Friday 24th April 2009 - Wickham Wanderers (A)

Following their biggest defeat of the season the "A" Team travelled to Wickham knowing they needed to bounce back quickly to stand any chance of winning the league.

Bassett got an early warning when a Wickham corner went across the face of the goal only for the shot at the far post to go over the bar. This sparked Bassett into a bit of life and the team tried to put together some passes. Their first chance came on 7 minutes when Lewis threw to Callum, who rolled the ball back for Lewis to cross to Tyler. Tyler turned and shot in one motion but the ball was saved by the Wickham keeper.

On 9 minutes, a long clearance from Beckham saw the Wickham keeper put under pressure by Tyler, the ball bounced around the box and fell to Callum wide on the right, he passed in field to Lewis, whose shot from outside the area went just over the bar.

Bassett enjoyed most of the play and were making every effort to play passing football. Unfortunately, few clear cut chances were resulting from the excellent approach play. On 16 minutes, Harrison picked up a loose ball in midfield and made a diagonal pass for Tyler to run onto. Just as Tyler was about to shoot, the Wickham defender made a well timed tackle to wipe out the threat.

On 18 minutes, a Tyler corner floated over the front post and was met by the head of Lewis at the back. Ball and Lewis both bounced off the post, unfortunately, the ball going out for a goal kick.

As half time approached, Bassett put together their best move of the game. Smart passing between Lewis, Harrison and Euan moved the ball swiftly from box-to-box. Euan's pass into the Wickham area was met by the outstretched leg of Tyler, but once again, the ball went narrowly wide.

Half Time: 0-0

Bassett got a real scare right at the start of the second half, as Wickham shot straight from the kick off. Luckily for Bassett the ball went wide of Conor's post. Wickham were much more in the game for the next 10 minutes and put Bassett slightly on the back foot. The Bassett defence of Jordan, Alanah and Beckham remained disciplined and ensured the pressure that was building up didn't turn into any clear chances for the Wickham attack.

On 10 minutes, Beckham broke up a Wickham attack and passed the ball through to Euan, who carried the ball a few yards then unleashed a shot which struck the bar and deflected over. A minute later, Tyler crossed from the left and Callum shot on the run, producing a good save from the Wickham keeper.

On 15 minutes, a long ball from the Wickham midfield saw the Wickham striker get behind the defence for the first time in the game. Luckily for Bassett, the forward's volley went wide as Conor advanced off his line. Bassett had the next opportunity when Beckham picked up a loose ball and shot from distance, again bringing a good save from the Wickham keeper.

As the game approached the final 5 minutes, the tension for both sides could be felt around the pitch. Wickham almost stole the lead as the ball broke across the Bassett area and a well struck shot hammered against the bar.

Shortly afterwards, Wickham were awarded a penalty as attacker and defender tussled for the ball. All fingers were crossed but unfortunately Conor narrowly missed saving the spot kick.

The Bassett players showed their spirit and tried to get the equaliser, but deep into injury time a Wickham free kick found the top corner, effectively taking the game out of the reach of Bassett.

Full-time: 0-2

Match Analysis: A game Bassett didn't deserve to lose. All players bounced back from the defeat last weekend, played some quality football and showed immense determination. On another day the shots would have gone inside the post rather than narrowly wide. Nothing but credit should be given to the players.

Player of the Match: A good team performance with two or three players making an outstanding contribution, no one more so than today's POTM, Beckham. Strong in the tackle and using the ball well, Beckham "bossed" the game for 20 minutes of the second half and drove the Bassett team forward.

Last modified on Monday 22nd June 2015 at 23:39