Royal Wootton Bassett Town's opening fixture at the Swindon Mercedes Stadium of the 2026-27 Hellenic League Premier Division season didn't go exactly as planned.

Jonny Aitkenhead's side suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat against ruthless Wiltshire rivals Bradford Town - a result that, if anything, will hopefully serve as a wake up call for Bassett whose somewhat bullish preseason has so far failed to translate into victory in the real thing.

Two games is admittedly a small sample size, and there is still plenty of distance to travel. Now Bassett will be hoping that the FA Cup provides the tonic needed for them to get going.

On this evening, Bradford were quick out of the blocks and found themselves 2-0 up inside 20 minutes.

Mason Alden almost opened the scoring in the 13th minute when he rattled the bar. However a minute later the visitors were ahead courtesy of a Curtis Dunn pile driver.

They soon doubled their lead as Thomas Mack surged forward before crossing for Jack Newman to power a header beyond Josh Sawyer.

While Bradford - the only team to win on opening day by more than a single margin - deservedly led, Bassett were by no means out of the game. Indeed they came alive and were large on top for the remainder of the half. And the hosts almost summoned a reply through captain Alfie Presley who struck the woodwork ten minutes before the break.

That was the closest they would get with Bradford's outstanding defence withstanding any pressure that Bassett applied.

And the game was effectively killed off with seven minutes to go when Jaiden Pearce, not the tallest of players, was afforded a free header to make it 3-0.

Their fourth then came on the break in stoppage time. The visitors had eleven men behind the ball for a Jack Hobson-McVeigh free kick which was cleared. Bassett tried to recycle the ball but Bradford again said no before breaking away at pace with youngster Ashton Arlow confidently finishing.

Bassett's frustrations then boiled over after the game with Presley seeing red for comments he made.

It may not necessarily have been a 4-0 game on the balance of play. But Bradford have shown Bassett the standard. Now it's down to Jonny Aitkenhead's side to reach that level and kickstart their campaign.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Wednesday 5th August 2026 at 22:39