Sustain Stadium, Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, 15 January 2023

Royal Wootton Bassett Town overcame Durrington 4-3 on penalties in a thrilling Wiltshire County Women's Cup semi final after a back-and-forth encounter ended 3-3 after 90 minutes.

Sylvannah Winstone was Bassett's hero as she netted a vital equaliser before dispatching the winning penalty as Bassett booked a place in thhe Women's Cup final for the fourth time in club history.

Despite facing opponents playing two levels lower, Bassett knew they would be in for a tough afternoon having had to perform well to beat Durrington's Wiltshire County Women's League rivals Salisbury and Purton in previous rounds.

But Bassett enjoyed an excellent start and appeared to be in a commanding position after goals from Hannah Gulliver and Caily Morse put the hosts 2-0 up.

Any sense of confidence was short-lived though - and instead, Bassett were staring at defeat.

First, Ellie Hayward scored to halve Durrington's deficit going into half time. Dani Burgess and Sophie Taylor then turned the game on its head in the second half, giving the visitors a 3-2 lead that they held late into the game.

However, with the clock ticking down defender Winstone snatched a vital equaliser that kept Bassett's hopes alives.

With the scores level at full time, that meant the lottery of penalties though. But Bassett held their nerve in the shootout.

Despite facing the disadvantage of kicking second, Bassett took the lead after the second round of kicks. Emma Sykes and Gulliver were spot on for Bassett, with Durrington's second penalty being placed over the bar.

Millie Powell then kept out Durrington's third penalty, but Bassett were unable to extend their advantage further as Megan Young saw her effort saved.

Durrington scored their final two penalties, with Nia Davies converting in between for Bassett.

That left Winstone with the chance to settle the tie, and she duly delivered to give Bassett - still without a win in the league - a shot at silverware.

Bassett's final opponents are still unknown after the other semi final between Swindon Supermarine and Warminster Town was postponed.

But one thing is certain - in what has been a difficult season, Bassett will have all the motivation in the world to claim the cup.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Sunday 15th January 2023 at 18:14