Royal Wootton Bassett Town's highly anticipated Hellenic League Premier Division derby against Malmesbury Victoria proved to be a rather tense affair with the contest ending goalless.

It said a lot that the game - pitting two sides in the bottom third of the table against one another - drew a larger crowd than the other derby of the night between Highworth Town and Cirencester Town, two of the division's in form sides.

Over 200 were in attendance at the Swindon Mercedes Stadium (the third game to break that figure this season, with all games having been derbies). In contrast, Highworth and Cirencester attracted 173 - a still healthy number.

That reflected the intrigue in the match with Jonny Aitkenhead coming up against his predecessor as Bassett manager Sam Collier, who took to the opposing dugout with Alan Griffin for their first match in charge since assuming the reigns with the Vics.

There would ultimately be nothing to separate the sides though, with both managers arguably frustrated at the outcome.

For Bassett, the game was an opportunity to both pull themselves towards the middle of the pack and away from one of the sides below them in the table. Meanwhile for Malmesbury the hope would have been to extricate themselves from the bottom two while hitting the ground running with their new manager.

Neither side was able to fulfill those ambitions in a game that was tight and short on real attacking quality, despite the game at times being stretched.

Bassett had the better of the opportunities in the first half. An unmarked Alfie Presley skewed over from close range after Harrison Edwards' bustling run and cutback from the right.

Saturday's two goal hero George Cook fluffed his lines when set free by Edwards before a far post header from Joah Hall went narrowly wide.

Ed Taylor then came close to breaking the deadlock but was denied by Harry Pickering's superb instinct save as the Malmesbury 'keeper stopped low to parry his header from eight yards out from Ollie Smith's towering cross.

At the other end Kai Robinson initiated a counter after robbing Presley but Otis Lewis was unable to convert as he steered over from the edge of the box.

After the restart Malmesbury grew into the game more and Lewis Clark was forced into an alert save after Jordan Sykes used his strength to advance to the byline and cut back for Matt Morris to shoot from ten yards.

A Bassett break ended in Pickering tipping wide at his near post from an Ed Oatley drive.

Malmesbury then had the second period's best opening when Lewis, unmarked and ten yards out, skewed across the face of goal and wide after a low cross from the left.

Late on Pickering again denied Taylor who did well to connect with a back post header from a Presley cross.

Bassett's Player of the Match Clark then pulled off two big stops late on. He first came charging off his line to bravely deny Harry Sealey at his feet after a long ball over the top caught Bassett on the break.

Then when the Bassett defence was stretched, Clark was forced to save on the dive as Sealey turned and shot from ten yards out after Gabe Costello played a ball into the box.

The two teams go again at the Swindon Mercedes Stadium in just a fortnight's time in the opening round of the Wiltshire Premier Shield. That night something has to give.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Wednesday 14th October 2026 at 07:27