Sunday 18th January 2009 - South Swindon (A)

On a bright but chilly day, Bassett faced their first match for a month with a near full complement of players available but still no regular goalie to call on. So it was Matt who took the gloves for the first half and he looked like he would be busy as the match started at a furious pace with South Swindon making several dangerous-looking attacks. Bassett were soon taking the game in the other direction, however, and Becks saw a shot fly over the bar quickly followed by another from Declan Coffey and a Bassett goal began to look likely.

Despite this, a quick break from the opposition saw an attacker turn our defence and rifle a shot past Matt to opening the scoring: 0 – 1

This seemed to spur Bassett on and some lovely moves were put together with Beckham feeding George up the right and he in turn looking for the killer ball to Declan Cox or Coffey up front. Ben dribbled the ball into dangerous areas for the opposition and the tide began to turn in our favour.

Our first goal came from a well worked move that culminated in a powerful shot from George which the excellent Swindon keeper tipped onto the crossbar. The rebound dropped out to Declan Cox who forced the ball over the line: 1 – 1

In defence, Harry and Beckham worked really hard and made several telling interceptions and the opposition forwards began to look frustrated. James held the ball up well and Declan Coffey fought like a blonde tiger. Beckham then began to forge forward, once again turning defence into attack very effectively - on one occasion firing just over the bar.

Half time: 1 – 1

The second half saw Isaac take up the goalie gloves and Matt switch to a front position. Scott made several important stops as he took up a position at the back and Harry made several excellent tackles and clearances. It was Isaac that turned hero, however, saving twice in quick succession – once tipping around the post and then stopping a very powerful shot from the edge of the box.

Just after this, Beckham made yet another run from defence to attack and ended it with a stinging shot which rattled the woodwork.

Matt was now working well to find space up front and it was a pass from him to Dec Cox which saw yet another chance pass us by. This then became the story, Bassett attacks which couldn't quite find the net. Dec Coffey fired over the bar, then George had a close range effort saved by the keeper. Would this match end, once again, in disappointment?

The turning point then came in the shape of a goal-line clearance by George who, seeing the danger early, took up the perfect position as a Swindon attacker shot towards an empty net.

Minutes later a great run from Dec Cox saw him fly into the box and slam the ball between the keeper's legs: 2 – 1.

This spurred our team on and their whole game suddenly burst into life with passes and tackles finding their mark. As opposition heads began to drop, Ben's tireless running finally found reward as he burst clear and slotted the ball home: 3 – 1

It was telling that, as Beckham was finally subbed with a couple of minutes to go, a few opposition players cheered with relief! Without their inspirational captain it was now a challenge to the rest of the players to keep things tight but they still managed well, even threatening further goals from both Declan, Matt and James.

A heart-stopping end to the match was then ensured when a hopeful shot from Swindon crept through Isaac's legs to make it 3 – 2 but anything less than a win would have been harsh on a Bassett team who seem to be growing in skill and confidence with every game.

Man of the match: Beckham Hulbert – yet another great display from our captain whose performance at the heart of defence formed the platform for this victory. It is just a pity that the post came between him and the goal he deserved after powering forward time and time again.

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