Sunday 9th November 2008 - Stratton Juniors 'B' (H)

With the distant sounds of the Remembrance Day parade wafting across from the High St., Bassett began this match at a high tempo which they managed to maintain throughout the fixture despite the difficult windy conditions. They took the match to Stratton at every opportunity with corner after corner being whipped in, (four of them within the first 2 minutes) and shot after shot whistling goalwards. How they came to lose this one sided encounter remains a mystery to all those who witnessed it. Lady Luck had clearly packed her bags, put the dog into the kennels and gone away for the weekend!

Isaac was in the High St. parade, so Matt took up the gloves for the first half and was a complete spectator as Bassett launched attack after attack. George fell smoothly into his usual role on the wing, jinking and dribbling around the opposition and opening up chances for attackers Beckham and Declan Coffey. A packed penalty box and solid goalkeeping were all that prevented them from scoring.

Some beautiful football was on display from the Bassett boys like the defence-splitting pass from Declan to Beckham which he only just slanted wide and several twisting runs from Ben which had Stratton grasping at thin air.

Stratton then had their first real chance of the game and promptly scored! A powerful free-kick which Matt had no chance with: 0 – 1

Undaunted, Bassett picked up where they had left off and had soon seen their 8th corner fly across the box. Rare Stratton attacks were easily repelled by Scott and Harry who closed them down with great efficiency. Declan Cox got into some marvelous scoring positions and can count himself unlucky that nothing, but nothing would go in the net.

It was our captain who finally notched the goal that Bassett so richly deserved. He picked the ball up outside the box and forced his way through a gaggle of defenders before slamming the ball home: 1 – 1

Half-time: 1 – 1

The wind now became a real factor in the match with all players clearly feeling the cold and finding it difficult to pass effectively. Bassett's vice-like grip on the match continued, however, and the one way traffic would surely result in a winner. Declan Coffey had a number of chances which skimmed wide and Matt, now up front, asked many questions of the Stratton defence which they only just answered. Corners for Bassett continued to be the main feature of the game as George pinged one after another accurately into the box but the goal just wouldn't come.

Scott, now between the sticks, was practically frozen to the spot as he watched the charmed Stratton goal survive attack after attack. Beckham and Harry snuffed out rare runs forward by the opposition but a draw began to seem a likely result.

With the Stratton box stuffed full of defenders, it would take a very special shot to get through but this didn't stop Bassett from trying. Declan, Declan, Ben and George all had chances and even Beckham in defence edged forward to try his luck.

However, as the end of the match approached, it was clear that one goal would settle it and, with yet another cruel twist of fate for our team, this was scored by the opposition. A strong free-kick from the edge of the area gave Scott little chance. With corners, shots and possession statistics all running at about 80 to 20 in Bassett's favour, this was a very hard pill to swallow.

There was still time for further Bassett attacks but this excellent performance was not to be rewarded with another goal and the whistle was blown. A brutal lesson was learned – that the better team sometimes loses. Nevertheless, the boys should, once again, be proud of themselves – it won't be long before their luck turns and a team feels the full force of their talents.

Man of the match: Ben Sarachi – he never stopped running and was a constant threat to the opposition, tackling back as well as taking the ball forward into danger areas.

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