Isthmian South Central Division – Saturday 3rd December 2022
Basingstoke Town 8 v 0 Guernsey Attendance 406
Where: Winklebury Sports Complex, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke. RG23 8BF
Stoke Send Fans Home With Early Christmas Present
Today’s Line-up was: 1. Paul Strudley, 2. Markus Johnson-Schuster, 3. Callum Winchcombe, 4, Michael Atkinson (Captain), 5. Nathan Smart, 6. Billy Upton, 7. Bradley Wilson, 8. Ben Cook, 10. James Clark, 11. Brody Peart, 19. Sam Argent
On the bench: George Reid, McKoy Palmer, Noah Chengun, Aiden Lewis & Anton Rodgers
Referee – Peter Lowe
Stoke’s latest push for promotion in this early December kick-off got underway with Stoke attacking the railway end, and the first attack of note is on eight minutes, as a cross from Peart, flies past the keeper and Sam argent and Guernsey are able to clear. A minute later a shot from Argent just outside the box, is easily saved by the keeper.
Then in the 16th minute, a shot from Wilson around 12 yards out flies over the bar.
Stoke continue to push forward and Wilson is put through and he clips the ball over the oncoming Guernsey keeper, and the ball bounces off the crossbar and away, as the linesman then decides to put his flag up for offside.
Then a minute later, another pass finds Wilson who takes a touch then slides the ball out to Brody Peart on the right, who crosses the ball, and it’s Ben Cook who gets the all-important touch as he knocks the ball home from five yards out. GOAL ! Basingstoke Town 1 v 0 Guernsey (Cook 23 mins)
On the half-hour Guernsey put in a cross from the left, but Nathan Smart deals with it comfortably as he finds Michael Atkinson and we break down the right, through Peart whose cross is knocked out for a corner. The corner is headed clear.
We again win the ball in midfield and the pass is pushed through to Wilson, who seems five yards quicker than his defender and he takes his time then finds Peart who breaks into the penalty and from an acute angle just outside the six-yard box, he hits a right-foot shot into the ground, but the keeper has already dived to his left, and the ball hits the keepers leg and continues to roll into the back of the net. GOAL !! Basingstoke Town 2 v 0 Guernsey (Peart 35 mins)
On 41 minutes, it is Wilson again who is put through, but his shot hits the left-hand post and the ball is cleared to the halfway line.
Wilson has switched wings and receives the ball on the right, then sends over a low cross, that slides past the keeper, but straight to James Clark at the far post, who knocks the ball home. GOAL !!! Basingstoke Town 3 v 0 Guernsey (Clark 43 mins)
Then on 45 minutes we attack again, this time through Peart on the right and on the corner of the 18 yard penalty hits a left foot shot that flies a yard wide of the far post.
The referee plays just one minute of added-time before blowing the halftime whistle and sends the Stoke players bouncing with confidence into the dressing room.
Halftime – Basingstoke Town 3 v 0 Guernsey
The game gets back underway, with no Stoke substitutions, and in the 48th minute, the ball is passed through to an on-running Wilson, who slides the ball across to James Clark, who hits a first-time shot that hits the left-hand post and bounces back to Clark, as he runs onto it and he knocks it home from five yards out. GOAL !!!! Basingstoke Town 4 v 0 Guernsey (Clark 48 mins)
We are dominating the midfield and another pass through Guernsey’s back line, this time finds Michael Atkinson, who hits a low shot, that the keeper holds at the near post.
We attack again and it’s Wilson again who breaks into the penalty area, and his shot is punched out for a corner. The kick is overhit and flies out for a throw-in on the other side.
Straight back on it, this time it is Argent who sends Markus Johnson-Shuster away, who breaks into the penalty on the right-hand side, then sends over a low cross that flies across the face of the goal, to be recovered by Wilson, who cuts in on his right and then hits a shot that flies over the bar.
A minute later Wilson finds Clark, who hits a shot the keeper pushes out for a corner. The corner from Peart hits the Guernsey No.5 and flies into the net. GOAL !!!!! Basingstoke Town 5 v 0 Guernsey (Own Goal 56 mins)
Stoke then make a double substitution on 58 mins, as Anton Rodgers replaces Ben Cook, and George Reid replaces Brody Peart.
Guernsey win a corner on 61 mins, which is met at the far post by a Guernsey player, but his shot is blocked and we are able to clear.
On 63 mins, we attack again through Atkinson on the left, who slides across a pass straight to Clark, who somehow hits the keeper smack in the face from four yards out, and the ball bounces to George Reid who runs on and hits a shot that is blocked on the line by a Guernsey defender, and it rolls out for another corner. The game is stopped for three minutes, whilst the keeper receives treatment. The corner kick is met by Argent, whose header is comfortably caught by the keeper.
We make our third and final change on 69 mins, with Aiden Lewis replacing Michael Atkinson.
One of our well-known Stoke supporters adds the comment ‘Smarty has it under control’, which is confirmed as two minutes later, it is Nathan who shuts down a Guernsey attack.
Then on 73 minutes, it is Clark who finds Reid who takes it down the right and sends a hard low cross that the keeper can only get a hand to, which rolls to Wilson, who checks himself then knocks the ball the ball home from two yards. GOAL !!!!!! Basingstoke Town 6 v 0 Guernsey (Wilson 73 mins)
Then before fans have finished celebrating that goal, it is Reid again breaking down the right who sends the ball over and the keeper again can only get a touch to it as it rolls to Wilson, who knocks it over the line from less than a yard. GOAL !!!!!!! Basingstoke Town 7 v 0 Guernsey (Wilson 75 mins)
On 80 minutes from yet another corner on the left, it is Billy Upton’s diving header that the keeper makes a save, as he palms it down and Guernsey hook the ball clear.
On 82 minutes the attacks keep coming, this time from a free-kick 35 yards out as the cross is met by Argent whose flicked header flies a foot past the far right-hand post.
On 84 mins, Guernsey are able to break down the left, and a decent shot flies past the far post.
Then on 87 mins it is Wilson’s hat-trick, as another pass finds Wilson, who outpaces his defender, then slides the ball past the oncoming keeper into the far corner of the net. GOAL !!!!!!! Basingstoke Town 8 v 0 Guernsey (Wilson 87 mins)
We are now moving into added-time, and a shot forces an easy save out of Strudley in goal.
Upton then wins the ball in our own half and finds Reid, who takes a touch then slides the ball back to Upton, who rampages through the middle of the pitch and he hits a shot that hits a covering defender and it flies out for another corner. Guernsey are able to clear from the corner and a minute later the referee has seen enough and blows the final whistle on an all-round commanding Stoke performance.
Full-time Score: Basingstoke Town 8 v 0 Guernsey
Cook 23 mins, Peart 35 mins,
Clark 43 & 48 mins, Own Goal 56 mins,
Wilson 73, 75 & 87 mins
Match Thought’s
Where do we start with this. Yes an understrength Guernsey side turned up at Winklebury today, but Dan Brownlie’s gameplan was well set, as numerous times did we win the ball in midfield, then push the ball through to Wilson, Atkinson, Clark or Reid.
Bradley had three, could have had seven, whilst Clark had two and could have had four. Brody Peart again did all that was asked of him and found the scoresheet again. The midfield and back four were dominant throughout the game, leaving Strudley trying to keep warm up the other end of the pitch, for most of the game.
A day for many Stoke fans to remember, but with a need to repeat that performance next Saturday against Southall.
One disappointing thing to note was the less than expected crowd today.
Up Next:
With another train strike planned, we head off into London to take on newcomers to the league, Southall who play at Ashford Town’s Robert parker Stadium. NB. This is an early 1pm kick-off.
Match Report by Martin French..
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