The Invesco Perpetual Triangle Ground, 20th September 2008

For the first time since the 2001/02 season, Wootton Bassett Town have managed to negotiate their way through the FA Vase qualifying rounds and into the first round proper.

And they did so in some style. For the third consecutive week, Bassett racked up at least five goals, putting six past a hapless Henley Town side, with three coming once again from the boot of Shaun Terry.

Steve Yeardley, Tom Ritchie and Chris Oram provided the others as Bassett waltzed their way into a tough tie against Hellenic Premier side Kidlington at Rylands Way in a fortnight's time.

After a slightly edgy start, Yeardley got the ball rolling with just twelve minutes gone; converting a penalty after Tom Ritchie had been felled in the box when trying to cut the ball back to Phil Tearle following a superb ball over the top by Luke Sharps into the left corner.

Ritchie almost doubled the lead a couple of minutes later when a clearance by 'keeper Stuart Gosby from outside his box went straight to the midfielder. Ritchie went for everything from at least 40 yards, but the crossbar denied him what would have been a wondergoal.

Gosby himself was resigned to seeing it go in as he was casually trotting back to his goal but in the end was able to count himself extremely lucky.

With that chance gone though, his luck duly disappeared. After half an hour, Ritchie fired a powerful, low drive into the bottom right corner after beating the offside trap to latch onto another perfectly weighted lofted pass from the left back Sharps.

Then seven minutes later Chris Oram gave the visitors an unassailable lead going into half time when he found himself at the right place at the right time, following a wayward Ritchie strike after a Terry corner was only half cleared.

Ritchie's effort struck Oram, and he was able to get the ball under control before dancing around Gosby and tapping into an empty net.

Instead of taking their foot off the pedal as happened at Cricklade last week, Bassett's relentless attacking continued from the moment referee Marshallsay restarted play in the second half.

With the second half less than three minutes old, Terry beat the offside trap – something Henley tried to constantly deploy with little success - to race onto Liam Edmundson's chipped pass.

With no defenders within Terry's vicinity to apply pressure, Gosby raced off his line but was beaten to the ball and Terry knocked the ball past him from 30 yards and it just trickled over the line.

Just before the hour he had his second. Henley were caught overplaying inside their own half and the ball fell to Richie Carter. He then supplied another incisive through ball, which Terry once again beat the offside trap to meet, and the despite having Tommy Boylan breathing down his neck, the forward kept his cool and provided a classy sidefoot finish.

Terry would save the best for last though, sealing his hat trick in the 63rd minute. Phil Tearle – who's workrate and pace caused endless problems for the Henley defence – played a square ball inside from the right wing, and Terry teed himself up before sending a delicious volley into the top right corner from 20 yards.

With the rout complete, Bassett began to slow things down and dominated possession until the final whistle.

Their task of keeping a clean sheet was made easier with just under twenty minutes to go when Chris Bark was sent off for a high challenge on Matty Gumm.

It could even have been made seven in the dying moments when Yeardley hit the post after a surging run by Tearle, but the score by then was emphatic enough.

Scoop's Man of the Match: Chris Oram – despite having to mark the burly Dave Hobbs – a player who dwarfed Oram, which is no mean feat – Oram dominated in the air and ensured the hosts never really threatened; also supplied the third goal with a classy finish.

Scoop Rating: 8/10 – arguably the most dominant Bassett performance in a long time. If it wasn't for a number of borderline offside decisions the score could have been double figures. Stewart Thompson had almost no part to play in the game after the opening 15 minutes, showing how stout the defence was.

Last modified on Monday 22nd June 2015 at 23:38