Rylands Way, 25th January 2011

It's been a long time coming. Five games without toasting a victory is too big a streak however much those games are spaced out, but given that the last triumph for Wootton Bassett Town came on November 6th - two and a half months ago - Dave Turner's side would be forgiven if they celebrate this one, even if it did come against bottom side Fairford Town in a tight, nervy contest.

The final score was 3-1, yet the win was far less comfortable than the margin of victory suggests.

Against a young, adventurous side, Bassett found the opening exchanges tough and rode a prolonged spell of early pressure from their local rivals.

And when the home side did open the scoring midway through the opening period, they were the beneficiaries of a huge slice of luck. Able to get away with taking a quick free kick some distance ahead of where the offence was committed, Matt Bown raced through on goal, slotting beneath the visiting 'keeper when presented with a one-on-one opportunity.

The visitors hit back though to level the scores shortly after the restart when an unmarked James Skinner struck a firm effort past Stewart Thompson.

Fifteen minutes later though, and the hosts were back ahead courtesy of man of the match Jon Beeden. For a defender, he can't half strike the ball beautifully, and he did so once more, firing in on the turn following a corner.

Any late nerves were eventually calmed when top scorer Sam Collier - without a goal since his pair in the win at Shrivenham - notched his twentieth this season with a thunderous strike that left the visiting custodian no chance.

After such a barren run that has seen Bassett dragged towards the relegation zone, the three points are a godsend. It could even be argued that it was a double victory - a little more breathing space has been earned, whilst Turner's team ensured they remained within touching distance of the middle of the pack in the Hellenic Premier Division.

Last modified on Monday 22nd June 2015 at 23:38