Town a magnificent seventh straight victory in the Southern League Premier Division as they continue to set the pace at the top of the table.

The pivotal moment at Hardenhuish Park came with 24 minutes on the clock as left-back Richards pushed forward out of defence before letting fly with an unstoppable 30-yard strike that flew into the roof of the net.

The result was even more impressive as it was achieved in the absence of two influential players through suspension, with Chippenham forced to do without the services of captain Greg Tindle and the division’s leading scorer Andy Sandell.

Bluebirds boss Mark Collier felt his side could have been even more comfortable winners by the time the full-time whistle sounded, although that was simply a minor blemish on a win that kept them four points clear at the summit.

“It looks quite tight game from the scoreline but I think we were pretty comfortable for most of the game and unfortunate not to win by a few more goals,” said Collier.

“They’ve had a good spell for about 10 minutes when they put us under pressure and you expect your opponent to have that in a game.

“You are always wary that you might get punished in that period but fair play to the players; they’ve stood up to that really well.

“I think Darren Chitty in goal has only had one or two saves to make during the 90 minutes, so that should really show just how dominant we were.

“Of course it’s a little bit disappointing not to take more of our chances but the most important thing when that happens is that you stand up to the challenge at the other end and I thought the players did that really well.”

Kettering arrived in Wiltshire in fine form themselves, with five victories in their last six outings, making Chippenham’s routine win all the more impressive.

Collier added: “Other teams know the position we are in and they want to make it as difficult as possible for us but it was a good performance on Saturday, albeit we didn’t quite have the goals to show for it.

“To win seven games in a row in this division is no mean feat by anyone’s standards. We are playing very well at the moment and picking up some excellent results, and long may that continue.”