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Meadow Lane, 18th August 2009
Wootton Bassett Town set up a rematch with 2007 FA Cup conquerors Brockenhurst after a valiant display saw off Westbury United by the odd goal in five, the winner coming courtesy of a deflected Mitch Wyatt strike with just seven minutes to go.
All five goals came in a pulsating second half, after Bassett were somewhat dominated by their hosts during the opening period.
The decision to complement the tricky Wayne Wheeler with the blistering pace of Nathan Hallett and Dan Kovacs – both substitutes in the opening tie – seemed to be an inspired decision made by Westbury boss Paul Brickley.
Throughout the first half they caused no end of problems for Bassett. But the combination of wasteful finishing – particularly from left-winger Hallett – heroic last-gasp defending, and the brilliance of Stewart Thompson, who produced what will be one of the saves of the season to acrobatically tip a powerful Hallett shot over the bar, prevented the hosts from taking the lead.
It always appeared it was going to be a night where the longer the game remained deadlocked, the better it would be for Bassett's fortunes. And this was proved correct just a minute following the restart.
A Terry Adams corner was only half cleared and, after the ball had been put back into the danger zone, Alex Green found himself with the ball at his feet at the left post. Unselfishly, he squared across the face of goal for Adam Field to supply a routine tap-in.
Two minutes later, Adams got less than he deserved when he rattled the crossbar with a ferociously struck shot on the turn following fine play between Green and Ryan Banks.
Eventually though it was two. Banks won the ball deep inside his own half, and raced clear towards the middle of the park. An incisive through ball and a fantastically timed run by Field gifted the latter what appeared to be a simple one-on-one opportunity.
However, Nick Evans was composed enough to parry Field's weak effort away. The ball fell straight to Green though, and he sent the ball into the empty net from the edge of the box to seemingly seal the victory.
Just like on Saturday though, the home side was able to produce a stunning comeback, which began moments after Bassett had increased their advantage.
Westbury were helped hugely for their first, which came courtesy of Matty Smith from the penalty spot. It was a needless spot kick to give away for Bassett as Luke Sharps produced a clumsy mid-air challenge, felling Wheeler when the odds were stacked against the forward to score with a header, given the distance away from goal he was.
In the aftermath of Bassett's lead being halved, the hosts stupidly made it difficult for themselves when Ashley Groves received his marching orders for thumping Chris Oram.
But this failed to deter them. David MIllaci was forced to head off the line following a Wheeler header, but his failure to track back allowed Hallett to equalise with fifteen minutes left.
Hallett was left alone to drive through the heart of the Bassett defence before lifting the ball over an onrushing Thompson and into the bottom right corner.
With extra time looming though, some route-one football sealed victory for the visitors. Thompson's kick was allowed to bounce by the home defence, eventually falling to Wyatt, who rolled his man before firing at goal. An outstretched leg got in the way of the ball, but merely diverted it away from Evans and into the left corner.
Scoop's Man of the Match: Alex Green – a figure of force up front, Green's height, pace and ability to hold the ball up caused the home defence no end of problems.
Scoop Rating: 8/10 – Bassett clicked when the moment required them to, and another gutsy FA Cup performance deservedly saw them record a victory. Well worth the 168 mile round trip to watch it!
Last modified on Monday 22nd June 2015 at 23:38