Bassett could well be entitled to claim "You won't get much better value than that for your money" after an emphatic win on Saturday. Despite an internal set back at the club, the players responded with a display that had Easington wondering if they were really taking on another Division 1 side. So outplayed were they the game was all but over at half-time. And Bassett were so quick that the referee was busily employed awarding free kicks. Not that many of these tackles were malicious, but more a case they were late because the ball had already gone, leaving defenders chasing shadows.

After a fairly even 10 minutes, Bassett settled and started knocking the ball around. And it got better. Had it not been for keeper Coles, Berry and Harrison, goals would have come sooner than the 25th minute. A superb cross field ball found Wayne Taylor on his own. A cross-shot found Coles off his line and over his head the ball went, dropping into the bottom corner.

Some 10 minutes later, and from a movie started in Bassett's hall a ball via Giles, Guthrie and Morgan found Richard Casey on the left wing. As he beat his man and crossed, the keeper could only push the ball out to the feet of the onrushing Richard Morgan who made no mistake.

On 41 minutes, it was three after a cross from Morgan found defender Beale. Surrounded by blue and red shirts, he tried to put the ball out for the corner. only to find the back of his own net. Bassett then lost stalwart defender Neil Timbrell with a cut head. He went to hospital and on came Maloney. Then Bassett were four up. On 44 minutes, another deep and superb cross by Morgan found Shaun Clarke at the far post and he was hardly likely to miss.

The second half though had an air of 'we hold what we have' by Bassett. This allowed Easington to play a bit and, at times, look like a side that had only lost once this season. There was a definite lack of urgency about Bassett, much to the annoyance of Dave Hawkins in the dugout and Moloney on the field. And Easington were rewarded on 63 minutes with a fine goal from Drinkwater. Bassett then changed Morgan and Casey for Barron and Vincent. But Vincent was robbed of a certain goal by a superb, last-gasp tackle before having one nodded off the line while Justin Stephens had a header pushed over the bar.

Credit: Wilts & Glos Standard
Last modified on Thursday 31st December 2020 at 21:37