Match Report: Thatcham Town 8 – 0 Basingstoke Town Saturday 29th February 2020

Bet Victor Division One South
Thatcham Town 8 v 0 Basingstoke Town Attendance 285
When: Saturday 29th February 2020
Where: Stacatruc Stadium, Waterside Park, Thatcham, Berks RG19 4PA

Stoke help two towards Thatcham Town’s Eight

Dan Brownlie’s line-up today was; 1. Aaron Watkins, 2. Dean Stow (Capt) 3. Harrison Cliff, 4. Scott Armsworth, 5. Josh Edwards, 6. Simon Dunn, 7. Claudio Herbert, 8. Ben Cook, 9. Ben Wright, 10. George Hallahan, 11. Adam Everiss,

On the bench; Mikey Davis, Riccardo Andrady, Ryan Suckling, Aaron Parfitt and D’Andre Brown

Under a bright, but cold sunny afternoon the game gets underway and a complete mix-up at the back allows Thatcham to take the lead inside twenty seconds. Yes 20 seconds!!

Minutes 3 and 4 we see more pressure on our goal as we manage do back-to-back corners.
We manage to keep the ball in Thatcham’s half for more than ten seconds on minute six.

The next few minutes, neither team can put more than one pass together.
However, yet another poor pass, allows Thatcham to break and one of their numerous forwards slides the ball past Watkins and into the goal (2-0 20mins).

On 24 mins, another defensive error, and the home side break again, but the shot pulls out a fill-length diving save from Watkins, and the rebound is thumped upfield, only for a dubious free-kick to be given against us, ten yards inside our own half. The kick is headed clear and the ball thumped into Thatcham’s half.

On 26 mins we break down the left as Simon Dunn finds Adam Everiss, but his cross is too close to Thatcham’s keeper who plucks the cross out of the air.

From another free-kick the ball is met by a free-header by their smallest player on the park, and we fall three goals behind.

We drift to the 31 min, and George Hallahan does some good work down the right, and sends in a cross to the Thatcham 6-yard box, but there’s absolutely no-one there.

Oops another mistake at the back, and they break again, but Watkins is able to gather the ball as the forwards fortunately loses control of the ball.
A number of our younger fans, have already had enough and have walked out the ground.

We give the ball away again on 36 mins and another shot is deflected out for a corner. We manage to clear this one to the half-way line.

On 37 mins and a sign of our season, is from a corner down the right, the cross is met by a Dean Stow header that hits the post, only for the keeper Paul Stroudley, to somehow push it back onto the post and then safely back into his arms.

An injured Ben Cook is replaced by Riccardo Andrady.
We have a little more possession which includes crosses that are over hit, and each time Thatcham are able to clear.

Then on 45 mins another mistake, as Armsworth, who tries to send the ball deep into Thatcham’s box, finds one of their players who thumps the ball straight to the player Scott was marking and they break again and he comfortably, beats the advancing Watkins and it’s four now.

Halftime and many Stoke fans are not looking forward to the second-half, and worse is that Simon Dunn has picked up a knock, and is replaced by D’Andre Brown.

That should have been five to Thatcham as a free-header is saved by Watkins.
Sorry two mins later (51), it is five and as Home player is given enough time to make a cup of tea, and slots the ball away.

Another Thatcham attack, and another player who has time to switch from his left to his right and then back to his left foot, before he shoots wide of the post.

Another worry it’s the team, as George Hallahan has gone down injured and has to be replaced. Aaron Parfitt replaces him.

One of the home side’s cameraman behind our goal, who has had a quiet time this half, is in fits of laughter after a few comments from the Btg.
Back to the game, and it’s now six, as another cross in our goalmouth finds Stow, who can only put it into his own net (65 mins).

The game has gone into a lull, but from a Stoke attack, a header from a Stoke player, slips just wide of the far post (74mins).

Are Thatcham taking it easy on us, not sure, because the game has gone quiet.

Then as we head into the last five minutes of the game, from a corner, they are able to hook the ball into the net and it’s seven (87 mins).

Heading into injury-time another cross into our goalmouth, this time finds Everiss, who puts it into an empty net (8-0).

The referee has had enough, and so have the Stoke fans, well the ones who stayed to witness the end, as he blows the final whistle.

Final Score: Thatcham Town 8 – 0 Basingstoke Town

For those who can be bothered, we host Willand Rovers at home next Saturday.

Match Report by Martin French..

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