Monday 23rd October 2023

Having faced - and seen off - new opponents in the form of Elburton Villa in the Isuzu FA Vase first round on Saturday, Royal Wootton Bassett Town will now take on familiar foes in the second round after being paired with fellow Hellenic League Premier Division side Longlevens.

The tie is due to take place at the Sustain Stadium on Saturday 11 November.

After advancing to at least the second round for the fourth consecutive year with their hard fought triumph against Elburton Villa, Bassett will now be aiming to make it three successive trips to the third round.

Standing in the way of Sam Collier's side though are a Longlevens outfit who will be hungry to write their own history.

The Gloucester-based outfit have enjoyed a stellar run to the second round this season, winning three times on the road already. Their journey began with a 1-0 win away at Western League Division One Keynsham Town before prevailing 5-3 against Shortwood United off. Hellenic League Division One. That set up a first round tie against Western League Premier Division high-flyers Helston Athletic, which Longlevens impressively won 3-2.

Advancing to the second round for the third ever time, they will now be aiming to set a club record by going one step further when they visit Wiltshire in mid-November.

They have come up short away from home in their previous second round encounters, losing 3-2 at Falmouth Town in 2019-20 and 2-0 against New Milton Town a year later.

But Longlevens will be buoyed by the recent success they have had at the Sustain Stadium, winning 4-0 in the league against Bassett last season. They also led 1-0 at the point when their most recent visit was abandoned in mid-October.

Bassett do hold the upper hand overall against Longlevens though. In sixteen previous meetings in all competitions, Bassett have won on eight occasions, with Longlevens triumphing five times and three games ending all square.

There's therefore something for Bassett and Longlevens to take confidence from heading into the tie. And given what is at stake for both teams, it promises to be an intriguing game too.

We look forward to the contest and to welcoming Longlevens in national cup action - and we very much hope to see a sizeable crowd in attendance on the day!

Last modified on Monday 23rd October 2023 at 13:58.