Kilkenny Lane, 12th March 2011

The tussle for top spot in the Hellenic League Premier Division may, justifiably, be gaining the most amount of attention, yet the battle to avoid the drop has become just as unpredictable thanks to events in the last few days.

And Wootton Bassett Town, despite a recent upturn in fortunes, remain one of those candidates for a spot in the bottom four, with their 2-1 defeat at Carterton ensuring they are still vulnerable.

A win at Kilkenny Lane would have put eleven points between themselves and Carterton. Yet just five points seperate Dave Turner's side and the position no team wants thanks to their defeat.

Buoyed by their surprise midweek win against title chasing Slimbridge, the hosts jumped out to a perfect start thanks to Chris Zoldan and George Seacole goals, but were pegged back by Bassett debutant Tom Dingle, who was making his first start since joining from Highworth Town, prior to the break.

For all their efforts in the second period, Bassett could not knock the door down again though to clinch at least a point.

Fortunately for Bassett they do still have games in hand over most of the sides around them, and can climb two places should they gain five points from them. But with the gap narrowing, there is no room for complacency and those games in hand need to be taken advantage of.

There is plenty enough talent within the team to ensure survival. Now is the time to dig deep and regain the spirit shown during the final stages of last season, which saw Bassett storm their way to a runners-up finish.

The reward for doing so may not hold the same amount of glory as achieving promotion. But knowing how much effort was expended to get out of Division One West, there should be enough motivation to prevent an immediate return.

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