Ross Town
Wootton Bassett TownWBTFC
Ross Town Logo
1 ‒ 5
Wootton Bassett Town Logo

WBTFC Scorers:
John Magani, Anthony McCusker, Lee Marshall, Dwayne Quinn, Own Goal

Five Star Bassett Off to a Flyer

The Sports Centre, 12th August 2006

First impressions are meant to leave an impressive statement and Wootton Bassett Town did just that, showing they are intent on one thing and one thing only this year – promotion, with a 5-1 drubbing of Ross Town in the season opener.

Five different scorers found themselves on the scoresheet, two for the first time in their Bassett careers. However it could have been a much different game had Wes Downing not hit over from six yards after a low Richard Bevan cross three minutes in.

After a nervous start, Bassett eventually settled down and took the lead in the 14th minute when Paul Middlewood headed a troubling Jon Davis cross – who supplied numerous dangerous balls all day - into his own net.

Paul Burke's side basically dominated from there on in. Stu Hemsley shot just over two minutes after the first goal after Mark King cut the ball back.

Just after the half hour mark a Hemsley free kick was met by Lee Marshall at the far post who just failed to steer the ball in as the ball raced across the face of the goal.

Two minutes later Rich Gee almost got in on the act but headed a Davis free kick onto the outside of the post.

Nine minutes before the break Dwayne Quinn netted his first Bassett goal to double the lead. Hemsley flicked on a Davis ball before Quinn wrestled his way through three defenders and slotted the ball beneath 'keeper Carl Roberts.

He almost added a second moments later when he raced in after Roberts failed to hold a Hemsley free kick but his effort from close range rebounded off the bar.

The second half didn't start well for Bassett as they had their lead halved three minutes after the restart as an unmarked Bevan blasted home a Downing cross from just inside the box.

Marshall restored the two goal lead two minutes later. Gee headed a Quinn free kick back across goal and Marshall pounced, hooking the ball into the top corner from ten yards.

Quinn was replaced by Steve Bunting on the hour mark before Andy Hallett was brought on for Mark King.

Bunting almost made an immediate impact with 64 minutes on the clock but he was denied by a fine point blank save from Roberts after a neat one-two with John Magani.

Anthony McCusker replaced a tiring Tom Messenger in the 74th minute before Magani added another goal eight minutes from time with a ferociously struck volley after Chris Mills' head down to him.

Mills should have made it five but hit the post a minute later when one-on-one with Robert.

McCusker succeeded where Mills failed, concluding a fine opening day performance, in the 87th minute when a Davis corner fell to him fifteen yards out and he drilled the ball into the bottom left corner for his first strike in blue and yellow.

Scoop's Man of the Match: John Magani – caused all kinds of trouble for the Ross defence with his movement off the ball and scored a cracking goal to cap his day off.

Scoop Rating: 8/10 – after an inauspicious opening few minutes, Bassett eventually settled and produced a fine performance that could have produced more than the five goals that were scored. There were a few hiccups but that is expected in any teams opening game.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Sunday 20th September 2020 at 14:39

Ross Town
Wootton Bassett TownWBTFC
Ross Town Logo
1 ‒ 5
Wootton Bassett Town Logo

WBTFC Scorers:
John Magani, Anthony McCusker, Lee Marshall, Dwayne Quinn, Own Goal