The Wiltshire Gazette, Thursday 21st September 1950

Good constructive football flowed smoothly off the boots of Devizes Town to give them a more-than-deserved 4-0 win over Wootton Bassett and an undisputed right of entry into the next round of the FA Cup competition.

Except the occasional fault of a misplaced pass and a mistimed crack at goal, the Devizes team played as well as they have ever done this season or last with a defence that made not one bad mistake and a forward line the like of which Devizes has needed for months.

The Rose-Lynch-Bryant right wing combination really found its feet and, if the Town selectors know their job, that combination has come to stay.

The Wootton Bassett side, of which much had been expected, could never form themselves into a coherent playing unit with any degree of aggression, and for long period there was only one man in the Devizes half – John King, the home goalkeeper.

The four Devizes goals were each a picture to see. Roy Smith opened the home account with a sure, calm penalty after Macklin (who was again in top form) had been pushed away while jumping to head the ball. The lead was increased when Roy Bryant scorched in a hard shot after Lynch, switching to the wing from his inside position, had passed cleverly to Jack Rose. Lynch snatched the third shortly after the interval when he gathered a Ferris pass after the visiting goalkeeper had run out and missed the ball by a yard. He later more than justified his inclusion in the team when he added the fourth Devizes goal after a bout of heading between Macklin and Bryant.

A feature of the play were the many long, raking passes that the half-line threw up to split the Wootton Bassett defence and give the forwards their openings.

Most outstanding (and the most hard worked player) on the Bassett side was goalkeeper Young, who put up a cool and very gallant performance.

Last modified on Monday 22nd June 2015 at 23:38