Bassett Under 13's lost their second match of the 2003 Holland Soccer Tour in a closely contested match with F.C. Dordrecht School of Excellence in the Dordrecht stadium as a late free kick lost Bassett the match. Bassett took the lead through Jonny Aitkenhead but his goal was cancelled out ten minutes later by a Dordrecht tap in. Aitkenhead stood out all match and rounded off a great tour of Holland for himself. Bassett started the match with a full-strength side and battled all the way through the match. The game started off closely with both teams defences holding up well – especially Bassett's lead by Aitkenhead, Mike Ford, Dan Strange and Dave Lazenby.

Dordrecht had the first proper chance of the game a few minutes in when Craig Munday tipped over a shot from the edge of the area. Munday was never really troubled though in the opening stages as chance after chance was blasted over. Bassett started to push on the Dordrecht defence through Phil Tearle and Tom Marchment and fifteen minutes into the game Tearle was brought down at the edge of the area after a surging run. Jonny Aitkenhead stepped up for the free kick and he blasted it low and as the ball went through it took a deflection off the Dordrecht wall and skidded in past the wrong-footed Dordrecht 'keeper. The goal came from Bassett's only shot of the game because of some solid Dordrecht defending. Bassett got an injury after the goal went in as Dan Strange took a hard fall and he was replaced by Phil Forster who went on to the left-hand side of defence. Dordrecht began to knock on Bassett's door and got a goal after a cross from the left wasn't cleared, Craig Munday tried to pick up the ball but the ball was knocked out of one hand and the Dordrecht striker only had to tap the ball in as Munday was injured down on the floor but he got back up. Munday was forced to make a great double save minutes later when a shot from the left came in, Munday fisted it up and then grabbed the ball ahead of the oncoming Dordrecht striker. Bassett kept Dordrecht out for the rest of the half by putting up a fight in the heart of the midfield.

At the break, Bassett brought Sean Toomey on for Craig Munday and Will McCurrach was replaced by Pete Willis pushing Tom Marchment back into the midfield. Dordrecht were the better team at the start of the second half with some brilliant passing football and link up play as they worked themselves around the Bassett defence.

Bassett couldn't get past the Dordrecht defence as Phil Tearle nor Pete Willis could latch on to the through balls from the midfield. Bassett made more changes bringing Luke Cressey and Curt Postill on for Josh Dimond and Dean Wason who were suffering from tiredness. Dordrecht seized the advantage as the changes had disrupted the Bassett system and if it wasn't for Sean Toomey - who made some great saves, Jonny Aitkenhead and Mike Ford - who both cleared three shots off the line – the score would have been at least five to Dordrecht. Dordrecht hit the woodwork as well from a corner which was connected with in the box. Bassett's defence continued to keep Dordrecht out until late on in the game when Jonny Aitkenhead gave a free kick away on the edge of the area. The free kick was laid off and blasted into the bottom, far corner to give Dordrecht the lead and the win.

Mark Smedley said after the game, 'We played well but were taught a lesson in passing and were chasing the ball all game conceding possession too easily. When you do that it is hard to get the ball back and in the end we were just tired. You could see our players giving it their all but they just got so tired because the other team just passed the ball around them and we kept giving it to them. 'Hopefully we can learn from that and play some better football back in England. 'We were kept in the game by some brilliant saves by Craig Munday and Sean Toomey. 'I thought we could hold out for a draw as we cleared two or three off the line and we thought we had gotten away with it but a great free kick won it for them.'

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Thursday 19th November 2020 at 18:40