Match Preview: Gosport Borough vs Basingstoke Town – Saturday 24th August 2024

Match Preview: Southern League Premier South
Gosport Borough vs Basingstoke Town
When: Saturday 24th August 2024 Kick-off 3pm
Where: Privett Road, Gosport, Hants PO12 3SX
Gosport Borough (Boro), Avg 2024-25 Home Att 725 (1 Game)

This Saturday as we sit top of the table, we play one of the expected promotion challengers as we travel to Privett Park to take on Gosport Borough.
Last season, we split the games, each winning on our home ground. We had an early season trip to Gosport, and after a good opening first-half where we lead one-nil, Gosport levelled and then went on to win comfortably four-one. Then at the end of March, we dented Borough’s promotion prospects, with a commanding three-nil win. Goals that day were from Bradley Wilson and a brace from Dan Rowe.

Our Opponents
The Boro continue to be jointly managed by Pat Suraci & Joe Lea, who are in their second season at the club. Both had decent playing careers, and became Joint Managers previously at Petersfield Town.

Last season Gosport failed to gain promotion losing in the playoffs to Salisbury, having finished in fourth place. This season they are still to get back on track, although a comfortable two-nil win last Sunday against Winchester at Winklebury, gave them their first points of the season. Prior to that, they were thrashed at Hungerford (5-2), plus a solitary goal loss at home to Frome Town on the opening day of the season. This now leaves them in fourteenth place with a record of Pld 3 Won 1 Drawn – Lost 2 GF 4 GA 6 and 3pts.

Their leading goal-scorer is club legend striker Daniel Wooden, who is back for another season at the club, but is yet to get off the mark. He started at the club in 2010, after impressing at Moneyfields, and apart from a short stint at AFC Portchester he rejoined in 2021. Gosport were able to prise ex-Stokie striker Dan Rowe away from Winklebury at the start of this season, and he could earn a start tomorrow afternoon. Ex-AFC Totton striker Alfie Stanley is back for another season, after arriving at the club last February. Another striker is Ayo Faniyan, who joined in pre-season from Hayes & Yeading Utd.

The Boro’s midfield starts with winger Bradley Tarbuck, who has been at the club since 2021. He started his career at his boyhood club Portsmouth, making two appearances for them before leaving in 2015 to join Havant & Waterlooville. There’s the experienced Danny Hollands, who rejoined for another season, who has made over 500 football league appearances in his career for clubs such as AFC Bournemouth, Crewe, Eastleigh and he also won the Division 1 title whilst at Charlton Athletic. Asher Yearwood is an attacking midfield player, who has already found the net twice this season. He had stints at Risborough Rangers, before joining from Beaconsfield Town. They also have Jake Cope an attacking winger who joined having spent the last three seasons at Sholing. Cameron Murray joined the club in July having spent last season at Poole Town.

In defence they have Charlie Wassmer, joined in June 2023, after a loan period from Hayes & Yeading. He has played for a number of clubs, including Crawley Town, Cambridge Utd & Margate. They signed 23 year-old centre-back Joe Morrison from Beaconsfield Town back in December and he’s back in the starting eleven this season. Finley Walsh-Smith is another defender who is now in his second season at the club. Young Brighton academy player Harry Lee has also joined the Boro on loan and is a right-back. Young Oxford Utd academy player Richard McIntyre has also arrived on loan at Privett Park. Rory Williams is likely to be the left-back tomorrow afternoon, who started his career in Boro’s youth ranks, but has also played for Havant & Waterlooville & Andover.
Gosport will have a new goalkeeper this season as Max Evans has joined from Poole Town for this season. Evans has also spent time at Yeovil Town, having come through the ranks at Oxford Utd.

Basingstoke Town Side
Three games in, we sit top of the table with us being just one of two teams with a 100% record. Last Saturday’s home win, was a hard fault midfield battle, which we deservedly went on to win in the second-half, started with that exquisite finish by Liam Ferdinand, then rounded off by Nnamdi Nwachuku’s confident finish, to secure the win.

Manager Dan Brownlie has a number of options up front, even if current leading goal-scorer Dan Warre, is likely to be absent once more, leaving Liam Ferdinand or Nnamdi Nwachuku as the first-option main striker. The five substitution option also allows Robbie Gallagher (who has started all three games), the experience of skilful winger George Reid and talented Jonny Efedje into this mix, gives us numerous options on how we wish to set-up from the start.

The midfield holds a similar situation with a number of players fighting for places once again. These include the experienced Simon Dunn and Paul Hodges, new signings Max Smith & Rudy Allen, who have both impressed this season, as well as Ben Cook, Luis Le Paih and Alfie Bridgman fighting for starting roles, or a place on the bench. This list does not include Flynn Bolton who has yet to make the match-day squad.

The defence has been the one constant this season, and looks to remain the same this week. This sets Markus Johnson-Schuster at right-back, last Saturday’s captain Billy Upton and James Clark in the centre-back roles, leaving Curtis Angell to patrol the left. New signing Jack Ball is still to be given the nod to join the starting squad, the same with Massimo Giamattei & Scott Armsworth.
Simon Grant will be his effervescent self and has had two consecutive clean-sheets, behind this more resilient defence.

It is clear tomorrow’s game at Gosport will be our toughest test so far, not helped by the expected rain, but this is clearly the most talented squad that Manager Dan Brownlie has put together since our National League South days, which gives us so many options, which is helped by the new five substitution rule.

As always I expect a large contingent of Basingstoke fans will be at Privett Park, getting behind the boys tomorrow afternoon.

Match Preview by Martin French..