BASINGSTOKE TOWN 8 (Cook 24’; Peart 35’; Clark 43’, 48’; Fallaize (OG) 56’; Wilson 73’, 75’, 87’)
GUERNSEY 0
A rampant and ruthless Basingstoke Town subjected the Green Lions to a record-equalling worst-ever defeat on Saturday.
With Tony Vance’s side down to the bare bones, the promotion-chasing took full advantage and were cutting through the Sarnian midfield and defence at will. Wideman Bradley Wilson was simply unplayable as he helped himself to a second half treble and a GFC defence that has been relatively stubborn this season fell apart.
Like the other 8-0 defeat, sustained at Merstham some years ago, this was more down to the hosts being brilliant rather than Guernsey being particularly poor – the sort of afternoon where everything went right for them and this should be one to swiftly file away and forget as GFC drop into the relegation zone thanks to Tooting & Mitcham United’s draw at Leatherhead and Thatcham Town beating Ashford Town.
Guernsey’s struggled for any attacking joy in the first half, with their only offensive contribution of note coming in the final five minutes of the half as Dave Merris struck sweetly but straight at Paul Strudley, and Jamie Dodd’s header at the far post from Kieran Mahon’s corner was comfortably seen wide.
But those chance came among a disastrous period for the Green Lions as the hosts scored three times in 20 minutes in the second quarter of the game.
They had threatened early on with a couple of dangerous crosses that flashed across goal without anyone on hand to turn the ball in, and Sam Argent’s low strike bounced comfortably into Addison’s grasp in the 10th minute
Hale then missed his challenge and Bradley Wilson was able to cut back for a shot on goal from the angle, but he got underneath it and sent the ball well over just after the quarter-hour.
Argent was nearly the beneficiary of a lucky deflection on 19 minutes as Benjamin Cook drove low towards goal from all of 30 yards. The ball took a nick and landed kindly at the feet of Argent on the edge of the box, who shot early to catch Addison out but the Guernsey stopper was alert to shift his feet and block down to his left.
Basingstoke got their deserved lead midway through the half. Wilson initially looked like he had held onto the ball for too long as he was crowded by four Guernsey defenders in the box, but evaded them by retreating away from goal and found the reverse pass for Cook, who dinked it over an onrushing Addison from the corner of the six-yard box.
The second goal was poor from a defensive point of view. In the 35th minute, a crossfield ball was sprayed across from the left, and both Addison and Tom Dodds reacted too slowly, perhaps expecting the ball to bounce out, allowing Brody Peart collected near the byline. He still had a lot to do from the angle, but Addison allowed the shot to squeeze past him and nestle in the net.
It should have been three five minutes before the break as Basingstoke went on the counter attack. Wilson timed his run to beat the offside trap and bore down on goal. He shot early just before he reached the box and Addison was relieved to see it bounce wide.
Merris’ and Dodd’s chances then came and went before Basingstoke made it three two minutes before half-time as James Clark timed his run to the back post to meet Wilson’s low cross from the right of the area and finish coolly.
Peart wasn’t far off making it four as he chopped back on to his left foot and curled towards the far post, just evading the top corner. The half-time whistle was mercy for the Sarnians.
Any unlikely chance of a comeback was swiftly wiped out as Basingstoke made it four within two minutes of the second half. Clark was picked out with a low ball across the box. His initial effort bounced back off the far post but the rebound fell kindly for Peart to tuck into an empty net.
Addison had to get down to the feet of Clark just two minutes later to deny him a hat-trick after Michael Atkinson’s low cross. Another smart save at his near post then denied Wilson, who was bearing down on goal, then the GFC stopper made a similar block to keep out Clark again.
It seemed a fifth was inevitable and it came on 55 minutes as a corner from the left bounced in off Jacob Fallaize, catching Addison off guard for an own goal.
Wilson cut in but scuffed at Addison as the hosts were in perfect sync in attack, but in a rare chance for Guernsey on the hour Dodd got to a corner and the ball fell to Keene Domaille, who saw his shot blocked.
The home side were somehow denied a sixth on 62 minutes as Atkinson sent in a low ball from the left. Addison didn’t know much about it as he got in the way of Clark’s shot Substitute Anton Rodgers pounced on the rebound but a brilliant block on the line from Fallaize kept it out. Addison was down for some considerable time having blocked with his face and needed a new shirt due to a nosebleed on the first. He went on to claim a header from the resulting corner.
Domaille did have the ball in the net, tucking home from close range as Tom Vaudin picked him out with a lovely cross, but the assistant referee deemed him to have strayed fractionally offside. Hale then turned and shot from way out but scuffed it and Strudly watched the ball bobble harmlessly wide.
The Green Lions were now finding a bit of life. Domaille lobbed a return ball in the area towards Hale that just evaded the number 10 and Strudley scooped the ball up.
But that was just brief respite as Basingstoke made it six on 73 minutes to pile on the misery. Addison saved Rodgers’ initial shot but Wilson was waiting to tuck in the rebound from just a couple of yards out.
Straight on the attack from a goal kick after substitute Brandon Wallace curled towards goal and narrowly missed the top corner, the rampant hosts made it seven just two minutes later as Fallaize scuffed his attempted block on a ball from the right and Addison couldn’t hold, leaving Wilson free to complete his hat-trick from close range.
Addison was called into action for another good stop as George Reid headed a corner at goal, while Danny Hale curled towards goal but narrowly past the top corner after cutting in at the other end. Tom Dodds also tried his luck from range but Strudley got down to his right to hold.
Wilson got his fourth on 87 minutes to equal the Green Lions heaviest defeat. Substitute Tyler McKane was a few yards behind the rest of the defence, keeping Wilson onside as he ran through and stroked across Addison into the far corner.
Domaille took on the early shot from the left as he ran onto a pinpoint pass from Dodds in the closing stages, but Strudley was able to gather.
Wilson came close to a fifth in stoppage time from another through ball that he chased with McKane, but drove narrowly over.
Not one to read too much into given the circumstances with availability and the strength of the opposition, but certaintly one the Green Lions need to get out of their system quickly.
Saturday’s other Isthmian South Central Results were as follows: Bedfont Sports 0-0 Hanworth Villa, Chipstead 1-1 Binfield, Leatherhead 1-1 Tooting & Mitcham United, Merstham 1-1 Chertsey Town, Northwood 0-2 South Park, Southall 3-2 Walton & Hersham, Sutton Common Rovers 0-2 Westfield, Thatcham Town 1-0 Ashford Town, Uxbridge 0-1 Marlow.
Basingstoke Town: 1 Paul Strudley; 2 Marcus Johnson-Schuster; 3 Callum Winchcombe; 4 Michael Atkinson (17 Aiden Lewis, 69’); 5 Nathan Smart; 6 Billy Upton; 7 Bradley Wilson; 8 Benjamin Cook (16 Anton Rodgers, 58’); 10 James Clark; 11 Brody Peart (12 George Reid, 58’); 19 Sam Argent. Not used: 14 McKoy Palmer; 15 Noah Chengun.
Guernsey: 1 Josh Addison; 2 Tom Vaudin; 3 Jamie Dodd (c); 4 Tom Dodds; 5 Jacob Fallaize; 6 Kieran Mahon (12 Tyler McKane 76’); 7 Dave Merris; 8 Liam Mahon; 9 Keene Domaille; 10 Danny Hale; 11 Matt Loaring (14 Brandon Wallace, 57’). Not used: 13 Jason Martin.
Booked: K Mahon.
Attendance: 406
Highlights will be available on GFCTV soon.
