Evo Stick South Division One South 26th August 2019
Basingstoke Town 1 – 1 Winchester City Attendance 366
Where: The Simplyhealth Stadium, Hillier’s Way, Winchester
The Winchester Derby, a better performance and a hard-earned point!
Martin Kuhl went into first of the Winchester derbies with the players missing from Saturday’s FA Cup loss, but still without the services of Jordan Edwards. His line-up was; 1.Chris Rackley, 2. Aiden Harris 3. Joe Hancott, 4. Dean Stow (Capt), 5. Andrew Charsley, 6. Ben Cook, 7. Reece Rusher, 8. Harrison Cliff, 9. Ben Wright, 10. Claudio Herbert, 11. Adam Everiss
On the bench; Lloyd Snell, Arnold Linturn, D’Andre Brown, Riccardo Andrady and Mikey Davis
Our Bank Holiday game against Winchester City got underway under the scorching heat and a much bigger crowd with Stoke on the attack in the initial minutes.
We have initial shots from Wright that flies over the bar and a shot from Herbert that goes wide, but we haven’t put the keeper to work yet. A sliced defensive clearance produces our first corner of the game, but the kick is headed clear.
Then a shot from distance by Stow forces the City keeper to make a save.
Somehow we stay goal-less as on 25 mins following our attack, Winchester break downfield and the City No.9 is able to round Rackley and with the goal gaping his shot clips off the bar and we are able to clear.
It is Stoke who break the deadlock on 29 mins, and we attack over the halfway line and feed Herbert the ball, who races away from his defender cuts into the edge of the box, then sends a shot past the keeper into the net. GOAL! Basingstoke Town 1 – 0 Winchester City.
Over the next few minutes Cook for Stoke and City’s number 8 drag shot’s wide of either goals.
We then have the chance to double our lead as Wright fires it over the bar from a good Cook move and cross.
Then as expected when you don’t take your chance the opposition make you pay as a Winchester attack is poorly defended and their No.9 makes sure of it with a turn and shot into the far corner of the net. Stoke 1 – 1 Winchester City.
Another attack from Stoke earns us another corner. The corner is cleared, and we win a free-kick 25 yds out. The kick then starts a 10 second frenzy in the City goalmouth as the Everiss kick is pushed away, a rebound shot is then cleared off the line as cries for a hand ball ring out behind the goal, but the ball falls to Wright whose shot is pushed in the air only for Wright to win the header, but the keeper again pushes it away and City clear.
The referee plays two mins of injury-time before he blows the halftime whistle.
No changes by Stoke as the second-half gets underway and it’s Stoke with the next chance on 50 mins as a good cross from Rusher is met by Herbert who can’t control his header as it flies wide of the far post with the keeper beaten.
On 52 mins City have a chance but the overhead kick goes wide of the post.
The next few minutes see two Stoke players go in the book, Harrison Cliff for a tackle on a City defender and Wright I assume for something he says to the referee.
City then have another chance but the shot from 10yds out is saved well by Rackley at the near post.
On 63 mins City win a free-kick, 20yds out, but the kick is hit wide of the far post.
Stoke make their first substitution on 65 mins as D’Andre Brown replaces Cliff.
The game is still in the balance and City create another half-chance, but the shot is comfortably saved by Rackley.
Cook then has a shot tipped over the bar by the keeper on 69 mins. The corner is cleared.
The heat is maybe getting to the players, as the next five minutes sees very little attacks by either team.
We then make a double substitution on 76 mins with Arnold Linturn and Mikey Davis replacing Claudio Herbert and Adam Everiss.
It is clear we are starting to tire as on 81 mins City again break but the shot is held by Rackley down at the near post.
On 82 mins City hit the bar, with Rackley beaten and we are able to clear.
On 84 mins we should be behind as a City forward misses a sitter from 2yds out.
Our next chance falls to Mikey Davis, but his shot is blocked after further good work from Ben Cook.
Then on 89 mins it’s Cook again as he finds himself clean through just to the right of the goal, but his shot although well hit is saved by the keeper’s legs.
With the injuries and drink breaks we have now played five mins over the 90 and Rackley comes to our rescue one more time as he punches a fierce shot clear.
It’s game over as the referee blows the whistle on the Winchester Derby and Stoke earn their first point of the season.
Final Score: Basingstoke Town 1 – 1 Winchester City
Match Report by Martin French..