The Ridings, 21 December 2021

Bailey Gallagher's fourth minute goal proved enough for Royal Wootton Bassett Town to record victory on their return to Hellenic League Premier Division action as Sam Collier's triumphed away at Chipping Sodbury Town.

In a game of little real quality, Gallagher produced a cool finish after racing onto a ball over the top and outpacing the home defence.

On balance, Bassett had the better of the remaining opportunities in the game but were unable to extend their advantage.

Adam Corcoran and John Mills saw shots saved by Archie Watts before the interval.

Following the restart, Bassett 'keeper Eddie Cavanagh was forced to make a reflex save to turn a low shot around the post on the hour. At the other end, Gallagher and Will Davidson both went close but were unable to locate the target.

With Chipping Sodbury - who have struggled significantly in recent weeks - still in the contest as time wound down, it made for a nervy final ten minutes as the hosts sought to snatch something from the game.

But Bassett saw out the fixture, surviving two late scares as, first, Chipping Sodbury breached the visiting defence only for the resulting shot to be placed wide before a last minute scramble in the box resulted in another effort that was narrowly off target.

The win means Bassett have now won five of their last seven league games - a solid run that is making up for their earlier nine game winless streak.

Bassett will now aim to make it six from eight when they are due to close out the calendar year with the visit of local rivals Shrivenham next Monday.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Wednesday 22nd December 2021 at 08:20