Weekend preview: Bassett aim for more FA Cup success

Royal Wootton Bassett Town's Men's First Team finally get their season underway on Saturday - and it's a big occasion to begin as Sam Collier and his side visit Mangotsfield United in the Emirates FA Cup extra preliminary round (3pm kick off). Bassett will be aiming to win in the FA Cup for a fourth season in a row - which would be an unprecedented achievement for the club given that only once before (2008-09 and 2009-10) have Bassett recorded victories in back-to-back campaigns. Saturday's tie will be a tough one though, not least because it is on the road. 11th in the Hellenic League Premier Division last season, Mangotsfield finished the 2022-23 campaign strongly and have enjoyed a solid pre-season. Bassett did have the upper hand over the Mangos over the course of their three meetings in 2022-23 though, with a pair of narrow league wins, including a 2-1 away triumph. However, Mangotsfield got the better of Bassett in a second round Hellenic League Floodlit Cup tie, winning 4-2 on penalties before going on to lift the trophy. It promises to be an entertaining contest - so please do get along to the Paul Sellick Brickwork Stadium (BS16 9EN) on Saturday to cheer Bassett on if you can! The winners of the tie will travel to either Ardley United or Ascot United in the preliminary round. There's then double friendly action on Sunday. After an impressive win last week, the Women's First Team travel to Hampshire to face Eastleigh on Sunday (2pm kick off). The first of three consecutive friendlies against tier five opponents, Eastleigh finished fifth in the Southern Region Women's Football League Premier Division last season. The Development team are also set for an away friendly on Sunday. Travelling closer to home, they visit Swindon Rovers (2pm kick off).