ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT TOWN 1 – 1 WINDSOR FC

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Intro

A fixture with regality written all over it marks the 2nd game of the season for the home side – a tough match against Hellenic League new boys Mangotsfield United on Tuesday ended in an impressive 1-0 victory for Bassett. Last season they finished in a comfortable mid-table position, losing as many games as they won. In last year’s FA Cup they made it past this round, before succumbing to Ardley United in a Preliminary Round replay. They had more success in the FA Vase, lasting until December when they lost to eventual semi-finalists Hamworthy United in the 3rd Round.

Windsor make their competitive debut for the season today, with the Combined Counties Premier League North not starting until next weekend. They finished last season’s campaign at 7th in the league but quite a way off the promoted teams. Not too surprising when you hear that league winners Hanworth Villa drew 4 and didn’t lose a game all season, storming to the title. Like their opponents today, The Royalists had an equal number of losses and wins. A short-lived FA Cup campaign last season had Windsor beaten by Tuffley Rovers in the Extra Preliminary Round, while in the FA Vase they beat Kensington & Ealing Borough, before losing heavily to Wellingborough Whitworth in the 2nd Qualifying Round.

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The Ground

The Gerard Buxton Sports Ground was opened in 2015 and is part of a sports complex including cricket pitches and tennis courts alongside the football stadium. It lies to the north of the town, and a stone’s throw from the M4 motorway. Plenty of parking spaces proved a useful feature as I was making my first visit by car since I passed my driving test! Next to the turnstile, and a part of the main building of the complex is the changing rooms for the players and officials, as well as the refreshment facilities. Also on the side of the pitch is the main stand, which is a fair-sized, seated affair. Opposite is a smaller, modern terrace. Both stands are covered. The entire pitch is surrounded by a good-sized combination of grass and concrete, giving the whole place a pleasantly spacious feel.

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The Match

Kicking off in quite intense sunshine the game started somewhat tentatively, and it wasn’t until the quarter-hour mark that there was a real attempt on goal. Alfie Presley broke away after a poor free kick from Conaill Ryan in the Windsor goal, but fired high and wide under pressure from a defender. 7 minutes later Presley found himself with time on the ball in the box, but his shot on the turn flew over the bar. A Bassett free kick had Ryan scrambling but fortunately for the Berkshire side it was just wide of the post. A wide free kick found the head of a home player with a couple of minutes left in the first half, but again it was just off target. With limited time remaining, Windsor almost took an unlikely lead into the break – Jacob Adeyemi failed to hit the target from close range. It was hard to see from where I was standing but it looked like a real let off for the hosts.

Less than a minute into the 2nd period and Bassett were at it again – Tommy Ouldridge’s header narrowly over. On 53 minutes, Ryan was finally called into meaningful action for the visitors – but the shot from Bailey Gallagher was straight down his throat. Just past the hour mark Presley took aim from a tricky angle but couldn’t find the target. With 15 minutes remaining, and with the game increasingly looking like it would end in a stalemate, the deadlock was finally broken. A superb ball towards the touchline found Presley whose sharp, low cross was tucked away by Gallagher. The home side led 1-0. By now both sets of players were finding reason to criticise the officials, and this would come to a head with time running out for the away team. Jack Hobson-McVeigh (I think) was denied re-entry onto the pitch after receiving treatment for a head injury. A Windsor free kick was awarded with Bassett down to 10 men; the set piece was drifted into the danger area and redirected goalwards by a fine header from Tyler Robinson that found the bottom corner. Around 10 minutes of time added-on had accrued thanks to a number of injuries in the 2nd half, but this proved fruitless to both sides – Bassett fired over in the 99th minute but that was as close as either team came to winning the match. It finished 1-1 and they’ll do it all again on Tuesday.

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The Photos

The full gallery of match photos is also available HERE