Royal Wootton Bassett Town slipped down to 16th in the Hellenic League Premier Division as they were well beaten 3-1 away against Brimscombe and Thrupp.

Royal Wootton Bassett Town fell into a 2-0 hole in the opening half hour away against Brimscombe and Thrupp, a situation they were never able to recover from as Sam Collier's side were well beaten 3-1.

The loss, which comes a month after Bassett defeated Brimscombe 4-2 in the initial league fixture between the teams this season, sees the team slip to 16th in the Hellenic League Premier Division. That a victory would have lifted Bassett into 12th shows how tight things are in the division. The next slate of fixtures - all against teams within five points of their total of 24 - will be crucial though in determining whether Bassett can potentially haul themselves into the top half come the end of the campaign.

The Meadow has not been a happy hunting ground for Bassett in recent seasons, three of their four previous visits having ended with a loss, the lone positive result being a 1-1 draw in October 2016.

And reversing that run of form was always going to be difficult when conceding after just ten minutes as they did on this occasion, Jamie Bremner steering in at the far post after a low ball into the box.

Bremner then doubled the hosts' lead after half an hour, firing in from Ollie Pitt's cutback to put Brimscombe in a commanding position at the break.

Brimscombe's advantage was extended even further in the opening minute of the second half when Jonty Welch found the net.

Gio Wrona pulled a goal back almost immediately, heading into the top corner for his sixth of the season.

And while Bassett sought to apply pressure for the remainder of the game, Brimscombe enjoyed a comfortable enough cushion that would not be further dented.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Monday 3rd February 2020 at 19:11