Any game when the team scores 8, concedes 0 and dominates the entire game should be considered a success. This game was indeed a fine win but for long periods Wootton Bassett failed to do the simple things which would have allowed them to play with the control which the final score indicates.

The first half was a scrappy affair with Bassett encamped in the Stratton half. Probably the amount of possession Bassett had led the players to believe that any ball played forward would be enough to allow the strikers to score. This was not the case. On too many occasions aimless balls from the midfield allowed Stratton to stifle out any attack and clear the ball. However Wootton Bassett did take the lead on 10 minutes when an innocuous shot was spilled by the Stratton keeper and the alert Craig Hunt fired the loose ball into the net. Again more sloppy play from Bassett kept the score at 1 – 0. The 2nd goal again came from a defensive error when a short back pass was not dealt with by the goal keeper. Harry Fitzwilliams showed great determination and his solid tackle forced the ball over the line.

After the interval the Wootton Bassett players realised that they needed to up there work rate and as a consequence the performance was much improved. The midfield played with more purpose and our running off the ball improved. Eight minutes into the 2nd half Craig Hunt popped up unmarked inside the 6 yard box. His first and second efforts were somehow kept out by the keeper, but the 3rd attempt ended up in the net. A treble substitution saw Jack Mason come on for debutant keeper Tom Hammond, Jon Coniglio on for the hard working Craig Hunt and Joe Leedham on for the tireless Chris Bryant. Immediately the fresh legs changed the whole game and further goals, 3 from Harry, 1 from Jon Coniglio and 1 from Joe Leedham, saw off a hard working Stratton side with Bassett moving into the Quarter Finals.

Credit: Unknown
Last modified on Monday 23rd November 2020 at 20:58