Royal Wootton Bassett Town Under 18s' top of the table clash against Devizes Town more than lived up to the billing as the teams served up a thrilling contest. Frustratingly for Bassett though, a last minute equaliser saw Devizes claim a share of the spoils in a 3-3 draw.

Bassett twice went ahead, only to see Devizes pull level and earn a draw - a result which sees both teams slip a place after Melksham Town's win.

At half time, the home side looked comfortable, leading 2-0. Both goals came from corners, with James Johnson steering a header home in the opening five minutes and Sebastian Smith glancing into the far corner on the half hour mark.

But Devizes struck back shortly after the restart as Arlo Stone capitalised on a defensive error to slot into an empty net. A Jack Farion penalty then levelled things up.

Parity did not last long, however, as Charlie Stammers curled a delicious strike into the top left corner from the right edge of the box.

It seemed as though Bassett were on course for victory and to stake out a four point advantage over Devizes with a game in hand still to play.

However, Bassett were unable to keep hold of possession as they sought to run out the clock from a corner. Devizes broke forward and a robust, but seemingly fair, challenge on Stammers allowed them to maintain their attacking progress. And when the ball was eventually played into the box, Stone was on hand to steer in at the right post, sparking ecstatic celebrations from the visitors and leaving the hosts to rue their failure to hold on for victory.

Still, Bassett can be pleased to have taken a point from their fellow frontrunners. The result also maintains Nick Warren's side's unbeaten record. And most importantly, with a game in hand over Devizes and two over Melksham, Bassett still have the opportunity to stake out a clear advantage at the top of the table.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Friday 26th November 2021 at 09:56