Thursday 24th August 2023
Part six of the Women's First Team 'Meet the squad' series features five players who are set for another season with the club, including four of Royal Wootton Bassett Town's longest-serving players.
Midfielder Amber Egerton - one of Bassett's most decorated players given the number of Player of the Year awards she has won - enters her tenth season with the club and is still going strong as she again seeks to hold down a starting berth.
Not far behind her in length of service is Holly Baker, a versatile forward entering her eighth season in blue and yellow, while all action midfielder Emma Sykes is another former Player of the Year winner who has again committed.
Rounding off the long-serving quartet is midfielder Aly Topping - who, along with Laura Jefferies, holds the distinction of having featured for the Women's First Team in 2009-10, the season when the team was reformed.
Talented young forward Caily Morse may only be entering her third season with Bassett. However, she is another player manager Adam Wood has retained, possessing the ability that will hopefully allow her to forge a lengthy, successful spell with Bassett.
Speaking of the players, the Bassett manager said: "It's great to have all five players back
"'One more year' was a chant used regularly for Amber over preseason. And I'm glad Amber has decided to commit to Bassett for at least another season. She brings a wealth of experience to the team. She is a very committed player, who is a typical holding midfielder, offering strong attributes to break up play. But she is also someone can offer a goal or two."
"Holly is another player who had a lot to weigh up during preseason. She travels from near Bristol for training and games so it needed to be the right decision for her. I think towards the end of last season Holly really came into her own and offered a really dynamic edge to the team which we also have seen in the friendlies this month. Holly will be amongst the goals this season and will be an exciting player to watch."
"With Emma, I'm pleased to have her back with us this season. I didn't see too much of her last year due to her university commitments. However, over preseason she has come in with a very positive attitude to what we want to do as a team. There is a lot of competition in the midfield area this season but Emma brings a strong level of experience, especially for the younger midfielders like Erin and Jasmine and she compliments that with her technical ability, in particular her passing range."
"Aly has been with Bassett a long time now, but I feel her versatility has been her downfall when it comes to getting game time. I like Aly in those forward thinking positions so am really looking forward to working with a very hard trainer and a fantastic personality to have around the changing rooms."
"Finally, Caily is a speedy, aggressive up and coming talent. I've had some in depth conversations with Caily and we have laid out a good development plan for her. I strongly believe Caily will be an exciting player to watch. She is someone who was extremely successful in the youth age groups and is another who will be amongst the goals this year, I'm sure."
Detailed profiles of each player are available below.
All five players are available to sponsor for the 2023-24 season for just £50. If you are interested in sponsoring any of our Women's First Team players, please contact Chairman Paul Gerrish (paul.gerrish@rwbtfc.co.uk; 07946 629483).
Having joined in 2014-15, Egerton is one of Bassett's longest-serving players. She is a versatile player who will play anywhere she is asked and will always give 100 percent for her team. A dynamic, energetic midfielder, Egerton will also chip in with a few goals and assists.
In 2019-20, she was a hugely impressive performer. An ever-present, she scored twice and was joint winner of the team's Players' Player of the Year award prize. She previously won that award in 2015-16 and 2016-17 and is a three-time winner of Bassett's Manager's Player of the Year prize (2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17).
Injuries limited her appearances in 2021-22, but Egerton bounced back last year, playing 21 times and scoring twice.
Overall, since Bassett entered the South West Regional Women's Football League in 2017-18, she has played 91 times, registering 12 goals.
A long-serving player, Baker is a quick forward player who possesses a great ability to hold up the ball and combines well with her teammates. Capable of finding the back of net, Baker's work out of possession is just as important as she can always be relied upon to give her best effort for the team and is not afriad of getting stuck in. Having achieved a best haul of eight goals in the 2018-19 campaign, she will be aiming to grab some more this season.
Baker has been with Bassett since the 2016-17 season, scoring five goals as Bassett finished runners-up in Gloucestershire County Women's League Division One and lifted the league cup. While netting just twice a season later - Bassett's first in the South West Women's Football League, Baker enjoyed her best season in front of goal in 2018-19, scoring eight times. Over the past two seasons she has scored four goals in 32 appearances.
Overall, since Bassett entered the South West Regional Women's Football League in 2017-18, she has played 50 times.
Sykes is a cultured central midfielder player who returned to Bassett three seasons ago after a serious injury and university commitments kept her from playing for the club in the 2019-20 campaign. She is a player who loves to get stuck in and impose herself on a game, possesses an eye for a pass, is capable of playing at a high tempo for 90 minutes and can also conjure up a goal when needed.
Sykes first featured for Bassett in 2016-17, starring for the club's Wiltshire County Girls' League Under 16 Division title winners. She made the step up to the Women's First Team a year later and earned Bassett's Players' Player of the Year award in her debut season. She continued to play a key role a year later, scoring two goals in Bassett's South West Women's Football League Eastern Division and Wiltshire County Cup double-winning campaign. Following her injury, Sykes returned to play five times in 2020-21, before appearing 17 times in 2021-22 and 12 times last season, scoring one goal.
Overall, she has played 72 times for Bassett.
A long-serving player who started in Bassett's Girls' section and first featured for the Women's First Team as long ago as the 2009-10 season, Topping is a reliable, clever footballer who is neat and tidy in and out of possession. A true team player, all but five of whose appearances in the last three seasons seasons came as a substitute, she is a midfielder who can be trusted to cover various roles and follow instructions brilliantly.
Topping can also be relied upon to chip in with some key goals too – in Bassett's 2018-19 double-winning campaign, she netted six times, adding four goals in 2019-20 and two in 2021-22. She has also recently featured for Highworth Town in the Wiltshire County Women's League, scoring four times in seven appearances three seasons ago.
Morse is a promising young striker who initially joined Bassett at the back end of the 2021-22 season. After making two appearances that year, she featured nine times for Bassett last season, scoring two goals. Her first goal came in a 1-1 draw away at Poole Town while she also netted in Bassett's eventful Wiltshire County Cup semi final against Durrington.
Morse also spent time last year dual signed with FC Chippenham, registering an impressive seven times in ten appearances as they finished fourth in the Wiltshire County Women's League.
Last modified on Thursday 24th August 2023 at 13:00.