The bug sweeping it's way through BoTP Towers at the moment completely wrecked any chance of a Tuesday evening game. However, feeling a little better on Wednesday I wrapped up against the cold and headed off to deepest, darkest Wiltshire for a Hellenic Premier game featuring Royal Wootton Bassett Town and Highmoor Ibis.
The summer of 2015 was an exciting time for Wootton Basset football club. They adopted the prefix 'Royal' to their name after the town gained royal patronage in 2011. They also moved into their new, purpose built stadium situated on the northern extremities of the town opposite the rugby club. The New Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, as it is named, is a fairly large sports complex which incorporates cricket, tennis, and various levels of football on artificial and grass pitches. There is also a conference facility and function room at the ground. It is a very nicely put together complex which, I have no doubt, is a great asset to the town. However, as I have said before in previous blogs, although I completely understand the attraction of new, easy to maintain facilities, they do not have anywhere near the character of older football stadia.
The football ground at the Gerard Buxton complex is, pretty much, typical of these new arenas. Completely enclosed with wooden fencing and with two covered areas. The one nearest the car park side of the ground is a covered seating area whilst on the far side, in between the Perspex covered dugouts, is a covered standing area. Also on the car park side, towards the corner of the ground, is the club house, changing areas and tea bar. To be fair to the club, the playing surface at the ground is absolutely perfect and could be used as a great argument for these new developments. When the pitch was laid it is quite obvious that great care was taken to install excellent drainage because, whilst the surrounding grass areas were completely boggy and had patches of standing water, the playing surface was perfectly drained with no sign of any mud at all.
One more point to make before going on to the game itself is the programme. At £1.50 it is slightly more expensive than most at this level. However, it is also one of the best programmes that I have seen at Step 5, full of information and statistics, it really is a good read.
So, the game. Neither team has set the Hellenic League alight this season with Highmoor, in 11th, having a one league position edge over their hosts, but only on goal difference. The home side, however, came into the game having never beaten their visitors in the Hellenic League, with two draws and three defeats, the latest being a 4-0 setback in October.
The summer of 2015 was an exciting time for Wootton Basset football club. They adopted the prefix 'Royal' to their name after the town gained royal patronage in 2011. They also moved into their new, purpose built stadium situated on the northern extremities of the town opposite the rugby club. The New Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, as it is named, is a fairly large sports complex which incorporates cricket, tennis, and various levels of football on artificial and grass pitches. There is also a conference facility and function room at the ground. It is a very nicely put together complex which, I have no doubt, is a great asset to the town. However, as I have said before in previous blogs, although I completely understand the attraction of new, easy to maintain facilities, they do not have anywhere near the character of older football stadia.
The football ground at the Gerard Buxton complex is, pretty much, typical of these new arenas. Completely enclosed with wooden fencing and with two covered areas. The one nearest the car park side of the ground is a covered seating area whilst on the far side, in between the Perspex covered dugouts, is a covered standing area. Also on the car park side, towards the corner of the ground, is the club house, changing areas and tea bar. To be fair to the club, the playing surface at the ground is absolutely perfect and could be used as a great argument for these new developments. When the pitch was laid it is quite obvious that great care was taken to install excellent drainage because, whilst the surrounding grass areas were completely boggy and had patches of standing water, the playing surface was perfectly drained with no sign of any mud at all.
One more point to make before going on to the game itself is the programme. At £1.50 it is slightly more expensive than most at this level. However, it is also one of the best programmes that I have seen at Step 5, full of information and statistics, it really is a good read.
So, the game. Neither team has set the Hellenic League alight this season with Highmoor, in 11th, having a one league position edge over their hosts, but only on goal difference. The home side, however, came into the game having never beaten their visitors in the Hellenic League, with two draws and three defeats, the latest being a 4-0 setback in October.
It was, however, the home side who started the better of the two creating a couple of chances in the opening salvoes without really stretching the Ibis keeper too much. The first half turned into a very entertaining game of football with each side taking it in turns to attack in an end-to-end encounter. Overall it was Wootton Bassett who managed to manufacture the best chances forcing a couple of decent saves and last ditch tackles from the visitors. However, Highmoor always looked dangerous when they attacked with the pace and trickery of Parker on the right flank being a particular threat. Towards the end of the half a long ball down the Bassett right side was chased down by one of their strikers who was then pulled back on the edge of the box. The assistant flagged for the free-kick much to the dismay of the away side who's number 5 showed his displeasure by angrily volleying the ball in the general direction of the linesman. It was never going to hit him but was a display of petulance which would re-surface later in the game.
So, at half-time it was all square but the home side would have been slightly the happier having created the clearer cut opportunities.
The second half started in the same manner as the first with the home side pushing Highmoor backwards for the first few minutes without really threatening. It was, however, the away side who finally made the breakthrough. A low, hard, Parker cross from the left side was met by the stooping White who headed powerfully past the home keeper to give Ibis the lead.
Just a couple of minutes later and it was 2-0, Parker scrambling a loose ball over the line and the linesman flagging that it had actually gone in, despite the protestations of the home defence.
So, at half-time it was all square but the home side would have been slightly the happier having created the clearer cut opportunities.
The second half started in the same manner as the first with the home side pushing Highmoor backwards for the first few minutes without really threatening. It was, however, the away side who finally made the breakthrough. A low, hard, Parker cross from the left side was met by the stooping White who headed powerfully past the home keeper to give Ibis the lead.
Just a couple of minutes later and it was 2-0, Parker scrambling a loose ball over the line and the linesman flagging that it had actually gone in, despite the protestations of the home defence.
From that point onwards the game was as good as over as a contest. Highmoor, although conceding ground to their hosts, looked to be comfortably able to cope with the home forwards and Wootton Basset, even with plenty of huff and puff, didn't really look like they had the ideas to break the Ibis defence down. However, the game was getting increasingly niggly with the aforementioned Ibis number 5 in the thick of the action. Chasing a long ball with a Bassett striker he went down holding his face but no free-kick was given. To be honest, I didn't have a good view of the incident but the striker did raise his arms. Whether he made any contact is a different matter. A few minutes later and a Bassett player went down holding his face after an off the ball clash with the same Ibis defender. This time a free-kick was awarded but no action taken by the referee. Then, with a few minutes left on the clock, the same defender was involved again with the home number 5. Following a corner there was some off the ball wrestling from both players but, following a flag from the assistant on the far side and a conference with the referee, a penalty was a warded and a red card issued to the Ibis defender. It wasn't clear what the actual offence was because there were a number of players between my viewpoint (starting to sound like Arsene Wenger here but I genuinely didn't have a clear view) and the action, but the increasingly aggressive actions of the Ibis defender had been leading to something for the majority of the second half and a red card was not entirely a shock to anyone.
Bassett summed up their evening by missing the penalty and Ibis saw out the remaining few minutes fairly easily to clock up the three points. So, it really was a case of new name, new stadium, same result for the home side. Six league fixtures against Highmoor and still without a win.
Royal Wootton Basset Town - @rwbtfc
Highmoor Ibis - @highmooribis
Bassett summed up their evening by missing the penalty and Ibis saw out the remaining few minutes fairly easily to clock up the three points. So, it really was a case of new name, new stadium, same result for the home side. Six league fixtures against Highmoor and still without a win.
Royal Wootton Basset Town - @rwbtfc
Highmoor Ibis - @highmooribis
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