Monday Morning Quarterback 2019-20 Season – Issue 24

Monday Morning Quarterback 2019-2020 Issue 24 Upon Further Review

Well that was a tough loss to a team that honestly didn’t play that well. Some fans stated that was because we closed them down well, whist others stated that Paulton were not that great on the day.

Whichever, it does not detract from yet another three points dropped and another loss at home. This was one of our three games we had in hand over Barnstaple Town and one that has resulted in no points.

When you’re at the bottom in whatever league, it is your home games that are hoped and expected, that you can pick-up vital points.

In front of goal we simply failed to trouble the keeper enough. He was nervous when he first started the game, but apart from the first few minutes, he rarely was put under any pressure and by halftime, his confidence had clearly grown. This was helped by their big, tall centre-backs, who protected him from any real pressure. Mind you, unless we don’t have that big centre-forward player (apart from Ben Dillon), who is likely to get in the face of the keeper. We use pace from midfield, to try and break down teams.

Admittedly, the last three minutes of injury-time, at the end of the game, we were unlucky not to get that equaliser, but some would say that’s been our luck for most of the season, and why we sit in 19th place in the table!

Ok moving into the final nine weeks of the season, Basingstoke Town have a total of 14 games left (7 at home and 7 away), whilst Barnstaple have 12 games (7 at home and just 5 away).

After tonight and Saturday’s away game at second-placed Thatcham Town, both us and Barnstaple will sit with just 12 games left.

Looking at the top of the table, league leaders Frome Town, were held on the road at Sholing in a goal-less battle, but now move five points clear of second-placed Thatcham Town, whose expected visit to Devon to take on bottom-placed Barnstaple was cancelled due a waterlogged pitch. In third still sits little Larkhall Athletic, as they were the latest team to beat Winchester City. Larkhall took the lead on 7 minutes through Brad Norris’s first of two goals, City were able to equalise before halftime, but Athletic then took all three points through Joseph Tumelty (72) and Norris’s second on 80 minutes, running out 3-1 winners. City who were promotion hopefuls, have now not won in their last five games.

In fourth are our victors Paulton Rovers, whilst Melksham, our opponents later this evening, were able to scrape a 0-1 victory on the road at Bristol Manor Farm.

The Top Five in Our League

The Division One South league goal-scoring chart.

Lee Chilton was the only goal-scorer at the top of the league goal-scoring chart this weekend.

• No Longer in the league

At the bottom of the table, our closest rival Barnstaple Town remain at the bottom, as their home game against Thatcham Town was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. The same can be said about Moneyfields who still sit one place above us after their game at Slimbridge fell to the weather as well.

Above Moneyfields in 17th now sit Mangotsfield who lost for the fifth time in a row, this time 3-1 on the road at Cinderford Town. The Forrester’s took control of the game in the first half through goals by James Harding and they doubled their lead on the half-hour through Blaine Waugh. Then just after the break Liam Angel put the game to bed with Cinderford’s 3rd goal, and the only response by Mangotsfield was an 88th minute penalty conversion. Mangotsfield, despite all their club problems still sit eleven points above us and thirteen points above the one relegation spot. That would mean at least four wins and a draw for Barnstaple to get from their remaining 12 games. To be honest there is no sign of that happening anytime soon.

Above Mangotsfield sit a new team, Bristol Manor Farm, who continue to fall down the league. They lost to the only goal of the game against Melksham, a strike from Joe Romanski. In an effort to catch-up games, Manor Farm have lost 7 of their last ten games, since the start of the year.

In other games that don’t affect either top or bottom of the league currently are, AFC Totton’s continued push away from the bottom of the league with a 2-2 draw at home to Highworth Town. Cirencester’s 6-0 thrashing of Willand Rovers at home and Evesham Utd squandering two points in a late fight back by Bideford with two late goals on 81 and 94 minutes to earn a 2-2 draw.

The highest attendance of the day again was our Basingstoke sides 252 against Paulton Rovers, whilst the lowest crowd was at the Cirencester v Willand game where it was announced just 119 bothered to turn up.

The Bottom Five in our League Now Looks Like This

* Point deducted for illegal player.

Basingstoke Town Goal Scorers Chart (No goals, means no change to this table.)

* Players no longer with the club

Ok, apart from our game tonight, there are three other games scheduled, all on Tuesday night as AFC Totton host local rivals Sholing, Bristol Manor Farm who host league leaders Frome Town and Winchester City’s (weather and pitch permitting) home game against Bideford.

Moving onto Saturday’s fixture list, it was originally scheduled that Frome Town would host Barnstaple Town, however for some unknown reason this game was played back on the 4th September (Frome winning 3-1), so both teams will sit idle.