On a sun drenched afternoon at Ballards Ash, more cricket weather than for football, the coaching staff could have forgiven the home squad if they had served up their usual fare of poor passing and disinterest that they traditionally reserve for afternoon matches. So it was with some surprise that right from kick-off Bassett tore into the current league leaders, knocking them completely out of their stride and forcing them into an alien "hit and hope" game.

The visitors never got the hang of an offside trap that was well marshalled by the Bassett back four, with Shenia Fogel being unbeatable both on the floor and in the air. With the midfield working hard to be the first to any loose ball, chances for Cirencester were at a premium while with forwards Tim Gleed and Martyn Anderton, Bassett were always dangerous on the break. With both sides working hard, the first half was a breathless affair which for all the efforts ended at 0-0.

The second half continued in the same vein, but as time went on gaps began to appear in both defences as legs began to tire. Bassett had a number of chances to pen the scoring, most notably from Tom James and Tim Gleed but the net seemed to have a charmed life. With five minutes left, and with all the home subs on, two Bassett players picked up injuries which left them hobbling for the rest of the match. The league leaders redoubled their efforts and forced a number of corners in the dying seconds which Bassett dealt with quite comfortably. However, with the referee looking at his watch, a ball was half cleared to the edge of the penalty area from a corner and went straight to a Cirencester forward. His shot went through a ruck of players and just squeezed inside the post giving them the game. The whistle was blown straight after the restart.

A game which Bassett deserved at least a point from, as they showed great fighting spirit and matched Cirencester in every department. It is now up to the home side to show that this game was no flash in the pan as they face the same opponents in two weeks time. Certainly, Cirencester will not be taking the game lightly after this performance.

Credit: Unknown
Last modified on Wednesday 25th November 2020 at 17:54