Southern League Premier South – Wednesday 1st January 2025
Bracknell Town 1 v 1 Basingstoke Town Attendance 682
Where: Bottom Meadow, Sandhurst Memorial Park, Sandhurst. GU47 9BJ
Manager Dan Brownlie with a late change due to a personal reason, went with his first line of 2025 : 1. Simon Grant, 2. Markus Johnson-Schuster, 3. James Clark, 4. Rudy Allen, 5. Jack Ball, 6. Scott Armsworth, 7. Robbie Gallagher, 8. D’Andre Brown, 9. Liam Ferdinand, 10. Sam Deadfield, 11. Brody Peart
On the bench: Ben Cook, Luis Le Paih, Nnamdi Nwachuku, Curtis Angell & Aleks Kokoszka
Referee – Callum Peter
This New Years Day game got underway with Stoke attacking the clubhouse end, and were the team on top, although on Bracknell created the first attack of note from a corner on the left, which James Clark made a timely clearance. Clark then came close to scoring for Stoke, as the ball fell to him on the six-yard line, but his clipped shot hit Liam Ferdinand then bounced off the Bracknell keeper and away.
Stoke then took the lead, as a neat pass gave Ferdinand space to set his shot, and from twenty-two yards out he clinically struck the ball past the Bracknell keeper into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. GOAL! Bracknell Town 0 – 1 Basingstoke Town (Ferdinand 14 mins)
Stoke continued to press as Bracknell were forced into a series of heavy tackles on Robbie Gallagher as the game hit the twenty-minute mark.
Ferdinand then came close to adding his and Stoke’s second goal, after the Bracknell keeper, looked to clear the ball quickly but only smashed the ball against the back of his own defender, and the ball bounced to Ferdinand, but his shot was blocked by a defender in front of goal, and was hacked clear.
Calls for a penalty were waived after a free-kick from Brody Peart was dropped by the Bracknell keeper, and Rudy Allen fell over the keeper as he retrieved the ball.
Peart forced the keeper into a diving save from a free-kick just outside the penalty area, after another heavy tackle on Gallagher.
Stoke continued to press Bracknell into a number of poor challenges and some wayward passing, and with eight minutes to the break, a free-kick flew across the face of the goal, to Jack Ball whose diving header bounced off the face of the post and Bracknell cleared.
Stoke continued to press for that second-goal, but Bracknell held out, and after a delay due to a Bracknell injury the referee blew for halftime and Stoke went into the break with a deserved lead.
Halftime Score: Bracknell Town 0 v 1 Basingstoke Town
Bracknell opened the second-half and within thirty seconds a cross from the byline was initially dropped by Simon Grant, but was reclaimed.
The homeside continued to come into the game, but three more crosses were comfortably held by Grant in goal.
Stoke are struggling to get into the game, which was not helped by a lengthy delay, resulting Peart and a Bracknell player both going in the book.
The second-half continued with very little action to note as both teams were struggling to put any attack of note.
Stoke made it’s first change, as D’Andre Brown was replaced by Ben Cook (73 mins).
Despite all the better possession by Bracknell, a wayward header by Clark was Bracknell’s closest chance of getting back into the game, as it fell to their forward whose shot was saved by Grant down low.
Stoke then switched to a back five, when Stoke made their second change as Curtis Angell replaced Brody Peart (83 mins).
We were in the first of four added-minutes as we made our third change as Liam Ferdinand was replaced by Luis Le Paih (91 mins).
Disaster then struck a minute later as a cross from the left, saw Ball head the ball into his own goal. Bracknell 1-1 Basingstoke.
The game restarted for a minute before the referee blew for full-time and Stoke & Bracknell will share the points.
Full-time Score: Bracknell Town 1 v 1 Basingstoke Town
Ball OG 92 mins, Ferdinand 14 mins,
Match Thought’s
Stoke produced a first-half that had been missing for a number of weeks, but failed to get more than that clean finish lead by Liam Ferdinand. The second-half saw Bracknell come into the game, but for most of it they failed to look dangerous in front of goal.
Despite a whole team effort for ninety minutes, it was ultimately a late, late own goal, that saw us fail to take the three points that we deserved.
Up Next:
We have the first of two home games in a row, as we host Plymouth Parkway this Saturday (4th) 3pm KO.
Match Report by Martin French..
English 
Polish 
Great first half and poor second, but Bracknell needed help to starve off defeat.