Sustain Stadium, Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, 6 August 2022

Royal Wootton Bassett Town and Windsor will have to do it all again on Tuesday after the teams drew 1-1 in their Emirates FA Cup extra preliminary round clash at the Sustain Stadium.

Bassett appeared on course to advance after taken the lead through Bailey Gallagher with seventeen of the allotted ninety minutes remaining. But Windsor equalised through Tyler Robinson's 89th minute headed goal – his team's first shot on target all afternoon. Neither side was then able to find a winner in the extended period of second half injury time.

Seeking victory at this stage of the FA Cup for the third consecutive season – something Bassett have never before achieved, Sam Collier and his side will ultimately be disappointed not to have booked a preliminary round place. Although there was little between the sides, the hosts had the better of the limited number of chances that the game produced and, although capable of playing neat and tidy football, the visitors lacked cutting edge in the final third.

The tie certainly was not a classic. Clear cut opportunities were particularly few and far between in an uninspiring first half.

It took quarter of an hour for the first action in front of goal to arrive. Seizing on a poor clearance from Windsor 'keeper Conaill Ryan, Alfie Presley drove forward but failed to locate the target from the edge of the box after being forced wide by Luke Appleton.

Presley then came slightly closer eight minutes later following Tommy Ouldridge hooked inside pass. But after fashioning space to shoot, the forward blazed narrowly over.

Despite those chances, Bassett struggled to create much from open play, with Appleton and centre back partner George Gould in imperious form.

Jack Hobson-McVeigh did send a free kick wide of the right upright while Dave Bampton came close with a header from another Hobson-McVeigh set piece delivery. But that was Bassett's lot in front of goal.

The hosts then almost found themselves a goal down at the break. Fortunately, however, Jacob Adeyemi skewed wide with the goal at his mercy after Favour Anene had outmuscled Adam Corcoran to bring down a ball over the top and squared for his teammate.

Bassett started the brighter of the teams in the second period. Ouldridge flicked a header just over the bar in the opening minute of the half before Gallagher fired into Ryan's hand following good build up play down the right side involving Ouldridge and Gio Wrona, and Presley saw a deflected strike go inches wide of the left post.

But it wasn't until the introduction of Josh Elms in attack and an unfortunate injury to Gould that they really seized the initiative.

And Bassett were eventually rewarded when Ouldridge fed Presley with a precise through ball into the right channel and his low cross into the box was guided home by Gallagher who produced a composed first-time finish to finish off a well-worked move.

With Windsor having failed to create much at all, the goal should really have served as a springboard for Bassett to wrap up the game. However, their play went ragged and, as a consequence, it remained the case that just one opportunity for the visitors could be enough to bring them back into the match.

And so it proved. Windsor earned a contentious free kick ten yards into Bassett territory. From that position, the odds should have been against Windsor finding the net. But Robinson was able to ghost free of his marker, connecting with Ben Hall's free kick delivery and flicking a header into the bottom left corner to earn his side a replay.

Man of the match: Alfie Presley – the forward provided the assist for Bassett's goal and was his side's most threatening player throughout the match.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Saturday 6th August 2022 at 21:26