Grit, determination, character, team spirit, never say die attitude. All these attributes were displayed by Royal Wootton Bassett Town Over 50s as they refused to give up and were rewarded with a Marc Cresswell equaliser from the last kick of the game as he converted a retaken penalty with nerves of steel. The 1-1 draw away at second in the league Chinnor keeps Bassett just three points behind them in the race for promotion.

Bassett player manager Paul Gardner had often described his team as being "too nice". But in this game they displayed another side to their character as they gave as good as they got in a contest that became a war of attrition on a difficult, muddy pitch.

Clear cut chances were at a premium as both defences dealt well with any attacking threats for the most part. Bassett captain and centre back Eddie Stephenson was outstanding at the heart of the visitors' defence, winning countless headers in the air and making vital clearances when balls were played in on the ground. The skipper also found time to find his midfield men with accurate passes and did all this despite playing almost the entire match with a dislocated finger.

However, he was far from the only hero in blue as his defensive colleagues Ellis, Gardner and Parr also gave everything to the cause in defence to blunt the Chinnor threat. The midfield five of Mitchell, Watson, Partridge, Wood and Rouse competed for the full ninety minutes on a pitch which made flowing football nigh on impossible and lone front man Cresswell put in one hell of a shift up top and deserved more than his late penalty for his efforts.

Chinnor's best two first half chances were from their number nine who stole in at the near post but headed wide of the far post and their number 3 striker who lobbed the 'keeper from ten yards out only to see Bassett's Gardner covering on the line to head clear.

For Bassett, Bryan Watson tested the Chinnor 'keeper with a free kick that he had to palm over the bar and Cresswell broke free into the box but could only blaze wide from a good position.

As Bassett only had one substitute there was little that manager Gardner could alter at half time and the battling first half performance also gave him no reason to.

The second half was once more fiercely contested with few goal chances for either side. It looked like any goal scored may prove decisive and Bassett thought they had it when Cresswell outpaced the home defence, rounded the 'keeper and swept home only for the home linesmen to flag for offside.

Bassett could barely contain their sense of injustice and this was compounded when they fell behind. The ball broke to a Chinnor player in the area and his precise effort into the top corner bounces in off the underside of the bar to put the hosts one nil up.

Bassett introduced Ted Keep from the bench in place of the injured Mitchell as they battled to stay in the game.

Chinnor almost wrapped up the points with 15 minutes to go when a close-range shot went through a crowd of players only for Stephens to instinctively stick out his left hand to turn it around the post for a corner.

Bassett simply refused to be give in but when a Mike Rouse curler was well saved by the 'keeper and Watson's late corner was confidently claimed under his bar by the Chinnor number one, lesser teams may have wilted.

That was not the end for these Bassett brave hearts though. Bassett won a free kick inside the Chinnor half and, sensing it was their last chance, Stephenson boomed it straight into the area where a Chinnor player handled to concede a last-minute penalty. Striker Cresswell stepped up to stroke home but Bassett were aghast when the referee ordered a retake for encroachment. Cresswell held his nerve brilliantly to ram the retaken spot kick low into the bottom right-hand corner to rescue a point for Bassett with the very last kick of the game.

This was a massive point for Bassett which was thoroughly deserved after a rollercoaster of emotions in the second half. The team now enter the mid-season break from competitive action and hope to build on their solid start to chase for league and cup honours in 2023.

Man of the Match: Eddie Stephenson - a dominant defensive performance from the captain who led by example and kept belief high in the team. He also distributed the ball well and took the free kick that led to our last gasp penalty.

Credit: Ceri Stephens
Last modified on Monday 5th December 2022 at 16:56