Saturday 2nd May 2009 - Elite Soccer Coaching (County Ground)

Two goals in the second half of extra time from Tyler Fitchett gave Wootton Bassett Town A a dramatic victory in the under 9s final.

Fitchett produced two composed finishes, the first coming after a clearance from Jordan Taylor picked out the unmarked forward, before he guided home a right-wing cross from Callum Bridges moments later.

Despite having the best of the early exchanges, Bassett were forced to come from behind, following an early penalty, which was converted by Elite Soccer's Ashley Prim.

However, an emphatic strike from Harrison Russ squared the scores midway through the first half after a square ball from Fitchett.

Fantastic glovework from both 'keepers and a missed penalty from Bassett's Lewis Ward ensured the game went into extra time.

Bassett then had man of the match Conor Chivers to thank as he produced an acrobatic save to parry away from James Russell.

Elite almost took the lead just before the midway point of extra time when Ollie O'Shea muscled through the Bassett defence, but could only find the left post with a low effort.

It was then left to Fitchett to decide the outcome.

Man of the Match: Conor Chivers – produced a number of fine saves, in particular in extra time, to hold Elite Soccer to a solitary goal.

Additional Report

The eagerly awaited NWD Cup Final against Elite Soccer was now upon us and the team walked into the County Ground followed by their numerous supporters. Bassett were allocated the "Home” dressing room and crossed paths with the Swindon Town players as they made their way to the team bus for their trip to Peterborough.

The final started at a fast pace and Conor was quickly called into action, decisively coming off his line and smothering the ball at the feet of the oncoming striker. This attack was shortly followed by 3 consecutive Bassett corners, the third of which was met by Jordan but his shot went over the bar.

On 3 minutes Lewis and then Jordan broke up an Elite attack, Jordan passed the ball down the line and Bassett got another corner. This time Tyler's cross was met by the head of Harrison but unfortunately the ball looped just over the bar. Elite went straight back at Bassett and Conor had to make another brave save at the feet of the advancing forward. On five minutes a smart move, involving Euan, Harrison and Callum, saw Euan's shot force the Elite keeper into a fine save.

On 7 minutes, Elite were awarded a penalty as forward and defender collided in the Bassett area. Diving to his right, Conor could not keep out the spot kick from Ashley Prim.

The game was being played at a quick pace and although behind, Bassett had the majority of the play. Building on strong defensive play and using the ball wisely, the midfield and forward line were a constant threat to Elite. On 14 minutes, Bassett drew level as Lewis found Tyler on the left. Tyler cut in onto his right and his cross was met by Harrison at the back post.

As half time approached Bassett thought they had taken the lead as the Elite keeper and Tyler came onto Euan's pass. The ball rolled free and Tyler knocked it into the empty net. Unfortunately the goal didn't stand as Tyler was adjudged to have kicked the ball out of the keeper's hands.

Half Time: 1-1

The tone of the second half was set in the first minute as Alanah made a thundering tackle on the Elite forward. Both teams were putting tremendous effort into this game. A minute later a long range pass from Elite saw a mix up in the Bassett defence but Conor managed to scramble back and push the ball round the post to avert the danger.

On 7 minutes a quick interchange of passes saw Elite in the clear. A fine shot was well saved by Conor, who quickly got to his feet and dived on the lose ball. Two minutes later, Lewis threw to Tyler, his return pass was shot first time by Lewis but the ball went wide of the right hand post.

Bassett were awarded a penalty on 10 minutes. The sweetly struck pen by Lewis had the keeper beaten but the ball went narrowly of the post. Bassett didn't let this affect them and every player kept focused on the game. The next chance fell to Euan just a minute later but his shot went into the side netting. On 17 minutes Jordan strode out of defence and hit a long ball to Tyler who was alone in the Elite box. Good control gave Tyler a shooting opportunity, but as he struck the ball, the Elite keeper came off his line quickly to make a good save.

As the final whistle approached, both teams had an opportunity for the winner. Firstly, Elite went close as their shot went into the side netting. Then a superb move by Bassett almost ended the game on a high note. A throw was controlled by Euan, who passed the ball back to Lewis, who found Callum. Callum fed the ball back to Lewis whose shot was pushed around the post by the keeper.

Full-time: 1-1

Elite started extra time slightly the stronger but were kept at bay by some strong tackling. On two minutes a strong Elite shot was well saved by Conor and the lose ball hacked away from danger by Alanah. The ball was quickly put back into the Bassett area, where it bounced up off Jordan and was heading for the top corner. From nowhere, Conor dived and somehow got his fingertips to the ball to push it out for a corner. As the first period of extra time drew to a close, a quick Elite break saw a long range shot hit the post and bounce out for a goal kick.

Bassett were a different team in the second half of extra time. The team found massive reserves of energy and went on the attack. On 2 minutes Jordan hit a long ball up to Tyler, once again free in the Elite area. This time, he had a fraction longer and slotted the ball neatly past the oncoming keeper. Two-one Bassett!

A minute later Bassett had a corner, as the danger was cleared the Elite defence moved out, Callum picked up the ball and hit a pass to the feet of Tyler. This time Tyler stroked the ball home with his first touch to make it 3-1 Bassett!

Finger nails were chewed and hearts raced for the next two minutes. But there was no need to worry, the team held their nerve, remained focused and didn't allow Elite another chance. As the final whistle was blown the cheers of players and supporters could be heard back on Bassett High Street.

Full-time (AET): 3-1

Match Analysis: A victory that Bassett richly deserved. The team showed immense character and really showed their talent. Bassett played the better football and showed the desire to win. There were some nervous faces in the car park before the game, but the whole team joined together. No one was overcome by their first cup final, the ground, the crowd, the sense of occasion. The smiles and excitement on the faces as the players were awarded with the cup showed the tremendous bound of unity in the squad.

Player of the Match: This would have been a very tough decision for the coaches but luckily the POTM was awarded by the North Wilts Representative. The award could have gone to any of the players involved in the final and was given to Bassett's Number 1 Conor Chivers for his superb performance.

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