Match Preview: Southern League Premier South
Winchester City vs Basingstoke Town
When: Tuesday 17th December 2024 Kick-off 7.45pm
Where: Charters Community Stadium, Hillier Way, Winchester, Hampshire. SO23 7SR
Winchester City (The Citizens), Avg 2024-25 Home Att 433
In what was a fairly scrappy game last Saturday, but a dogged two-goal second-half performance saw us end our winless run and earn three valuable points in our last home game before Christmas.
This brings us to our last actual game before Christmas, as we travel to Winchester for this rearranged fixture due to Winchester’s extended FA Cup run. Last season they did the double over us last season, as we lost 2-1 at Winchester, and then in January this year we lost 2-0.
Our Opponents
The Citizens continue to be managed by Craig Davis who has been with the Citizens since moving in 2016-17, from Fleet Town where he was player-Manager. His playing career included starting at Cardiff City, before stops at Bashley, Salisbury, Gosport & AFC Totton.
Winchester sit in a concerning eighteenth, just one place above the relegation zone, with an overall record of Pld 18 Won 4 Drawn 7 Lost 7 and 19pts. Despite starting their home games at Winklebury this season, their home record has failed to improve and sits at 1 Win 4 Draws & 4 Losses. Despite that more recently, thy have had a credible 0-0 draw at home to Bracknell and a 1-0 win at an improving Sholing side. Still, like Basingstoke they have found scoring quite difficult this season, with twenty-two league goals from their eighteen games.
Their leading goalscorers are striker Tommy Wright and attacking winger Ike Hill both with four league goals. Wright, joined Winchester City last summer from Havant & Waterlooville and is a much-sought after forward who lists AFC Totton and Sutton United amongst his former clubs. Hill, is a pacy wide man who has been at the club a number of seasons and is regarded as a key member of the squad. Other forwards are Simba Mlambo, who can play upfront or the wing and is in his eight season at the club. Trevor Caborn is another attacking winger, who scored against us in the last meeting in January and is another player who joined from local-side Alton.
The midfield starts with the experienced Jamie Barron, who also captains the side and signed from Gosport Borough, but has also played for Salisbury, Andover, Sholing and Folland Sports, and has been with the Citizens since the 2021-22 season. Ollie Griggs is a combative midfielder who has played for both City and Dorchester in recent years and has returned for City once again. Max Smith who spent a few months with Basingstoke before returning to Winchester. Max, will be available to play against us despite receiving a red card on Saturday. Dan Jones is a young midfielder who stared in City’s U23 side, before breaking into the first team. Young Alex Wilkie joined City this summer after a successful pre-season trial. Wilkie was previously at Cheltenham Town Under-18s.
In defence they have Mark Jamison, who has re-signed for the 2024-25, and is important of this season’s squad, who was a former Wimborne Town central defender. Left-sided defender Danny King, is the clubs longest-serving player currently and a real fans favourite. A teacher by trade, he has played for Chelsea and Southampton in his youth. Danny reached his testimonial year last season and had his testimonial at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. Kieron Douglas, re-joined City at the beginning of June, having spent last season with Bognor Regis Town and has also recently played for Dorchester Town. At right-back will be Josh McCormick, who returns to Winchester after a season at Bognor Regis.
In goal will be Luke Cairney, who made a big splash when he signed from Poole Town last season, and is an integral part of the team and the club as a whole, winning the Manager’s Player of the Year in the 2023-24 season.
Our Basingstoke Town Side
Yet once more we struggled to get going in the first-half against a poor Wimborne Town side, but our second-half grittiness saw us deserve that comeback victory and break that losing run in the league. Goals by Jack Ball (his first of the season), and D’Andre Brown’s stunning free-kick, added with a good overall defensive display gave us that much-needed win. The victory also halted our slide down the table, and sent us shooting back-up to seventh in the table, with our record now Pld 19 Won 6 Drawn 8 Lost 5 and 26pts.
Liam Ferdinand continues to work upfront pretty much on his own whilst we employed what appeared three wingers for the first hour of the game. George Reid showed glimpses of the old ‘Reidy’ whilst Robbie Gallagher continues to defy his height and weight against bigger opponents. Brody Peart’s corner-kick found Jack Ball and was the first goal from a corner for some time. Nnamdi Nwachuku’s first gametime since the Gloucester game, also gives us another option tomorrow night, whilst Dan Warre now appears to be a second-half substitute, and still gives us 100%.
With the three wingers, we appeared to lose the midfield battle in the first-half, as Rudy Allen & D’Andre Brown seemed outnumbered at times. Once we had drawn level, the welcome return of Ben Cook, James Clark gave us control of the midfield as we entered the final twenty minutes of Saturday’s game. How we set-up tomorrow will be interesting as Sam Deadfield is due back from his one game suspension, and will be pushing for a starting role. Luis Le Paih was a late substitute, and likely will be an option off the bench tomorrow.
The defence pretty much held Wimborne at bay apart from two or three attacks in the first-half, and were especially stout in that final unaccountable ten minutes of added-time. With this in mind, unless things change, it should be the same starting defence, with Marcus Johnson-Schuster on the right. Curtis Angell on the left, whilst Jack Ball should be paired with our captain and man-mountain Billy Upton. James Clark will be the first option if this changes, whilst Aleks Kokoszka will be back in the running following his one game suspension. The keepers gloves will be worn by Simon Grant one again tomorrow night.
In twenty-four hours we head to our local rivals, in need of continuing to obtain points to improve our league position, but against City who have beaten us in recent seasons.
It will be interesting to see what line-up we put out tomorrow night, as we know that Winchester as always will raise their game when they play us, so we need to match them tackle for tackle across the park and take our chances when they come along.
Match Preview by Martin French..
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