Match Report by Karl Hills
Photography by Steve Gridley
After a week’s break, due to Storm Darragh, Basingstoke Town were back in action on Saturday afternoon as they looked to get back to winning ways against Wimborne Town at Winklebury Football Complex.
Despite going a goal down early on, the hosts took all three points with second half goals from Jack Ball and D’Andre Brown. The Magpies had taken the lead early in the first half through Josh Carmichael.
Carmichael had the very first effort on target and straight from kick-off, with a lofted effort from his own half to try and catch Simon Grant out in the Basingstoke goal, but Grant was alive to it and comfortably caught the ball.
The early exchanges continued, with ‘Stoke winning three corners in a row, but unfortunately, nothing came of any of them and the next opportunity fell to the visitors – and they made no mistake taking their chance. Matt Neale played the free-kick low for Carmichael, who ran across his marker and cleverly turned the ball into the far top corner.
Chances started to come as the game opened up. George Reid went close for ‘Stoke, beating two players but dragging his shot wide of the near post, and Brody Peart had his 30-yard free-kick comfortably saved by Ross Flitney in the visitors’ goal. The Magpies got their own free-kick around the same distance as the one for ‘Stoke, but Carmichael’s effort was blazed over the bar. The visitors then had a penalty appeal waved away by the referee.
After the flurry of activity in the opening twenty minutes the game settled down and the teams continued to trade possession, with no real opportunities, until the 40th minute when Reid sent Liam Ferdinand through on goal – but his shot was blocked by Flitney. The ball looped into the air and dropped onto the head of Reid, who nodded the ball towards Peart on the edge of the area, and he hit a low volley that was saved well by Flitney, and the ball was cleared away. Moments later, Robbie Gallagher capitalised on a mistake in the Magpies defence, but once again, Flitney was equal to it.
In the dying embers of the first half, Wimborne really should have increased their lead. A flowing move by the away side saw Cam Munn go through, drawing Grant from his line. Munn smartly slid the ball to his left to Matty Burrows – but inexplicably the winger shot wide of the open goal from around 7 yards out.
HT – Basingstoke Town 0 – 1 Wimborne Town
The second half started and ‘Stoke saw much more of the ball than they had in the first half, with Wimborne struggling to break through the home side’s back line. There were no real chances to speak of until a Wimborne defender inadvertently headed a Peart free-kick into the air and almost over his own ‘keeper, before Flitney tipped it away and the rebound was headed away for a ‘Stoke corner, from which nothing came.
The hosts now had their tails well and truly up and continued to push for an equaliser – and in the 66th minute, the equaliser came. Ferdinand was sent through, but his cross was blocked and went out for a ‘Stoke corner. Peart swung the corner in deep and Jack Ball at the far post rose the highest and thumped his header home.
Then, just four minute later, the hosts should have taken the lead. Gallagher did fantastically well to chase down a long ball on the left flank, before squaring the ball to Ferdinand. His shot was blocked, and it fell to the returning Nnamdi Nwachuku, on for Brody Peart, whose first touch gave Flitney time to get across and block his shot when it came.
It felt like the next goal was going to come from ‘Stoke and it arrived a little over a minute from the last chance – and what a goal it was. Ferdinand was sent through but was bundled to the ground just outside the area. It is always a difficult area to score from but, with a three-man wall and a draft excluder, D’Andre Brown stepped up and absolutely rifled it into the top right corner. Those kind of free-kicks don’t get saved.
The rest of the game was a real battle as Wimborne chased the game and ‘Stoke introduced the returning Ben Cook (76 mins), James Clark (83 mins), Dan Warre (94 mins) and Luis Le Paih (98 mins) into proceedings to help see out the game and pick up the home side’s first win in the league since October.
FT Basingstoke Town 2 – 1 Wimborne Town