Southern League Premier South – Saturday 23rd August 2025
Basingstoke Town 1 vs 1 Plymouth Parkway Attendance 732
Where: Winklebury Centre, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke. RG23 8BF
Manager Dan Brownlie’s line-up for today’s game was: 1. Simon Grant, 2. Markus Johnson-Schuster (Capt), 3. Joseph O’Loughlin, 4.James Dickson, 5. Jack Ball, 6. Scott Armsworth, 7. Bradley Wilson, 8. Josh Green , 9. Robbie Gallagher, 10. D’Andre Brown, 11. Joel Rollinson
On the bench: Ben Cook, 14. Elliott Legg, 15. Billy Upton, 16, James Clark & Connor Barratt
Referee – Jake Hillier
With further injuries hitting the match-day squad the game got underway, and the first attack of the game was provided by the visitors, as a Parkway attacker broke down the right and cut inside and let fly a shot that deflected dangerously into the side netting. Simon Grant then made a save from a shot from the resulting corner.
Still very little from Stoke, and Parkway forced another save out of Grant in goal, as we hit the twelfth minute.
Then controversy swept around the ground, as Scott Armsworth lost the ball just inside our half, and pulled back the Parkway defender, and despite the ball rolling twenty yards away from the foul, the referee showed Scott a straight red card and we were down to ten men.
We then got the double whammy, as from the resulting free-kick, Grant made a fine save pushing the ball onto the post, only for the rebound to be snapped up by a Parkway attacker who knocked the ball home with no reaction from a Stoke defender.
Stoke then made the natural change, as Joel Rollinson was sacrificed to consolidate the defence bringing on Billy Upton, who also took on the captains armband (20 mins).
There was still very little attacking threat from Stoke, until the twenty-sixth minute as the finishing touch was missing from Josh Green’s header back across the goalmouth, as the ball was hooked over the bar.
Parkway, despite their man advantage produced very little over the next ten minutes and we headed towards the halftime whistle.
With three minutes to the break, Robbie Gallagher forced a save out of the Parkway keeper, as he neatly cut inside on the left and let fly a shot.
We played four minutes of added-time and we went into the break with a lot to improve.
Halftime Score: Basingstoke Town 0 vs 1 Plymouth Parkway
Stoke made a halftime change as D’Andre Brown was replaced by Elliott Legg, and Stoke came out showing more purpose, but still failed to trouble the Parkway keeper in the opening ten minutes.
Stoke made it’s third change on the hour mark, as Ben Cook replaced Josh Green.
Stoke continued to push, as Parkway appeared to drop further into a defensive mode.
Gallagher then turned two defenders inside out, and sent over a cross that a Parkway defender just beat Bradley Wilson to the ball.
We made our fourth change as James Dickson was replaced by Connor Barratt (70 mins).
Despite all the pressure, we still failed to trouble the Parkway keeper, and we made our fifth change of the day, as Markus Johnson-Schuster was replaced by James Clark (77 mins).
Corners had come and gone, but we finally levelled the scoring, as Connor Barratt’s corner from the right saw Billy Upton rise above the crowd and power his header past the Parkway keeper into the net. GOAL! Basingstoke Town 1 – 1 Plymouth Parkway (Upton 82 mins )
A free-kick with a minute of normal time, saw Barratt beat the wall, but was comfortably held by the keeper.
Stoke won back-to-back corners in added-time, but Plymouth defended both.
Parkway had one more attack in them, but Legg was across and blocked it out for a corner.
Now in the eighth minute of added-time, a heavy tackle saw the sixth Parkway player go in the book, and a minute later, the referee blew the final whistle, and Stoke will have to settle for a draw.
Full-time Score: Basingstoke Town 1 vs 1 Plymouth Parkway
Upton 82 mins, Brett 17 mins,
Match Thought’s
With Charlie Austin out with through injury and George Reid out due to illness, our attacking threat was limited in the game, not helped by dubiously being reduced to ten men.
Stoke improved in the second-half, but never put ex-Stoke keeper Mack Allan under any serious pressure, until Billy Upton’s powerful header.
A third draw in a row, leaves us one of just four unbeaten teams, but more was expected prior to the game.
Up Next:
Just a 48 hour turnaround as we head to rivals Bracknell Town this Bank Holiday Monday (25th) KO 3pm
Match Report by Martin French..
English 
Polish 