Match Preview: Southern League Premier South
Basingstoke Town vs Hanwell Town
When: Saturday 25th January 2025 Kick-off 3pm
Where: Winklebury Centre, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke. RG23 8BF
Hanwell Town (The Geordies), Avg 2024-25 Home Att 258
Not wanting to sound like a cracked record, but another late goal conceded was the difference as we went down by the only goal against an average Poole Town side.
We now host Hanwell Town, who we played back in October, and following an early substitution allowing Simon Grant to take over in goal, we then dominated the game and deservedly led through a brace of goals by Liam Ferdinand. We continued to dominate, but failed to get that third vital goal, and Hanwell came back into the game via ex-Stokie Jordan Edwards, but we held on for the 2-1 win.
Our Opponents
The Geordies are managed by Chris Moore who has a wealth of league & non-league football experience, having as a player played for the likes of Uxbridge, Northwood, Dagenham & Redbridge & Brentford. His management career started at Egham Town in the 2017-18 season, swiftly moving with Wayne Carter to take on the reins at Hanwell Town. Moore, then took over sole control in the 2022-23 season.
With Hanwell winning two-nil on the road at Plymouth Parkway on Tuesday evening, they now sit just two places below us in twelfth place with a record Pld 25 Won 8 Drawn 8 Lost 9 and 32pts. The win at Parkway means they are unbeaten in January with two wins on the road and a home draw. Their leading goal-scorer as when we played them back in October is ex-Stokie Jordan Edwards., who has gone on a scoring spree and now has sixteen league goals on the season. Forward Alfie Pendlebury joins the club after impressing at both Holyport and Cheshunt, where he bagged six goals in 16 games in the Isthmian League, last season. Ezekial Coker, is a 22-year-old Londoner originally on Carlisle United’s books before he moved to Spain with CD Don Alvaro. Coker, or ‘Zeeks’ as he is known, moved back to London and was snapped up by Hanwell.
In midfield, winger Kameron English, who joined the Geordies from Bracknell Town, and was previously at Marlow, Harrow Borough and a brief loan spell at Hanworth Villa. Chris Regis joined the club in the summer of 2024. The former England U17 Midfielder can list his previous clubs as Braintree, Torquay and Sittingbourne. Basingstoke-born Roberto Nditi, joined the Geordies at the end of December. Nditi has a wealth of experience coming through Reading’s U18 & U21 sides, before playing for Eastbourne & Bracknell. He then went north of the board, playing for Forfar & Queen of the South, before returning to play for Thatcham Town. Mat McKenzie joined the club after impressing at South Park in the Isthmian South-Central last season, He’s regarded as a strong, young midfielder who isn’t afraid to get stuck into a challenge and he’s also got a long throw up his sleeve.
In defence, they have the experience of central defender Dwayne Duncan, who has been at the club six seasons now, and is a threat from corners. Full-back Dan Carr, has made a fine start to this season, and has found the next six times (including both goals in their midweek win at Plymouth). He rejoined last season after having spent parts of it at Bracknell Town & Met Police. Harry Seabrook, joined from Harrow Borough in the summer of 2024 & has formed a strong partnership with Dwayne Duncan in the middle of the Geordies’ defence. He has also played for Leighton Town & Uxbridge. Will Hall first joined the club in December 2023 on loan from Boston United and Hanwell were delighted to make his signing a permanent one. Centre-back Rudi Pache has joined the club from Banbury. The former Barnsley youngster grew up in Slough, before moving to Oakwell to join the Tykes’ academy, and spent some time playing in Norway as well. On the left could be the versatile Cameron Rohart-Brown, who we previously saw when he played for Thatcham Town. Right back Joe Wilson was added to the 2024/25 squad and the 24-year-old is no stranger to west London area, having previously played for Hayes and Yeading and Staines Town. In goal will be Sam Beasant, (son of former Wimbledon keeper Dave Beasant), joined in October 2023 from Beaconsfield, and has played for numerous league and Non-League clubs including Maidenhead Utd, Cambridge Utd & Chelmsford City.
Our Basingstoke Town Side
The loss at Poole Town has now been overshadowed, by a number of squad changes at the club this week. With Luis Le Paih’s absence from the match-day squad on Saturday, it was unclear if he had left the club or had joined Badshot Lea on a dual-registration agreement. Seventy-Two hours later Stoke then signed two players on loan from Chippenham Town to support the defence and midfield options. Then yesterday one of our few remaining strikers Nnamdi Nwachuku left the club apparently due to financial reasons at the club.
Following the loss it now leaves us in tenth with our record standing at Pld 26 Won 8 Drawn 10 Lost 8 and 34pts. Unless we make a signing for a forward, it will be interesting to see how we set-up, as Liam Ferdinand will once lead the frontline, with Robbie Gallagher on one wing and potentially the new loan signing Pele Koussioue, potentially on the other. Academy player Charlie Barlow will be an option of the bench, and will the club recall Jonny Efedje back from Westfield? Attacking winger George Reid, is still likely one week away from to be ready to make any significant contribution to the match-day squad.
The midfield will see little change with Rudy Allen & Sam Deadfield (who had his best game for the club last week), will head-up the midfield, with Ben Cook the more likely third option in the midfield. Flynn Bolton who returned from an extensive loan deal was a second-half substitute at the Poole game, and you would thus assume will be part of the matchday squad tomorrow afternoon. It’s unclear how long D’Andre Brown’s hamstring injury may have him sidelined, but surely it would be best to side on caution. Young Aleks Kokoszka, who played a twenty minute role in the midfield, is an option off the bench.
Defensively we have brought in cover for the loss of Curtis Angell, signing another Chippenham Town player Lewis Colwell on loan. Will he remove one of the current starting full-backs is one question, as Markus Johnson-Schuster on the right and James Clark on the left seem set in these roles. Billy Upton will be partnered by Jack Ball as per usual. Scott Armsworth is the reliable back-up to these two. Simon Grant will once again be wearing the goalkeepers jersey tomorrow afternoon.
Lots of questions on how we will set-up tomorrow afternoon, against a team that is still too lose in January, and on a decent run especially on the road. Whilst we should more concern ourselves on how to find the net, we will need to pay extra attention to Jordan Edwards, who will look to score against his old team.
The weather is expected to improve for tomorrow’s game, with an outbreak of sun during the game, so why not put your winter coat and make your way down to Winklebury and get behind our team tomorrow afternoon.
Match Preview by Martin French..