Chippenham Town 1, Aveley 0

ON a day when margins were tight across the whole of the National League South, Aveley's debut in the competion saw them lose by the odd goal at Chippenham which, though disappointing, shows the Millers are set to be competitive in a tight division.

The visitors were probably the dominant side over the ninety minutes but in the end the two teams were separated by Tyreke Johnson's goal.

Millers made a strong start and in just the third minute Kenny Aileru smacked a shot against the woodwork and, soon after, Matt Rush shot just wide.

The woodwork at the other end came to Aveley's rescue on 21 minutes when Johnson's effort came off the upright.

However, he found the target four minutes later with a speculative shot that ultimately proved the decider and Chippenham took the lead into the break.

Nana Keyi came close to getting the visitors on level terms soon after the restart with an angled shot that found the side netting but they found the second half, downhill on Chippenham's sloping pitch, tough.

They had the majority of the play but were unable to create clear cut chances until close to the end when Jon Benton had an effort pushed just past the post by the keeper and then a couple of valid-looking penalty appeals were turned down.

In the end the result went the way of the hosts but Aveley will feel there is plenty to build on.