Tuesday 20th April 2010 - Calne FC 'A' (H)

The second of this trilogy of games in 8 days pitched the "A" Team against Calne FC in a thrilling game of football. With no rain, glorious sunshine and little grass growth since Sunday the Ballards Ash pitch was once again hard and bouncy, but the Bassett players had to show that they could bounce back from the disappointment of defeat just two days before.

Calne took control of the game early and showed their attacking intent from the off. Within 2 minutes Calne had created 3 shooting opportunities which luckily for Bassett all went wide. Moments later they had a run of 3 consecutive corners, the first two were well defended by Bassett, the third resulting in a good save by Conor.

The siege on the Bassett goal was relentless as Bassett struggled to get the ball out of their half for any significant periods of play. However, the defence held firm and Calne were restricted to long range efforts with no clear chances created in the box.

On 9 minutes Bassett did mange to retain the ball and won a throw in deep inside the Calne half. Beckham's "Delap Missile" was allowed to bounce in the opposition's area and the keeper was unable to collect the ball cleanly. As it fell to the ground, Tyler was on hand to prod the ball home from 2 yards. A true predator's goal!

Straight from the kick off Calne attacked and Conor was called to make a brave save on the edge of his box. As Alanah and Lewis dropped in to cover the goal, Conor sensed the danger, chased the ball out of his area and kicked to safety.

Bassett almost extended their lead on 15 minutes when Tyler advanced down the right and crossed, unfortunately, Zach was inches from making contact when just 3 yards out from goal.

The next chance fell to Calne with a true "route 1" effort. A long goal clearance bounced once, was met on the run by the Calne forward who struck the ball first time on the volley only to see it fly past Conor but strike the outside of the post.

As half time approached, Bassett had their second and third shots of the game. A free kick was awarded 20 yards out. Euan drove the ball with venom, the Calne keeper making a fine save. From the resulting corner, Callum floated ball into the box and Tyler half volleyed narrowly wide.

As the half time whistle went no one could believe the score line. Both teams had contributed to an exceptional 25 minutes of football but in very different ways. Bassett had had 3 shots and scored 1 goal, on the other hand Calne had lost count of the number of shots they had had but with no return. Both teams had played superbly well, running tirelessly, passing accurately and tackling with courage

Half Time: 1-0

The second half saw even more excellent football from both teams and the supporters were treated to another 25 minutes of exciting attacking play. Chances were created at both ends but the back of neither net bulged!

As an offensive unit Callum, Euan, Zach and Tyler played some tremendous football. They were ably supported by Alanah, Beckham and Lewis for set pieces and with some good distribution of the ball.

As a defensive unit, Alanah, Beckham and Lewis stood firm to the pressure created by Calne. They were ably supported by Callum, Euan, Zach and Tyler who chased back to make important tackles.

Behind all this, Conor dominated his box with a superb display goal keeping. He kept the ball out of the Bassett goal with some excellent handling and agile saves.

Full-time: 1-0

Coach's Match Analysis: The performance of all 8 players, both individually, but more important collectively, produced a fantastic display of football. From the very first whistle we showed a determination to fight for every ball and deserved our victory against a big and very good team. We kept our shape well and made the right decision more often than not when to pass the ball on a difficult pitch. After getting a bit of luck with our goal we defended superbly and recorded our first clean sheet since before Christmas. We now need to take this confidence and spirit into our final two games of the season. The players need to keep their belief in their undoubted ability. They all made a very proud coach tonight!

Player of the Match: A truly exceptional performance, maybe his best in a Bassett shirt. This was not just a performance of fine shot stopping and ball handling but a display of confident goal keeping and communicating with his defence. Today's POTM award goes to Conor Chivers.

Team: Conor Chivers, Lewis Ward, Alanah Edwards, Euan Burke (Capt), Callum Bridges, Zach Bunce, Tyler Fitchett, Beckham Hulbert

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