Royal Wootton Bassett Over 50s ended their latest contest on the canvas for their eighth loss this season. Devastating blows in each half from hosts Chinnor left them reeling in 7th place in the table. They must recover quickly for a vital six pointer away to fellow strugglers Headington Butchers next weekend.

Bassett actually shaded the first half in terms of performance. However they almost fell behind during the opening exchanges. 'Keeper Sean Boyle saved well from close range then recovered his position well to turn a loping header over the bar.

The visitors played nicely through the thirds to create a flurry of half chances in the opening half for the likes of Steve Lynch and Eddie Stephenson mainly. Stephenson's 20 yard daisy cutter was pushed out for a corner which Steve Lynch met with a header wide.

Then, midway through the first half Bassett were undone by giving the ball away cheaply in midfield, before failing to cut out a through ball that reached Chinnor's right winger. He surged into the area before dispatching powerfully into the bottom left hand corner to give the home side the lead.

Bassett continued to trade blows with their hosts, but long range efforts just lacked the accuracy to test the home goalkeeper further. At the other end Chinnor ran into a well organised defence that limited them to a handful of half chances before the break. The best of these had Boyle scrambling across his goal as the ball bounced narrowly wide from a long range drive.

Bassett rotated the squad at half-time and subsequently lost some of their earlier rhythm with Chinnor generally having the better of the second period. Bassett were still a threat though, but wayward finishing typified their second half attacks.

In contrast, Chinnor did manage to threaten the visitors' goal and Eddie Stephenson cleared off his line following a corner. The regularity with which Chinnor entered the Bassett penalty area eventually paid dividends. A rather innocuous coming together was deemed to warrant a penalty by the referee. The Chinnor taker stepped up to plant firmly into the net for an unassailable two-nil score line.

The closing stages saw Sean Boyle tip over a shot from distance and Chinnor also fired over from inside the box before the final whistle. Overall, a good performance from Bassett despite another defeat. The team should go to Headington next week confident of breaking the current disappointing run of results.

Man of the Match: Sean Boyle - a solid display from the goalkeeper who was generally well protected by his defence. However, when called upon he made saves that kept his side in the contest until the decisive second goal from the penalty spot.

Credit: Ceri Stephens
Last modified on Monday 26th April 2021 at 08:32