Cinder Lane, Saturday 10 April 2004

Fairford sent Bassett back down to earth with a four-nil rout of the previously in form Bassett. Goals from Neil Matthews, Phil Corcoran, Chris Hughes and Sam Reason seeing off their visitors in a drab local derby.

Fairford controlled the game from the start, effectively playing the percentages and forcing the young Bassett side to chase the ball around for the majority of the game.

Courtney Chessell hit over a Ryan Lovegrove corner on 11 minutes after finding the ball at his feet at the near post.

Stu Hemsley shot close for Bassett two minutes later, but his 20 yard strike was easily held by James Price.

Bassett were nearly gifted the lead when on twenty minutes a surging ball from Chris Mills intended for John Magani was poked agonizingly wide by defender Dan Mason.

The home side took the lead on 28 minutes when Matthews connected with a Lovegrove corner in the air, which Paul Patel looked to clear off the line but the linesman adjudged the ball to have crossed the line and awarded a goal.

Hemsley was booked for dissent three minutes later after the relatively officious ref Mr. Trask got in his way and gave possession away.

Two minutes from the break Price wasn't troubled by a Steve Yeardley effort after Yeardley latched on to Hemsley ball.

Fairford captain Lee Clark was then booked for a cheap foul. From the resulting free kick Matt Bennett came close when his free kick struck the wall before coming back out to Yeardley who teed up Bennett for a long range effort which was well held by Price.

Price made another good save in stoppage time when he tipped wide a Mark Hammond shot after good work by Patel and Magani set up the Bassett forward replacing Geoff Swatton.

Fifteen seconds into the second half and Fairford doubled their lead when Andy Hallett and Rob Hopkins left the ball for each other and allowed Corcoran to step in and nick the ball before he left Ian Gill with no chance – perfectly curling in a shot from eighteen yards out.

Gill denied Clark five minutes later when he tipped wide Clark's shot after Dave Morse – brother of Bassett midfielder Lee – put the home sides captain through one-on-one.

Fairford made it three in the 53rd minute when Gill tipped away a Corcoran shot only for Chris Hughes to creep in at the back post and put the ball into the empty net.

Bassett brought Chris Hawkins on for Richard Gee on the hour mark to add more attacking options to get back into the game.

Adam Paul received a caution in the 61st minute after a challenge on John Magani.

Matthews headed over a Clark free kick before Mark Hammond had Bassett's best chance in the second half when Mills played a long ball through which Carl Marsh headed towards his own goal allowing Mark Hammond to creep in but 'keeper Price beat the outstretched Hammond to the ball.

Bassett made a double change in the 72nd minute bringing Ben Jarrett and Rob Harris on for Stu Hemsley and Hammond. Gill was forced into action again two minutes later as he pushed wide a Lovegrove head.

Gill held onto a Lovegrove shot from close range seconds later, before he nearly gave another goal away when he was caught outside his box with the ball at his feet and Matthews stepped in to steal the ball before Corcoran struck wide from 25 yards and with an open goal to aim at.

Reason added insult to injury nine minutes from time when he put the ball in from what looked like an offside position after Corcoran flicked on a Marsh free kick.

Scoop's Man of the Match: Steve Yeardley – tried hard to get Bassett back into the game.

Scoop Rating: 3/10 – A poor performance after winning four of their previous five games. Not the performance Bassett need to produce going into the crucial last few games of the year.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Saturday 5th September 2020 at 15:16