Basingstoke Town 4 Swindon Supermarine 3

Pitching In Southern League Premier South | Saturday 4th November 2023

Posted by Keith Yeomans on November 6th 2023

`Match Report from Pete Crockett`

MARINE LOSE IN SEVEN GOAL THRILLER!

To in part borrow the words of the author Jane Austen, “it is a truth universally acknowledged” that in football when you are at the top of the league you often get results that your performance might not warrant whilst when you are at the bottom you can suffer defeats you do not deserve. This was a classic result that upheld that footballing shibboleth.

Every Marine player gave their all and a bit more; they for long spells of the match played fluent football that was pleasing on the eye; and they showed an abundance of character to on three instances come from behind. Sometimes football can be the cruellest of games.

The home team opened the scoring when in the 4th minute a Dan Rowe shot escaped the grasp of Conor Brann. It was in reality a soft goal to concede and Marine’s heads could have dropped. Instead, Marine rallied and in the tenth minute a Sam Turl cross was met by a powerful Levi Irving header that was brilliantly saved by Paul Strudley in the host’s goal. To football supporters of a certain age it was not dissimilar to that famous Gordon Banks save from a Pele header.

At the mid point of the first half Marine’s Zack Kotwica hit an enticing clipped cross to the back post. Jamie Edge looked set to score with a back post header only for the ball to take a ridiculously high bounce off the artificial surface.

In the 34th minute the hosts worked an opening in the Marine penalty area that was well saved by Conor Brann. The keeper also made a similar sharp stop in the 44th minute in a similar situation.

In first half injury time Marine secured the equaliser their enterprising football deserved. From a dangerous corner Mat Liddiard rose above the mass of players in the box to power the perfect header home. Surely Marine would go into half time on level terms but it was not to be. A Kai Hobbs cross found Dan Rowe unmarked in the centre of goal and he nodded home to instantly restore the host’s lead.

However, Marine rallied again and three minutes into the second half equalised when Sam Turl’s marauding overlap down the right flank saw the ball fly into the net from a powerful strike that certainly caught out the host’s keeper. Whether the effort was an intended effort at goal or a cross shot does not matter. It was a justifiable reward for the full back’s lung busting effort to have an impact at the top end of the pitch.

Now the game was ebbing and flowing with both sides having spells of ascendancy. However, it was Basingstoke who scored again when with 18 minutes of the second half elapsed Kai Hobbs cross picked out Liam Ferdinand who on the stretch poked the ball into the bottom corner.

Then in a two-minute spell between the 64th and 66th minute the game had even more drama. A Stefan Brown shot from long range was parried by Conor Brann. Liam Ferdinand looked certain to score from the rebound, but an Ioan Richards last ditch block deflected the ball onto the cross bar and to Marine’s relief the ball bounced clear.

Then a minute later from a drop ball in his own half an excellent Jake Andrews pass set Marine’s Dave Sims-Burgess clear. Despite the ball bouncing awkwardly in front of him the debutant loanee volleyed home with aplomb from just inside the host’s penalty area.

The game’s deciding goal in the 76th minute saw Basingstoke’s Brad Wilson cut the ball back and Liam Ferdinand converted from close range. Still though Marine kept coming but with the exception of an on the stretch Brad Gray back post header they could not in the final quarter of an hour create the opening for a fourth equaliser that their efforts on the day deserved.

With a glass half empty perspective the harsh reality is that in fourteen league matches Marine have conceded forty-three goals. Getting points is always going to be tough if on average you are conceding three per game.

The glass half full view is that in recent league matches Marine are creating presentable openings and on Saturday showed admirable character. Address the former and retain the latter and there is every chance the results will turn,

This was a cruel defeat for Marine. The players, management, and travelling support deserved better. Alas, at the bottom little goes your way and the breaks opponents get in your penalty area seem not to so readily fall your way when the positions are reversed.

That said there were enough positives in this performance to suggest that the elusive first league win will come soon. There is no time for pity all those of a Marine disposition need to dig deep and go again.

NB – Credit to referee Malyon and his assistants who allowed the game to flow whilst also keeping appropriate control.

Editors Marine Star Man: Sam Turl
Editors Basingstoke Star Man: Liam Ferdinand
Attendance: 648

`Line Ups`

BASINGSTOKE TOWN
Manager: Dan Brownlie
Colours: Red & Back
Line-up: 1. Paul Strudley 2. Kia Hobbs 3. Marcus Johnson-Schuster 4. Michael Atkinson (c) 5. Nathan Smart 6. James Clark 7. Brad Wilson (15. Noah Chengun 90’) 8. D’Andre Brown 9. Liam Ferdinand 10. Stefan Brown (14. Alek Kokoszka 86’) 11. Dan Rowe
Subs not used: 16. Harvey Collins 17. Josh De Lacy-Turner
Goalscorer: Dan Rowe 8’45+2’, Liam Ferdinand 63’,76’
Cards:
Kai Hobbs 30’, Yellow Card
None Red Card
None Yellow & Red Card