Match Preview: Southern League Premier South
Swindon Supermarine vs Basingstoke Town
When: Saturday 13th April 2024 Kick-off 1.30pm
Where: Webbswood Stadium, Supermarine Road, Swindon, SN3 4BZ
Swindon Supermarine (The Marine), Avg 2023-24 Home Att 283
Following our solitary goal loss Tuesday night at Hayes & Yeading, where we created but never took the chances when they came along, we head back out on the road, and back to team that is fighting for survival in this league.
We have already played the Marine twice this season, initially back in October, as we progressed in the FA Trophy with a three-nil win at Swindon. A week later we hosted the Marine in the league at Winklebury, and in a see-saw battle we again triumphed four-three.
Our Opponents
The Marine are managed by Stuart Fleetwood, whose playing career as a striker, includes a string of clubs (some on loans), but started via the Cardiff City’s youth scheme, before playing for clubs such as Redditch Utd & Merthyr Town. He initially joined Supermarine as a player coach in 2017-18 season, but then took on the coaches role at Yate Town, before returning to take on the Manager’s role just two months ago.
Swindon currently sit in sixteenth place, but just one point above the relegation places three places below. Their record sits at PLD 39 Won 11, Drawn 10 Lost 18 with 43 pts. Their home record is 6 wins, 6 draws and 7 losses. However, apart from their 4-1 loss to Plymouth Parkway, their recent results have been positive, beating Didcot (2-0), a draw at home to Salisbury (3-3), and a (2-2) draw away to Hayes & Yeading.
Their leading goalscorer is David Sims-Burgess, who joined the week after their FA Trophy loss to us, and scored in his debut against us the following week later in the league game. He now has fourteen goals for the Marine, since joining initially on loan from Taunton Town, but was then released by them in January. He has also spent time at Bath City, Yate Town & Paulton Rovers. Striker Levi Irving, had ten goals for the Marine, but has recently left the club, joining promotion hopefuls Salisbury. They also have attacking winger Ryan Campbell, who joined in December 2016, is a left-sided player and has five goals, and like many other players, previously played for Chippenham Town. They recently signed well-known forward Michael Fernandes from Hayes & Yeading. Fernandes has spent time at Hungerford Town, Farnborough & Hampton & Richmond, as well as loan periods at clubs such as Dartford.
The midfield will likely be led by Joe Tumelty, who has five league goals so far, and will be their main threat from free-kicks. Tumelty, has previously played for clubs such as Yate Town, Larkhall, Frome Town and Chippenham Town. Alongside him will probably be left-sided Henry Spalding, another player with five league goals, who has previously had spell with the Marine. Other teams include Cirencester Town and Salisbury where he left to join the Marine. Another midfielder is George Dowling (one goal), who came through the Bristol City academy before joining Weston-Super-Mare back in 2019, before joining Marine in 2021. Jake Andrews (26), has two league goals, and is another experienced midfielder player, who has spent time at Havant & Waterlooville, as well as loan spells at Poole Town & Gloucester City more recently.
The defence will contain 31 year-old Matt Liddiard who joined from Gloucester City in 2019, and is Marine’s club captain. With him will be Welsh-defender Ioan Richards, who is on a season-long loan from Gloucester City. Add Sam Turl, joining the Marine at the start of last season, where he was an ever-present at the club, playing all 52 games. He has played at Cinderford Town and other clubs before joining from Yate Town. Well-travelled defender Matt Bower, joined the Marine in February, having spent time at a number of clubs in the west, including Yate Town, Weston-Super-Mare, Cirencester Town & Cheltenham Town. The keeper’s gloves will now be worn by Fiachra Pagel, who joined from Forest Green Rovers.
Our Basingstoke Town Side
What was deemed a lack-lustre performance despite having the better of the chances, saw us slip to our third defeat in a row, and all thoughts of a spot just outside the playoff places, have now disappeared. However, there is still cause for us to finish our three remaining games with as many points as possible, so that a top half finish can be achieved, in our first season back in the Premier South Division.
The loss now leaves us in twelfth place with our record at Pld 39 Won 14 Drawn 8 Lost 17 GF 66 GA 78 with 50pts. Our losses at Salisbury and then Hayes & Yeading, leaves us with an away record of 6 wins, 3 draws & 10 losses. What has not helped is a lack of goals in our last three games, having found the net just twice.
Bradley Wilson still leads our goal-scoring chart and will win this year’s Golden Boot Award, with him sitting on twenty goals for the season. Dan Rowe (15) and Liam Ferdinand (11) are all likely to remain in the starting line-up, with Stefan Brown another likely forward as an option depending on who else makes the match-day squad. Last Tuesday’s bench had no attacking players, so an academy striker would/could be an option to freshen up the side.
The midfield is also likely to remain fairly much the same, although Simon Dunn, a second-half substitution on Tuesday, could help to freshen the midfield up, or be part of a different set-up here, alongwith Elliott Bolton, Paul Hodges and Luis Le Paih.
The defence was breached just once in the game at Hayes & Yeading, and that was a long distance shot from close to thirty yards. Other than that it looked fairly well in control, so could remain reasonably the same tomorrow afternoon. Le Paih although in a defensive number, rarely played at the back, and two potential returnees as Shane Hollamby and James Clark, could make adjustments on how we set-up. I see no reason for changing Curtis Angell on the right and Massimo Giamattei on the left, and will see Billy Upton in the middle, with either Hollamby or Clark alongside him. I assume Scott Armsworth rehabilitation has slipped once again, and will miss tomorrow’s game, leaving the two recent academy players (Joe Redmond & Harry Bowden), as options off the bench once again.
Simon Grant, will once again be wearing the keepers gloves tomorrow.
Manager Dan Brownlie will be expecting a reaction from the players following Tuesday’s performance, and the players need to end this losing streak as we head to our penultimate game on the road tomorrow.
Swindon Supermarine badly need the points and with an early kick-off will look to add to our recent losses.
The weather is expected to be a lot better than the downpour we had to encounter the last time we visited the Webbswood Stadium, and I am expecting another large turnout by Stoke fans for the game.
Match Preview by Martin French..
English 
Polish 
Good write up, and a big game that we need something from.