Tuesday 19th July 2016

Royal Wootton Bassett Town's 2016/17 Hellenic League Premier Division campaign will start with fixtures against two promoted sides, beginning with the visit of Carterton.

The Division One West champions travel to the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground on Wednesday 3rd August (7.45pm kick off).

After a trip to Andover in the FA Cup on Saturday 6th August, Bassett will then travel to Henley Town, third in Division One East last season, on Saturday 13th.

Their second home game will be against Thame United on Wednesday 17th before a visit to Highmoor Ibis on Tuesday 23rd. August concludes with a Bank Holiday weekend double, beginning with a home clash against Brackley Town Saints and an away trip to near neighbours Highworth Town.

Depending on the outcome of their cup clash with Andover, Paul Braithwaite's side will either travel to Spelthorne Sports or Hartley Wintney in the FA Cup Preliminary round or face a league match on Saturday 20th.

Bassett's visitors for their opener lost just two games last year on their way to securing a return to the Hellenic Premier, where they last played in the 2010-11 season.

The teams have met 24 times in league contests overall, with eight victories for Bassett, ten triumphs for Carterton and six draws. When the teams last met competitively in Division One West in January 2013, Bassett recorded a convincing 6-1 victory.

It's been over a decade since Bassett have faced Henley in a league fixture, their last such meeting coming in the 2004-05 season.

Bassett's league record against their Thames-side opponents reads played eight, won two, drew two and lost four.

Their most recent competitive meeting came in the Challenge Cup second round in 2014-15, which Bassett won 3-2, while Bassett also recorded a 6-0 FA Vase win at the Triangle Ground at the start of the 2008-09 campaign.

Against their third and fourth league opponents, it's fair to say that Bassett have not enjoyed much particular success.

Although they did record a 2-0 win at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground last year, Bassett have lost three and drawn four of their eight total league contests against Thame, who finished sixth last time out.

Meanwhile, six league meetings with Highmoor – 11th in 2015-16 – have yielded just a pair of draws and four defeats, with only five goals scored and nineteen conceded.

Bassett drew both games against Brackley last season, including the opening game at the New Gerard Buxton Sports Ground.

Both league clash with Highworth ended in defeat in 2015-16, including an 8-0 Boxing Day pasting at The Elms, which Braithwaite's new look side will be eager to avenge. 30 Hellenic League meetings with the Worthians have merited 11 wins and one draw for Bassett, with 18 defeats having been suffered.

Last modified on Wednesday 20th July 2016 at 08:27.