Match Report: Basingstoke Town 1 v 6 Sholing Fc Saturday 4th January 2020

Bet Victor Division One South – Saturday 4th January 2020

Basingstoke Town 1 v 6 Sholing Attendance 361

Where: The Simplyhealth Stadium, Hillier Way, Winchester. S023 7SR

Another tough watch today see us hit Rock Bottom as Sholing hit six.

Manager Dan Brownlie with a number of changes, went with a starting line-up of; 1. Aaron Watkins, 2. Alfie Saunders, 3. Adam Everiss, 4. Harrison Cliff, 5. Dean Stow (Capt) 6. Durell Brown, 7. Ricardo Andrady, 8. Ben Cook, 9. Ben Wright, 10. Bradley Wilson, 11. Jordan Edwards.

On the bench: Mikey Davis, Lionel Masudi, D’Andre Brown, Ryan Suckling & Jordan Alves.

The game kicks off with Stoke attacking the open end and signs are not good as on 2mins, Sholing’s no.8 has time to run 15yds with the ball untouched down the right wing, he then slides it inside to another Sholing forward, whose shot from the edge of the penalty area goes wide of the far post.

Within a minute, the same No.8 has even more space down the right and takes the ball into the penalty area, but his shot is initially saved by the oncoming Aaron Watkins, who dives on the ball.

It’s end-to-end action as we break and the ball pushed through is too far for Bradley Wilson, but he pressures the keeper to hack his clearance, straight to Ben Wright, who decides to take two touches before he hits a shot at goal, only for the keeper to get back and make a comfortable save.

Then on 4 mins, it’s Riccardo Andrady’s break down the right wing, he beats his defender and his cross finds Bradley Wilson, who somehow miss-hits his shot from 5yds out, and the ball rolls away from the goal, and allows the keeper to retrieve the ball.

Then on 5mins, there’s more open space for the Sholing No.8 down the right who takes the ball down the byline, his shot is however initially blocked by Adam Everiss, but Adam fails to clear properly as it goes straight to a Sholing player 25yds out, who feeds the ball back to their No.8 again, who this time cuts inside the penalty area, but sends his shot over the bar.

Then on 7 mins, a long crossfield pass by Sholing is headed out for a throw-in by Alfie Saunders. From the throw-in, a Sholing attacker is somehow able to work his way through two Stoke defenders, then take the ball 10yds along the goal-line, then hit a cross across the face of the goal, a Stoke defender is able to gat a boot to it, but the ball goes straight to a Sholing, who thumps it home and we trail 0-1.

Just 3mins later, it’s two-nil, as Sholing work the ball down the right once again, and as he takes it to the byline, the Sholing player is able to send the ball across the face of the goal, without a defender able to block the ball, a wide open forward a the far post taps it home.

Then on 19mins we are able to win a corner down the right-hand side of the pitch. Everiss, sends in allow curling corner, and Dean Stow is up and gets his header on target. It has the keeper beaten, but a defender appears to have hooked it off the goal-line. A few seconds transpire and then it appears that the referee has awarded the goal and we are back in it GOAL! Basingstoke Town 1 – 2 Sholing

We then break from a Sholing corner on 25mins, and it’s Ben Cook who takes the ball past one defender and his shot is deflected out for a corner again on the right-hand side and it’s Everiss whose corner is cleared and Sholing break down the middle, it’s Ben Cook who seems to win the tackle, but the Sholing player regains the ball and breaks away and then sends a surprise shot from 35yds and it flies past Watkins in goal and we Sholing double their lead again, Basingstoke 1-3 Sholing.

The large Stoke crowd, mixed with a number of Sholing fans, have seen this all to frequently and within 2 mins of the restart, a Sholing player attempts a Ronaldo-style flick with the ball to himself that beats our defence, he then passes the ball inside, where a Sholing forward thunders the ball against the bar and we are able to scramble it clear.

It’s Sholing who attack again and without a tackle on the horizon, a shot from 25yds is saved by Watkins.

However, Sholing do add their fourth goal on 39mins as they seems to find a way through our defence again.

Then the referee who has given us very little awards us a penalty (42mins). The Btg are expecting Ben Wright to step up and take it, but it’s Dean Stow, who seems to rush his penalty and it’s comfortably saved down low to the keeper’s right.

The last couple of minutes are played out as the referee blows the halftime whistle.

The second-half gets underway with no changes by Dan Brownlie, and the first thing of note in the second-half is the linesman giving one of our forwards offside. Under the new rule you can wander around the whole pitch, even be standing offside by 15yds as long as you don’t touch the ball, so when Sholing’s defender is the only one within 8yds of the ball, a few questioning shouts go up around the ground.

Anyway, back to the game, and it does not take long as Sholing are awarded a penalty when Stow brings a Sholing forward down. Penalty-taker Daniel Mason sends the keeper the wrong way and we trail 1-5. This is later confirmed as Mason’s hat-trick.

The game hits the half-hour, and Sholing hit their sixth, as the ball comes across from the right, and Sholing’s Lee Wort hooks it back into the goal.

Finally we make two changes, as Mikey Davis and D’Andre Brown, I believe replace Edwards and Andrady.

Very little action by either teams for a few minutes, and we make our third change as Ryan Suckling replaces Everiss.

Now entering the final ten minutes Watkins makes two saves within 30 seconds, second one of note, as the visitors (Sholing), win the ball in midfield and slide the ball to a wide open Sholing forward who races away, only for Watkins to block his shot.

We then win a free-kick down on the right hand side, just outside the box, the kick hits the wall and we win a corner. The kick is comfortably claimed in the air by the keeper (84mins).

On 89mins we have another attack, as the ball is fed out to Wilson, he cuts inside and goes past his defender, then let’s go a left-foot shot that flies over the bar and into the car-park behind the goal.

The couple of minutes of injury-time are played out and the referee blows the final whistle and those remaining fans trudge off home.

The new year start is made even worse as Barnstaple score a 90th minute winner on the road at Bristol Manor Farm.

Final Score: Basingstoke Town 1 v 6 Sholing

Back on the road next Saturday, and the long trip to North Devon to play Barnstaple Town, is now a six-pointer.

Match Report by Martin French..

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