Wootton Bassett had a great chance to notch up their first Hellenic Premier Division victory against Almondsbury Town who played most of the second half with 10 men, but they failed to capitalise on their advantage and lost 1-0.

After a tentative start by both sides, a long throw by Paul Harper put the Almondsbury defence under pressure and at the other end Bassett keeper Darryl Simms was forced to make a good save. After a spell of pressure the visitors forced a corner in the 39th minute and Paul Bainbridge was on hand to score the only goal of the game.

Almondsbury looked the sharper sid at the start of the second half but suffered a setback on 54 minutes when they lost Paul Sarjeant, sent off for a foul on Lee Stoddart who had a clear sight on goal. Jason Edwards tested Almondsbury keeper Rob Clarke 10 minutes later who was forced to make a good save and Almondsbury showed they were still a danger when Bainbridge hit the Bassett bar with a good effort.

The Almondsbury keeper was then penalised for dwelling too long on the ball but the home side failed to capitalise on the resultant free kick. Keeper Simms then kept Bassett in the game when he saved a penalty in the 83rd minute. On the whole it was a lacklustre performance from the home side who failed to take advantage of their extra man.

Wootton Bassett Side

Simms, Penning, Parsons, Wood, Marshall, Harper, Brien, Patel, Stoddart, Edwards, Newton. Subs: P. Davis, M. Cooper, J.Davis

Credit: Ray Burroughs
Last modified on Saturday 16th January 2021 at 20:16