Match Report: Hungerford Town 1 – 0 Basingstoke Town – Saturday 27th April 2024

Southern League Premier South Division – Saturday 27th April 2024
Hungerford Town 1 v 0 Basingstoke Town Attendance 778
Where: Bulpitt Lane, Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 0AY
Dan Brownlie’s final league line-up for the 2023-24 season was : 1. Simon Grant, 2. Aleks Kokoszka, 3. Massimo Giamattei, 4. Luis Le Paih, 5. Curtis Angell, 6. Billy Upton, 7. Bradley Wilson, 8. Simon Dunn (Capt), 9. Liam Ferdinand, 10. Paul Hodges, 11. Dan Rowe
On the bench: Shamar Moore, Stefan Brown, James Clark, Ben Cook & Ethan Abrehart
Referee – TBC

The game got underway with Basingstoke’s travelling fans swelling the Hungerford crowd to their largest home attendance of their season, and it was Stoke who created the first chance as a neat passing move on five minutes saw Dan Rowe’s shot from Bradley Wilson’s cross blocked away for a corner.

Hungerford created the next chance, but a dangerous cross from the right, failed to find a striker and we were able to clear, however a minute later from another cross from the right, Hungerford opened the scoring, as they tapped the ball home at the far post. Hungerford 1-0 Basingstoke.

Stoke pushed forward over the halfway line through Massimo Giamattei, who found Simon Dunn, and after a neat one-two pass with Dan Rowe, attempted to chip the Hungerford keeper, but the extremely tall keeper, was able to palm the ball away.

On twenty minutes it was Giamattei once again who broke down the left, but his low cross was just met by a Hungerford defender in front of Liam Ferdinand, as he blocked the ball out for a corner.

With ten minutes to the break, Hungerford came close to adding a second, but two Stoke blocks on the line, and a hooked clearance kept it out.
In added-time, Hungerford were reduced to ten men after a skirmish between Hungerford’s Fabio Lopes & Simon Grant, which resulted in the Hungerford No.11 being shown his marching orders.
The referee then a minute later blew the halftime whistle.

Halftime Score: Hungerford Town 1 v 0 Basingstoke Town
The game resumed with Stoke now attacking down the slope, and a shot in the opening minute whistled just wide of the left-hand post.

Hungerford’s ten-men playing deep, helped by a bumpy pitch, continued to frustrate Stoke’s attacks as we moved into the final quarter of the game.

Stoke made a double substitution on sixty-nine minutes, with Aleks Kokoszka replaced by Stefan Brown & Massimo Giamattei replaced by James Clark.

Hungerford created a half-chance, but Billy Upton’s strong tackle quickly put a stop to that.

Still little to note as the homeside continued to frustrate Stoke’s advances with ten minutes to go
Stoke made their final change, with Ben Cook replacing Curtis Angell (86 mins).
Stoke in added-time, created one final chance, as a neat pass found Ferdinand, whose shot could only find the side-netting.

After five minutes of added-time, the referee blew the final whistle on Basingstoke’s league season with a narrow one goal defeat.

Full-time Score: Hungerford Town 1 v 0 Basingstoke Town
Shepherd 13 mins

Match Thought’s
With neither team having little to play for, it was not the best of matches for entertainment value, which was not helped by a poor bumpy pitch, and Hungerford’s ten-men defending deep for most of the second-half.
We finish twelfth in our first season back in Step 3’s Premier Division South.
Up Next:
Well our final fixture of the 23-24 season, is this Wednesday’s North-Hants Cup Final at Andover New Street’s Foxcotte Park, against Romsey Town.

Match Report by Martin French..