Sunday 19th October 2008 - Penhill Allstars (A)

After two successive defeats, the team headed to Supermarine determined to get all three points, although with Scott unable to rise from his sick bed they would have to do this the hard way. The windy conditions favoured the home side in the first half but Bassett still managed to put pressure on the Penhill goal and there were one or two early scares for the Allstars. A brilliant free-kick from Declan Coffey found the head of captain George whose looping header was gratefully caught by the keeper. Moments later a strong run down the right wing by the captain resulted in a cross which the goalie fumbled and Declan Coffey prodded the ball home: 1 – 0

Attacks by Penhill were few and far between and any that came were dealt with by Beckham and Harry very comfortably. In goal, Matt was solid when called on and an equalizer seemed unlikely, despite the wind playing as an extra man for the opposition. Nevertheless, a moment of indecision in the Bassett defence meant saw the ball squirting clear to the opposition and a strong shot from a Penhill forward found the net: 1 – 1

Ben was putting in his usual high energy performance and battled well to win and keep the ball. Declan Cox had several great shots, any one of which could have put Bassett comfortably ahead. Isaac was very solid in the tackle and fought for every ball, but the second goal just wouldn't come, meaning that the half-time oranges were eaten very thoughtfully.

Half –time: 1 – 1

With the wind now at their backs, Bassett found new energy and there were a couple of early chances from Matt and George, although it was Penhill who came closest to scoring when a rasping shot rattled the crossbar. Nevertheless, another goalkeeping error led to Bassett's second when a weak clearance was pounced on by Matt (now in attack) and he slammed home the ball with clinical efficiency: 2 - 1

A third goal came almost immediately when a corner was not dealt with by the downhearted Penhill defence and Declan Coffey was able to power in his second of the afternoon: 3 – 1

The traffic now became distinctly one way as Bassett grew in confidence and started to fire on all cylinders. Harry made some crucial interceptions and Beckham's goal kicks landed like missiles in the opposition half. George's dribbles down the right repeatedly tested the defenders and a fourth goal looked likely. It came after another defensive fumble and Declan Coffey was able to snatch his third of the match, becoming the first hat-trick hero of the campaign: 4 – 1

The boys thoroughly deserved this decisive victory as they worked as a team, never stopped running and calmly took their well-worked chances as they came.

Man of the match: George Staten – had a hand in all four of the goals with the opposition never coming to terms with his strong running down the wing.

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