Friday night horror show

Sustain Stadium, Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, 24 February 2023

Royal Wootton Bassett Town's strong run of form came to an emphatic end as Sam Collier's side suffered a 4-0 drubbing at home against Longlevens.

Facing opponents who started the day in 15th, Bassett entered the Friday night fixture with high hopes of earning a fifth straight league win that would have taken the team up into sixth in the table. However by the end of the match, Bassett had suffered their biggest defeat of the campaign so far after a second half showing in which Longlevens tore the hosts apart.

Bassett had trailed 1-0 at the break, the game - at least at that point - being finely poised after an opening half in which the hosts had arguably created the better of the chances with the visitors taking the lead courtesy of an outstanding Shaun O'Connor strike.

But Bassett collapsed after the restart, conceding three further goals on what proved to be a miserable night.

The early signs were nonetheless bright with Bassett making a lively start. Indeed, the home side were inches away from taking the lead on the quarter hour mark when Bailey Gallagher produced a trademark cut inside from the left before crashing a shot from just outside the box onto the bar.

Chances continued to come with Matt Jones forcing a low parry from visiting 'keeper Kane Winman and Matt Bennett sending a shot over after being allowed to advance into a dangerous position.

When Longlevens eventually opened the scoring on thirty minutes, Bassett could therefore have felt with some justification that the goal came against the run of play.

But what a goal it was as visiting captain O'Connor brought down an attempted clearance and sent a beautiful thirty yard strike beyond a helpless Matt Crowther.

The same player then almost scored another from distance before the break, but Crowther was fortunately able to scramble the ball away with Bassett - after going behind - now on the ropes.

After the break, it was all Longlevens. The visitors offered Bassett little, shutting Collier's side down quickly and preventing them from getting the ball moving. They were then incisive and clinical when going forward.

Their lead was doubled less than minutes into the second half.

Tommy Callinan should arguably have scored a minute earlier after being quickest to react to a Crowther spill.

But where he failed in finding the net, teammate Shiyak Sutherland succeeded. Springing the offside trap to race onto a a fine Lee Llewellyn pass played across the Bassett defence, the dangerous Sutherland fired beyond Crowther.

Sutherland almost grabbed another after latching onto substitute Brad Martin's through ball but was thwarted by Crowther.

But he would serve as creator for Longlevens' third, breaking down the right wing before crossing for Martin who made no mistake from close range.

Three ultimately became four on 73 minutes when Bassett failed to clear from a Fin Brown free kick and James Barnett plucked the ball out of the air before teeing up Jack Beardsell for a simple finish.

Bassett then had the woodwork to thank for preventing any further damage as Martin missed out on his second and his team's fifth as he steered a shot off the bar following a Beardsell cutback.

The defeat - while heavy and the result of a bleak performance - is itself not terminal for Bassett's hopes of a top six finish.

However, it does make achieving such a feat that much harder - especially with eight of the ten remaining league fixtures coming away from home.

Now is the time for Bassett to lick their wounds though - and to make sure there is a reaction next week away at Lydney Town.