Derby disappointment as Bassett are well beaten

Sustain Stadium, Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, 27 December 2023

Royal Wootton Bassett Town's unbeaten home league record fell by the wayside as Highworth Town came from behind to record an emphatic 3-1 derby triumph at the Sustain Stadium.

With Bassett claiming ten points from the last twelve available to them and Highworth winning just one of their last five league games, Sam Collier's side - having played a game more - had opened up a healthy eight point gap over the Worthians heading into the fixture.

But that deficit was cut back as the visitors earned a season double while extending their league unbeaten run over Bassett to eight matches.

In truth it was a deserved triumph too, with Highworth by far the more creative and dangerous of the two sides throughout the match.

They had threatened early on when Sam Jepson did well to deny Dan Grieve as the forward shot on the turn.

Yet, despite the visitors being on top, Bassett found themselves ahead midway through the half courtesy of another stunning free kick from Jack Hobson-McVeigh.

Just four days after fizzing home a free kick against Longlevens, the New Zealander did it again as his 25 yard effort, assisted by the wind, flew past the wall and into the bottom right corner following a foul by former Bassett man Matt Cheetham.

That lead didn't last long though and Highworth were on terms ten minutes before the interval. Bassett failed to clear from a corner and the ball broke to Grieve, who fired low into the bottom right corner from the edge of the box.

Forced to defend against the strong wind in the second half, Bassett then found themselves under significant Highworth pressure.

Having gone close from a corner shortly after the restart, it would be Cheetham who put his side ahead with a well-taken finish from a dangerous Rhys Wells delivery on 65 minutes.

Wells then turned from provider to scorer to put Highworth firmly in control seven minutes later, producing an assured finish after collecting substitute Tom Wynn-Davies' cross-field pass.

Bassett's miserable league record against their rivals therefore continued. More importantly though in the context of this season, Collier and his team missed out on an opportunity to gain further ground on a rival playoff contender.

The busy festive schedule sees Bassett go again against a side chasing a top five finish with a visit to Hereford Pegasus on Saturday. After this setback, Bassett will be hoping for better from that fixture.