Royal Wootton Bassett Town Over 50s came close to derailing Thame United's title bid in their penultimate Oxfordshire Premier League Division 1A fixture. Bassett led twice courtesy of two Andy Huggins' brace but eventually succumbed to a 4-2 midweek away defeat.

Thame now face one more hurdle at Hazlemere Athletic, before a potential winner-takes-all final match against Witney Royals.

Bassett stunned their hosts by taking a shock early lead on five minutes. Good interplay in midfield resulted in a great ball from Bryan Watson over the full back for the Bassett wide man Rob Mitchell to collect. His purposeful run and superb cross were then finished off clinically by Huggins, who hooked a fine effort beyond the Thame goalkeeper.

Thame were unruffled and began to exploit the pace of their attacking players to drive down the flanks of the Bassett rearguard. Their first good chance arrived when a Thame man found space inside the six yard box. As he shaped to shoot though, Stephens dashed from his line to thwart the forward with a brilliant block and the ball cannoned off the 'keeper's legs and behind for a corner.

Bassett were defending resolutely, but after quarter of an hour Thame hit back. A Thame wide man strode clear of his marker down the left and after bearing down on goal he crashed a shot across Stephens to tie the game up at 1-1.

Bassett were soon forced to reorganise on twenty minutes when right back Martyn Purcell was unable to continue and was replaced by Ian Penrose.

As the first half went on, Thame built up a head of steam and Bassett defended stoutly but found it hard to retain possession for long enough to test the home side in their final third. As a result, Thame kept the pressure on and from a corner they had a great chance to take the lead. A Thame player met the delivery with a bullet header which flashed past Stephens towards the right hand corner, only for defender Bob Ellis to brilliantly divert it wide with a goalline clearance. Bassett continued to be disciplined in their defending and managed to stay on level terms at the break.

Manager Paul Gardner was encouraged with the fighting spirit of his side but called for calmer heads and better decision making in possession.

Bassett then got off to a dream second half start. Mitchell had already come close to reaching a cross with his head, and with only 50 minutes played the visitors went 2-1 ahead. A sublime passing move involving Watson, Penrose and Fisher eventually reached Mitchell out wide, and he flew past a covering defender before delivering a superb cross that Huggins headed home with aplomb from close range.

At this point the shock result was on. But a combination of Thame desire and a lack of fresh legs for Bassett manager Gardner to call upon ultimately proved costly for the visitors. Indeed it was not long before Kenny Campbell limped out of the action meaning Bassett only had 11 fit players for the remaining minutes with super veteran Ted Keep plugging the gap.

And unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before Thame struck back. Bassett failed to clear their lines and the Thame number 7 had all the time he needed inside the box to slam high beyond Stephens for 2-2.

Thame now pressed hard for a third and surely thought they had it when a superb swerving drive looked destined for the back of the net before Stephens somehow adjusted his feet to spectacularly claw the ball out. Thame failed to convert the lose ball as Bassett defenders regrouped to snuff out the danger. Stephens saved again soon after when he spread himself at his near post to palm away a rasping shot on goal from the angle.

Those saves only delayed the hosts, who claimed the lead thanks to a rather soft looking penalty. A Thame attacker burst into the box and held off a couple of challenges before firing in a shot which Stephens repelled with his legs. The referee, having played advantage, then chose to come back to award a penalty for a foul he felt had been committed by Bassett's Jeremy Smith. Thame scored, though Stephens almost kept the spot kick out.

At 3-2 down into the last quarter, Bassett threw more men forward to try to get back level. Full back Penrose burst forward and hit a decent effort just off target and two goal hero Huggins hit a powerful shot that stung the palms of the Thame number one.

As Bassett pressed forward they inevitably left spaces at the back and Thame were able to seal victory late on. A speedy winger sped down the right and cut back a great ball which was calmly finished with the open goal beckoning from about six yards out.

The 4-2 scoreline probably reflected the overall balance of play but Thame certainly knew they had been in a game.

Bassett must now look to finish off their season with a last game victory away at bottom club North Leigh Red Over 50s. This would see the Blues finish on 10 points, double the tally Bassett achieved in their maiden season last year, and such a points hual would be a fitting reflection of the big improvements the team have made this time out.

Bassett Man of the Match: Jeremy Smith at centre back was outstanding giving the Thame under age players a tough ride. However the MOTM, award goes to wide man Rob Mitchell for his two assists and constant work rate. He was also close to getting his head to a cross to possibly claim a goal for himself but may have perhaps benefitted from being a few inches taller!

Credit: Ceri Stephens
Last modified on Wednesday 30th March 2022 at 18:12