Basingstoke Town all but assured themselves of Conference South football again last season with a scintillating two-nil victory at play-off chasers Welling United on Tuesday night, their fourth win in a row.
In a game re-routed from Wellings home ground, Francis Vines, Basingstokes manager, named an unchanged side from the one that had beaten Weston-super-Mare on the Saturday.
Welling, who had been a real bogey side for Basingstoke this term, beating them three-one and two-nil in the league and FA Trophy, started strongly, but Basingstoke kept them at bay, and defended a lot better than in the two sides earlier encounters.
Danny Kedwell, Wellings talismanic leading scorer, forced Stuart Searle, Basingstokes keeper, into a diving save in the second minute, but this turned out to be Wellings only meaningful shot on target all night as Basingstoke gradually worked their way into the game.
Anthony Storey, Ben Surrey and Matt Warner all have long-range efforts before Basingstoke took the lead in the 38th minute.
After a Welling corner, Jason Bristow cleared to Dean Lodge who, halfway inside his own half, quickly released Carl Gibbs worth a telling pass down the right flank.
Gibbs then put in a sublime cross to Storey who, having run the length of the pitch, produced an accurate near post header to give Basingstoke a one-nil lead at the interval.
And, in the second half, it just got even better for the visitors.
Basingstoke put the game out of Wellings reach when, in the 49th minute, the ball fell to Surrey who, from fully 35 yards out, produced a looping volley which went right into the top corner.
Welling brought on more strikers in a desperate bid to get back into the game, but was reduced to long-range efforts, which either went wide or proved no trouble to Searle.
And, as the gaps began to appear as Welling pushed forward, Basingstoke had more chances to add a third, with James Taylor heading just wide from a Gibbs cross, Storey firing two range-range efforts wide and Lodge, Warner and Gibbs again losing positions in good positions.
But overall, looking at the opposition, it was a quality performance form Basingstoke, and surely their best league performance elf the season. |
