Match Report: Highworth Town 4 -2 Basingstoke Town Saturday 1st February 2020

Fortunately, unfortunately depending on your view, I appear to have deleted my match recording, so this will be a much shorter match report.

Two-One Up, and we messed it up, or words to that affect!!

Manager Dan Brownlie with a number of changes, went with a starting line-up of; 1. Aaron Watkins, 2. Alfie Saunders, 3. Adam Everiss, 4. Harrison Cliff, 5. Dean Stow (Capt) 6. Josh Edwards, 7. Claudio Herbert, 8. Ben Cook, 9. Ben Wright, 10. Ben Dillon, 11. Bradley Wilson,

On the bench: Ryan Suckling, Mikey Davis, Jordan Alves, Riccardo Andrady and George Hallahan

With a strong wind across the pitch, the game gets underway with us attacking the clubhouse end and the first attack of note is around five minutes as the ball falls to Ben Dillon who hits it over the bar.
On 8 mins, no-one seems to make a proper tackle down our left, and a shot is palmed across the face of the goal by Watkins, to a wide-open Highworth player, who taps it home and we trail 1-0.
The rest of the half sees us have the better possession, but fail to produce anything of note.

Second-half starts and George Hallahan enters the fray replacing Ben Wright.
It’s still Stoke who are on the attack, but still unable to put the Highworth keeper under any real pressure.

Then on 51mins, Hallahan, picks up the ball on the left wing just inside the oppositions half and takes it 10yards then slots it to a Stoke forward just inside the penalty area, he slides it back to George who has continued his run, then takes two touches as he closes in on goal, then curls it pass the oncoming keeper from an acute angle, and into the net. GOAL! Highworth Town 1 – 1 Basingstoke Town

Stoke are back on it again and a shot from Wilson was a bit too tame.
Then on 56mins we have the ball back in the Worthians penalty area, two shots are blocked and then the ball falls to Hallahan who hits a shot from 10yds and it beats the keeper and hits the back of the net. GOAL!! Highworth Town 1 – 2 Basingstoke Town

Stoke continue to be the team on top, but Highworth have a chance to get the equaliser when a decent move produces a shot that fortunately is dragged wide of the goal.

Well their we go, as the Worthians win a corner down the right. The corner flies straight to Watkins on the line and he somehow drops it back into his own net. Back to 2-2.

Then just a few minutes later, Highworth win a free-kick about 40yards out. The kick is floated into the heart of our penalty area, and a looped header has Watkins taken by surprise as it drops into the far corner of the goal (77mins), and we are back trailing again 3-2.

We have some more attacks but produce nothing of real note, and the Worthians are now breaking every time our attacks break down and could have added another goal.

I clearly speak too soon as on 90mins a complete farce allows Highworth to double their lead, as a Stoke defender, instead of clearing the ball thumps it straight into one of our own players, and the ball falls to a Highworth player who takes full advantage of the gift and puts it home from 5yds.

The ref plays the normal added injury-time and then blows the final whistle on another let’s say disappointing result.

Final Score: Highworth Town 4 – 2 Basingstoke Town

Up next is Mangotsfield Utd at Winchester next Saturday.

Match Report by Martin French..