Match Preview: Southern League Premier South
Basingstoke Town vs Chertsey Town
When: Saturday 8th March 2025 Kick-off 3pm
Where: Winklebury Centre, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke. RG23 8BF
Chertsey Town (The Curfews), Avg 2024-25 Home Att 481
With a totalling dominating performance in the five-nil thumping of Tiverton last Saturday, we head into this Saturday’s clash against Chertsey, with a little more sense of safety, as the bottom four teams all dropped points.
We played Chertsey back in November on a Tuesday night, where we struggled to get any control in the game, and an early goal was added by a second just before the break. Early in the second-half, we missed a penalty and then a simple chance that could have put us level, however Jack Ball’s late challenge, saw him see his marching orders and Chertsey’s third (and Jack Mazzone’s hat-trick), from the spot, and the game ended with a 3-0 victory to the hosts.
Our Opponents
The Curfews continue to be managed by former player Mark Harper. The former Leatherhead, Aldershot Town and Farnborough defender has replaced Dave Anderson in charge of the Curfews having stepped up from Combined Counties Premier club Spelthorne Sports.
Chertsey who had despatched Gosport last Saturday, however lost midweek to another bottom-half table side Wimborne, and this loss despite games in hand over other sides, now leaves them just one place above the relegation places in eighteenth, with a record of Pld 31 Won 10 Drawn 4 Lost 17 and 34pts. Chertsey’s away record is surprisingly good and better than their home record, as on the road they have won 6, Drawn 1 & Lost 9. Their leading striker and goal-scorer is the experienced Jack Mazzone who has now found the net twenty-two times in the league, having returned to the club, where he played as a youth, but has now played for Woking, Met Police, South Park, as well as Godalming Town before returning this summer. Another player returning to the club is William Montague, after spending time at Binfield & Southall. Montague has five league goals.
Another ex-Met Police player is Louis Birch, who was there for five seasons as well as Enfield Town. On the right should be Oliver McCoy, who played for Birmingham City’s U18 & U21 sides, before spending time at Wealdstone & Beaconsfield Town. He spent a short period at Chesham before joining Ascot Utd where he joined the Curfews and has four goals this season. On the left will be Toby Little, who has five goals, and has played for a number of clubs, including Basingstoke for one season back in 2012, but more recently Hayes & Yeading, Uxbridge & Beaconsfield. Cole Brown is regarded as an attacking midfielder, who joined the club at the start of this season, having spent the three previous years at Hayes & Yeading. They also have young Nathan Rogers, who signed his first pro-contract at Eastleigh, before going on loan to Shaftesbury. Nathan then joined Chertsey on-loan midway through this season. Oliver Turner, is a defensive midfielder, who was signed by Aldershot and has played on loan at Enfield Town, then joined the Chertsey on loan till May 2025. As back-up they signed another ex-Basingstoke player in Shaun McAuley. McAuley now 39, played for Stoke from 2011 to 2016 as well as a number of other Step 2 and step 3 clubs. However, reports are that he is away on holiday.
The defence contains Callum Duffy, who joined in the summer from Hanwell Town, and has also spent time at Uxbridge & Southall. Fullback Conor Lee, who started at Spelthorne Sports, then moved to Met Police, where he signed for the Curfews. Simba Kudyiwa, is a centre-back who has had spells at Corinthian Casuals, Beckenham Town and of course Met Police. Defender Isaac Olorunfemi joined in September from Bracknell Town, having spells at clubs such as Hanwell Town, Marlow & Egham Town. Another defender is ex-Stokie Reuben Collins, who spent time with us in the 2019-20 season, whilst on loan from AFC Wimbledon. In goal currently is Josh Strizovic, who despite being just 24, has played for numerous clubs on loan or free transfers. These more recently include Whitehawk, Hashtag Utd & Dagenham & Redbridge.
Our Basingstoke Town Side
Basingstoke’s ninth win of the season, and the five unanswered goals was also a major boost to our goal difference, as we play another relegation concerned side in Chertsey tomorrow. An early goal by Liam Ferdinand, his first of two neat headers, put us in control, which was then doubled by Ben Cook’s controlled finish, just minutes before Scott Armsworth’s headed finish. Ferdinand’s second just before the break put us in cruise control for the rest of the game, which was stylishly finished off by Ben Cook’s second goal as he volleyed home for his second and Stoke’s fifth goal.
With Hanwell’s midweek win, we dropped one place to fifteenth, with our record at Pld 34 Won 9 Drawn 12 Lost 12 and 39pts. Liam Ferdinand’s brace last week now gives him fifteen goals on the season. Who else will play upfront is a question only Dan & Aaron will know, as Jayden Brissett who started on the bench last week, will be contention with our new signing Connor Barratt, who missed through illness last week. What this does to our attacking wingers is unclear, but George Reid’s performance last week will possibly edge out Robbie Gallagher tomorrow. Whoever misses out will likely start on the bench. Charlie Barlow will likely miss-out, and could therefore be playing for Whitchurch tomorrow.
The midfield was at it’s best last week with both Sam Deadfield & Ben Cook having their best games this season. Cook’s double and Deadfield’s pin-pointed free-kicks led us to victory, but praise has to go to James Dickson, who won virtually every tackle he needed to make last week. What this means is that Pele Koulsseoue, despite his decent performances recently, is that he will be one of five options on the bench. Aleks Kokoszka, who was part of Andover New Street’s winning FA Vase game, could be an option off the bench as well. D’Andre Brown is making progress in his return from injury, but is still unlikely to make a return to the squad tomorrow.
The defence without Billy Upton, saw us rarely troubled last week, which allowed both Markus Johnson-Schuster & Lewis Colwell, to play more advancing wing-back roles, which left Jack Ball, Scott Armsworth & James Clark to monitor the defence, which they did for most of the game with ease. Mack Allan’s first-start of three games went as smoothly as he could have imagined, making two good saves in the second-half.
Another big game tomorrow, with Chertsey needing the points more than Basingstoke. What is known is that we need to keep an eye on their striker Jack Mazzone, who found the net three times in the away game.
With an expected larger crowd due to the BTFC legends event, why not come down to Winklebury watch the game, and also meet some of the club’s player legends at the same time.
Match Preview by Martin French..
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