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Rylands Way, 29th October 2011
With the most dramatic of comebacks, Wootton Bassett Town booked a place in the third round of the Hellenic League Challenge Cup as two stoppage time goals snatched a 4-3 victory from the jaws of defeat for Dave Turner's side.
It was a topsy-turvy affair all afternoon, with a flurry of first half goals seeing the sides head into the break locked at 2-2. The first ten minutes set the stage for the afternoon's entertainment with both teams netting - James Blake doing the honours inside sixty seconds for the hostsand Jamie MacDonagh scoring for the visitors - in the game's embryonic stages.
But slack defending from Shaun Carter twenty minutes in meant that MacDonagh and Carterton, who have won just once in Division One West so far this season, were gifted a go ahead goal.
Bassett, however, hit back on the half hour mark. With his partner due to give birth to his second child, Mitch Wyatt would have been forgiven for having his mind focused on other matters; indeed, he was just a phone call away from being hauled off all afternoon. Yet the powerful forward responded with one of his best performances of the season so far, marking it with his first goal of the campaign - a 25-yard screamer - to restore parity.
Poor play at the back though would once again undo the hard work put in by those at the other end of the pitch as Carterton went 3-2 to the good just prior to the hour through Lee Watkins. Try as they might to at least grab another goal to force extra time, it appeared as though the afternoon would not end happily.
That though changed bang on 90 minutes when defender Liam Edmondson, taking advantage of a penalty area scramble, put the two teams back on level terms.
Buoyed by this equaliser, Bassett went in search of the winner and were afforded the golden opportunity to do so when awarded a late, late penalty. Wyatt took responsibility for the kick but saw his effort saved, but up popped Alex Green - the hero of the day last week - to bundle the ball home from close range and seal an unlikely victory.
Somehow, someway, the drama of the opening 45 minutes had been topped. Into the next round Bassett go.
Last modified on Monday 22nd June 2015 at 23:38