Evo Stick South Premier Division South Monday 22nd April 2019
Farnborough 2 – 1 Basingstoke Town Attendance 546
Well that was a kick in the teeth yesterday, as another late goal, puts everybody on tenterhooks for Saturday.
Martin Kuhl’s line-up today was 1. Tom McGill, 2. Dean Stow 3. Adam Everiss, 4. Charlie Kennedy (Capt), 5. Jack Wakely 6. Dan Bayliss, 7. Reece Rusher, 8. Kian Duncan, 9. Sam Argent, 10. Sam Deadfield, 11. Yvan Jourdan
On the bench; 12. Hollamby, 13. Rackley 14. Pearse 15. Smart 17. Wright
The game got underway with the day warm and a touch overcast, with Basingstoke attacking the seating stand end.
The first attack of note is on 6 mins as Farnborough break down our right, the cross is half blocked but rolls to a Boro player on the edge of the box, who takes shot that flies five yards wide of the near post.
Stoke’s first attack of note on 10 mins comes when we break down the left and Rusher wins a corner. The corner from Deadfield however is headed clear.
The game is now 30 mins in and still waiting to get going as neither team can create anything at either goal-mouths.
Then on 31 mins, Argent gets knocked just outside our own box, but the ref surprisingly gives them the free-kick. The free-kick however is blasted over the bar.
We win a corner after good work from Argent, but again nothing comes from that corner, as the hosts clear comfortably.
Then on 39 mins we are unlucky not to take the lead, as the ball is neatly fed though to Jourdan, who takes two touches and then slides a shot past the keeper, but it bounces off the far post and away.
We are made to rue this miss as two minutes later Farnborough take the lead, when they break down the left, there is a quick one-two, as Reggie Young cuts inside and then fires one into the far corner of the net.
No more action and the ref blows the halftime whistle.
The second half gets underway with us attacking the terrace end and it’s Stoke who are first on it as we win three corners in the space of 3 minutes. The first one is headed clear, the second a short one is blocked, but the third there is a penalty shout, as the ball is half cleared to Rusher on the edge of the penalty area, he cuts inside takes two touches then appears to get knocked over. However, the ball is hacked clear as Rusher hits the deck and the ref waves play on.
Still no sign of us getting the equaliser back, and we make our first change which is a double substitution on 55 minutes, as Reece Rusher & Yvan Jourdan are replaced by Ben Wright & Harry Pearse.
The change-up makes the difference as we equalize on 59 mins after good work from Ben Wright and a cross comes in from the left across the goalmouth to a waiting Sammie Argent who taps it home from 4 yards. GOAL Farnborough 1 – 1 Basingstoke Town
This seems to kick start us we create two further attacks, one on 63 mins as Deadfield finds Argent whose turn and shot is blocked out for a corner. The other good work from Pearse as he takes the ball 20yards into the Farnborough half before hitting a shot about two yards over the bar.
The hosts then create two good chances themselves, as the first following a good passing movement the Boro forwards cuts along the byline, but we are able to clear is pass across the face of the goal. The second around 72 mins has us scraping around our goalmouth and we are able to hack it clear after two good blocked shots.
Following another drinks break, we make our third and final change, as we replace Sammie Argent with Sam Smart.
On 76 mins, Smart takes the ball down the right goes past his defender, then slide it across to Wright, who turns and smacks a shot, although well hit, flies comfortably over the bar.
Then on 78 mins, McGill makes a wonder save, as Boro break and the ball is pushed clean through to their forward, who shoots, but a full length diving save by Tom, puts it out for a corner.
We are able to clear from the corner.
On 81 mins, further good work from Smart and Stow down the right allows Stow to hit one that has the keeper beaten but just flies a foot wide of the far post.
On 82 mins we are under a bit of pressure as they attack, and we have to survive the pressure.
On 84 mins Boro make the change that I’m told by one of our fans, that we didn’t want to happen as Perry Coles enters the game
Then on 88 mins, he is proved right as they break again and after a bit of initial defending, the ball is slid to Coles who puts it away and another late goal away from home is going to condemn us to another road loss.
The ref plays the extra-time minutes as we fail to really put anything of note on their goal and it’s game over.
Final Score: Farnborough 2 – 1 Basingstoke Town
Don’t really want to add anything here, as this loss along with other results going against us, means there are four teams including us in contention for that final relegation spot.
Match Report by Martin French..
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