Lydney Recreation Ground, 4 March 2023

Royal Wootton Bassett Town had the in form Scott Chilcott to thank as Sam Collier's side got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 2-1 win away at Lydney Town.

Having served as a defender for the past season and a half, Chilcott has switched to the other end of the pitch to help solve Bassett's striker shortage.

Having started his senior career as a forward, it is a position that Chilcott has played before - but not for many years.

That doesn't seem to be an issue for him though as he netted for the third time in four games - having not previously scored in Bassett colours.

Chilcott's goal came inside the opening quarter of an hour, producing a fine finish as he fired in at the far post.

He then played a crucial role in what proved to be a decisive second for Bassett, crossing for Alfie Presley to head home mere minutes after he had given the visitors the lead.

Bassett had been excellent in the opening half an hour, but allowed Lydney back into the game in the 15 minutes before half time and that yielded a Jaheim Allen goal to bring it back to 2-1.

But in a tight second half, neither side were able to add to their tally, giving Bassett a much needed victory after last week's thrashing against Longlevens, while also bringing an end to Lydney's four game winning run.

The result also reduces the gap to sixth place Roman Glass St George to just a single point after they suffered a loss at the hands of Longlevens.

Sixth place is therefore very much back in play for Collier and his team - though the next week and a half will go a long way to determining whether Bassett can make the jump with tricky visits to face Hereford Pegasus and Worcester Raiders.

First up though, Bassett will have their sights on a Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup semi final place as Hellenic League Division One Southam United visit the Sustain Stadium on Tuesday.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Saturday 4th March 2023 at 17:33