Match Report: Basingstoke Town 4 – 2 Tooting & Mitcham Utd Saturday 19th Movember 2022

Isthmian South Central Division – Saturday 5th November 2022
Basingstoke Town 4 v 2 Tooting & Mitcham Utd Attendance 620
Where: Winklebury Sports Complex, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke. RG23 8BF
Stoke Leave It Late To Guarantee All Three Points
Today’s Line-up was: 1. Mark Scott, 2. Ben Mason, 3. Callum Winchcombe, 5. Nathan Smart, 6. Billy Upton, 7. Bradley Wilson, 8. Simon Dunn (Capt) 9. Stefan Brown, 10. James Clark, 11. Brody Peart, 19. Sam Argent
On the bench: Louis Wilson, Jake Impiazzi, Anton Rodgers & Aiden Lewis
Referee – Harrison Blair

Stoke’s much changed line-up attacked the railway end in the first half and an initial attack ends with a comfortable save by the keeper from Bradley Wilson’s shot.
We then win a corner in the sixth minute after Wilson wins a corner after his cross from the left his blocked out for a corner. The kick is met by Sam Argent at the far post and is header is blocked just in front of the goal-line, and hoofed clear.

Another corner minutes later is headed clear and we look to hold them in their half, and we switch the play and Brody Peart, cuts inside, finds space to shoot and hits a shot from all of 30 yards, that seems to take the keeper by surprise, as he is unable to get across to the shot and the ball finds the back of the net. GOAL ! Basingstoke Town 1 v 0 Tooting & Mitcham Utd (Peart 14 mins)

Tooting have their first attack of note as a cross causes trouble in our six-yard box, which we eventually are able to clear out for a throw-in on the left.

Stoke attack again on twenty minutes, as Stefan Brown collects the ball down the left wing, takes it back and finds Wilson who cuts inside and hits a shot that is sliced out just wide of the near post by a defender for another corner. Nothing of note comes from the corner.

Then against the run of play, Tooting break down the right and the cross is volleyed home and Tooting have equalised. Stoke 1 – 1 Tooting.
Tooting seem more confident as they push forward down the left and a blocked tackle inside our penalty area, and we clear.

We then win a corner down the right wing, the throw is headed into Brown’s path by Argent, but the shot is not hit clean and the keeper saves. However, we then push forward from the poor clearance, but the ball is over hit and runs wide of the goal, but forces the keeper to clear the ball, but Peart gets in the way of the keepers clearance and the ball rebounds to Peart’s feet who takes the ball five yards then slots it into an empty net. GOAL !! Basingstoke Town 2 v 1 Tooting & Mitcham Utd (Peart 30 mins)

The Tooting keeper then delays the restart after he appears to have injured his foot. The game finally restarts three minutes later, and Mitcham break down the left, but we are able to keep them at bay as we clear the ball to the halfway line.

Tooting create the next attack of note, as the ball pings from one side of our penalty area to the other, before a shot is held by Scott in goal.

A neat move by Peart as he does his defender on the byline, is wasted as the ball is slid to Ben Mason whose cross is hit to quickly and does not beat the first man.
A free-kick to Stoke just outside the semi-circle of the penalty area, is dummied by Clark then hit by Peart who beats the wall but the ball flies inches wide of the left-hand post.

Then in injury-time of the first-half Tooting break and look to have found the net, only for the linesman to have flagged for offside.
We play four minutes of added-time before the referee blows for halftime.

Halftime – Basingstoke Town 2 v 1 Tooting & Mitcham Utd
With no changes by Stoke during the break, Stoke kick-0ff the second-half attacking the car-park end, and our first attack of note is when Wilson is released down the left, and after going past his defender hits a shot that the keeper saves low down at the near post.

Tooting have the next two attacks on 52 & 56 minutes, as first a clipped cross is palmed over the bar by Mark Scott in goal, Nothing comes from the corner, then a break down our right and a cross finds a wide-open forward head the ball into the net, and the few Tooting fans behind the goal, have their celebrations, cut short after he is flagged for offside.

Sam Argent then forces a superb save out of the Tooting keeper on the hour.

Simon Dunn then goes in the book after clipping the Tooting player ankles.
Callum Winchcombe follows Dunn in the book six minutes later.

Stoke then miss a chance to increase their lead, after a corner from the right flashes low across the face of the goal, hits a Stoke player, but the ball rebounds straight to the keeper.

We make our first change on 70 minutes, with Sam Argent being replaced by Anton Rodgers.

Tooting then break and a through ball finds a Tooting player who hits a shot into the top of the side netting.
Tooting break from our corner, but a strong well-timed tackle from Nathan Smart, puts a stop to that attack.

Then on 84 minutes we counter-attack though Dunn, who finds Wilson, who slides the ball to Brown on the right, who cuts inside and slides the ball back to Wilson who finds the net. GOAL !!! Basingstoke Town 3 v 1 Tooting & Mitcham Utd (Wilson 84 mins)

Tooting are not giving up and then win a free-kick inches outside our penalty area. The kick hit low, beats the wall, and wrongfoots Scott in goal and finds the back of the net. Stoke 3 – 2 Tooting.
We move into added-time, with the game hanging in the balance as Tooting push forward.

Three minutes passes, four minute passes, then the ball is pushed through to Wilson who pushes the ball past the keeper, only to get pulled down by the keeper and the referee blows for a penalty. There is a two minute delay after an injured defender goes off and then the keeper seems to have gained another injury. Finally Clark steps us and sends the keeper the wrong way. GOAL !!!! Basingstoke Town 4 v 2 Tooting & Mitcham Utd (Clarke 97 mins pen)

Stoke make their second change with Simon Dunn being replaced by Louis Wilson (99 mins).
Then a minute later the referee has seen enough and blows the fulltime whistle.

Full-time Score: Basingstoke Town 4 v 2 Tooting & Mitcham Utd
Peart 14 & 30 mins, Wilson 84 mins                Mbango 24 mins, Clarke 87 mins
Clark 97 mins (Pen)

Match Thought’s
Numerous changes for injuries and apparent holidays, does not prevent us from picking up all three points, but for a lot of the game, there was a feeling that Tooting could easily have levelled the game, before Wilson’s late goal and injury-time penalty by Clark seal all three points. Brody Peart on his return to the team looked dangerous all-game and his brace of goals earns him the clear man-of-the-match today. Stoke move into fourth place in the table.
Up Next:
A Tuesday night North-Hants cup fixture at Winklebury against Whitchurch Utd.

Match Report by Martin French..