Royal Wootton Bassett Town were comprehensively beaten in their Boxing Day meeting with local rivals Highworth Town as four Aysa Corrick goals saw the Worthians triumph 4-0.
Royal Wootton Bassett Town were no match for an Aysa Corrick-inspired Highworth Town as the lively forward racked up all four of his side's goals in a second successive one-sided Christmas encounter between the two rivals.
Corrick pounced twice either side of half time, and were it not for some heroics in the Bassett goal from Curtis Meare then the score would likely have taken a similar proportion to the Christmas horror experienced at The Elms a year ago.
That's not to say that a 4-0 defeat is easy to stomach. For it isn't, particularly when local bragging rights are up for grabs.
For all the good form Rich Hunter's team had shown in winning their previous four league games, they were brought down to earth with a rather un-festive bang.
Bassett were simply outplayed and outthought in all departments, the quality of the squad assembled by Highworth manager Jeff Roberts being all too evident.
That said, the visitors took the lead in rather fortuitous circumstances after an exceptionally harsh penalty award went against full back Jamie Richards. Kieron Gleed's low cross from the left-hand side was met with a heavy touch by Aaron Ferris, and the ball squirmed up to strike Richards, who had no time to react, on the hand. Bassett's protests were justified, but, despite the delay before he took his kick, Corrick kept his cool and planted his spot kick firmly down the middle.
Corrick was constantly involved in the action. A minute before breaking the deadlock, he had sliced over after being played through by Ferris. His mazy run across the edge of the box then presented an opening for Gleed who blasted a shot into the stanchion.
His contributions weren't all positive though. Midway through the opening period, a late, some would say slightly cynical, foul on Steve Robertson, who was back to defend a corner, forced Bassett's top scorer off with an injury, thus neutering any attacking threat posed by the hosts.
Corrick escaped without a yellow, and soon delivered another blow to Bassett. Racing onto a through ball in the right channel, he skipped past Liam Edmondson before arrowing a low strike into the bottom left corner from an acute angle.
His hat-trick could have arrived before half time, but a sprawling Meare parried away his half volley from a Fabian McCarthy cross.
There were yet more Meare heroics to come before the break, this time to thwart Chris Taylor, as the 'keeper pulled off an acrobatic save to divert the midfielder's curling thirty-yard free kick around the post when it appeared destined for the top corner.
The half time interval did appear to offer some respite to a forlorn Bassett, and for the first ten minutes or so of the second period they did match Highworth.
However, that proved to be an exceptional period in an otherwise one-sided matchup.
Shortly after the hour, the game was well and truly killed off when Bassett were caught out by a short corner routine, and Corrick scored from distance with a powerful 25-yard drive that flew beyond Meare.
His fourth then arrived with 72 minutes on the clock. McCarthy whipped in a cross from the left, which struck the post, and Corrick was on hand to bundle in from close range.
It took until six minutes from time for Bassett to finally register a shot on target. And even then it only brought out a routine save from an otherwise untested Kent Kauppinen, who comfortably handled Kias Bonner-Shea's twenty yard strike.
Kauppinen's opposite number was still being kept busy though, and he pulled off another outstanding save to prevent Gleed from making it five. Play had been effortlessly switched from Ryan Stanners on the right to a wide open Gleed on the left wing. After advancing on goal, he sought to steer the ball beyond Meare. However, the Bassett stopper had closed the angle sufficiently and was able to parry wide.
Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Tuesday 27th December 2016 at 12:58
