Match Report: Basingstoke Town 4 – 1 Westfield Saturday 14th January 2023

Isthmian South Central Division – Saturday 14th January 2023
Basingstoke Town 4 v 1 Westfield Attendance 460
Where: Winklebury Sports Complex, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke. RG23 8BF
Stoke Hit Four in Come From Behind Win And Move Upto Second
Basingstoke’s Line-up today was: 1. Paul Strudley, 2. Markus Johnson-Schuster, 3. Callum Winchcombe, 4, Michael Atkinson, 5. Nathan Smart, 6. Scott Armsworth, 7. Bradley Wilson, 8. Simon Dunn (Capt), 14. Marcio Neves, 19. Sam Argent, 11. George Reid
On the bench: Brody Peart, James Clark, Ben Mason, Billy Upton & Mark Scott
Referee – Charlie Bullock

The latest episode of Stoke’s promotion push got underway with Stoke attacking the carpark end, but it’s the visitors who have the possession in the early minutes.
Westfield then somehow fail to take the lead on 12 minutes after they break into our penalty area on the left, and the ball is slid over to the far post, where a Westfield from three yards out and with the goal wide-open, hits his shot against the post and the ball rolls away, and we are able to scramble the ball clear.

Then it’s Stoke turn to fail to take the lead, as Michael Atkinson breaks down the left wing and sends the ball across the face of the goal to George Reid, who fails to find the net with his shot from close range.
Stoke have the next few minutes which includes a Wilson/Reid move which ends with a shot that the keeper saves.

Westfield then have the next few minutes of play and they take the lead on 25 minutes, as the ball is sent over and hits Nathan Smart and rebounds past Paul Strudley in the goal. Basingstoke 0-1 Westfield.
Reid then sets up Markus Johnson-Shuster, but his shot fails to trouble the keeper.

Westfield have the next attack, and they force a full-length diving save out of Strudley who pushes it out for a corner. Nothing comes from the corner.

We move into the last ten minutes of the half, with Stoke still not hitting any real consistency, then a cross from Callum Winchcombe finds Wilson, who can’t put it away from close range.

Then in the 39th minute a cross from the right finds a Stoke player who from close range gets dragged back by a Westfield player and the shot goes wide, but the referee takes a couple of seconds before awarding us a penalty. The defender who has made the foul, however is injured and it takes a number of minutes, before he is stretchered off.
It is Bradley Wilson who steps up and finds the bottom right-hand corner of the net. GOAL! Basingstoke Town 1 – 1 Westfield (Wilson (Pen) 45 mins)

The game gets back underway and the card goes up noting that there will be six minutes of added-time, which is played out without anything to note and the referee blows the halftime whistle.

Halftime – Basingstoke Town 1 v 1 Westfield
The second-half gets underway with Stoke now attacking the railway end, and it’s Stoke who push forward and win a corner on the left in the 48th minute, The kick is taken short, and some neat passing allows Wilson to hit a shot that takes a deflection and fly out for a corner, as shouts by a number of Stoke players for handball. The referee has no hesitation in awarding us another penalty and the game is held up for a couple of minutes due to some Westfield players questioning the award. It’s Wilson again who steps up and sends the keeper the wrong way, as he slots the ball down the left hand side of the goal and Stoke take the lead. GOAL!! Basingstoke Town 2 – 1 Westfield (Wilson (Pen) 51 mins)

Stoke are straight back on the attack, as Atkinson takes the ball across the halfway line and drives forward 15 yards before finding Wilson on the left, who takes a touch then cuts inside and hits a shot that the keeper easily saves.

Westfield a minute later (56), create an opening for themselves, but it’s Strudley who makes the save down low at the post. Westfield then have another attack, but our defence deals with it.

Stoke are now looking to come forward and Marcio Neves is looking to take the game to Westfield, as he goes past two players before being abruptly stopped by a strong challenge by a Westfield defender.

Two minutes later Marcio then picks up the is ball from a loose Westfield header and goes past one player then plays a neat one two with San Argent who sets up Marcio to run on and smash it past the keeper down low at the right-hand post GOAL!!! Basingstoke Town 3 – 1 Westfield (Neves 66 mins)
Before the game restarts, Stoke make their first change with Sam Argent being replaced by James Clark.
Marcio is back on it and gets pulled down for a free-kick. This is last action of the day, as we make our second change with him being replaced by Brody Peart.

Stoke are now in rhythm and it’s Atkinson this time down the right who sends over a cross that the defender at the far post struggles to deal with it and hacks it away only for Reid to retrieve it and cut inside into the right hand penalty area and unleashes a shot that flies just past the far post and out for a goal-kick.

Westfield create another attack, but we again deal with it and break into the half, and Reid is on the ball in the centre of the pitch around 35 yds out, then goes on a run, and seems to dribble his way past three tackles, with the ball rebounding to him as he enters the penalty area, and then smashes a shot into the right hand roof of the net. GOAL !!!! Basingstoke Town 4 – 1 Westfield (Reid 77 mins)

It seems to be the policy that if you score, you get substituted, as Reid is the next one to be replaced, with Ben Mason coming on in our final change of the game.

Then on 81 minutes, Wilson has the ball inside the Westfield box, and does a rabona as he finds Dunn, who heads the ball and forces a save out of the Westfield keeper.

Then in the last minute of normal time, there is a flare-up on the right-hand touchline, as a number of players get involved in a what seems a pushing/shoving match. The referee takes a minute and then sends off both Brody Peart and the Westfield No.2.

This now leaves us in the second minute of added-time, as the game is being played out and in the fifth minute of added-time, the referee blows the final whistle, with Stoke continuing on their winning run in 2023.

Full-time Score :   Basingstoke Town  4  v  1  Westfield
Wilson 45 & 51 mins (pens), Neves 66 mins,
Reid 77 mins,

Match Thought’s
Another game where it took us some time and a Westfield foul for us to get back into the game. We then came out with a much stronger desire in the second-half, but still needed that stunning move and finish by Neves to kill off a determined Westfield side. Lots of discussion around Brody Peart’s straight red-card which means he will likely miss more than next week’s trip to Sutton Common Rovers. I will let others comment on the incident.
Wilson’s double penalty conversion sends him even further ahead on the league’s goal-scoring chart.

Up Next:
Back on the road next Saturday, we are back in Surrey as we play Sutton Common Rovers who groundshare at the AFC Whyteleafe ground.

Match Report by Martin French..

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