Post by Hatboy on Feb 13, 2015 20:23:20 GMT
Basingstoke Town (H) Match Preview
Written by Jake Ellacott
The Saints return to action at Clarence Park this weekend for this first time this month, as we welcome promotion chasing Basingstoke Town.
This is Basingstoke’s first visit to The Park since the start of the 2010/2011 Conference South season, when the two sides played out a rather drab 0-0 draw in the first Tuesday night game of the season, with just 311 spectators in attendance.
Of course, both clubs have had very different stories since then, with the Saints going on to be relegated at the end of that season, while the Stoke went on to have a solid season which saw them finish in mid-table.
However, with City now back in the Vanarama Conference South, they’ll be hoping they can record their first home victory over our Hampshire opponents since February 2009.
The Dragons have had an impressive season so far, picking up a total of 48 points from their first 26 matches played, which is a total of three games less than some of the sides around them in the play-off places, and are themselves just six points behind league leaders Boreham Wood, who Basingstoke will surely fancy they can still catch is results go their way in the coming weeks.
In their last five league outings, Basingstoke have had a real mixed bag of results, having picked up just one point from games against Gosport, Eastbourne Borough and Bromley, before winning 4-0 against Boreham Wood away from home, and then defeating Maidenhead United last weekend in a 3-2 victory at the Soccer AM stadium.
That 4-0 win over The Wood could prove to be a pivotal moment in the chase for the title, as three first half goals in seventeen minutes put the hosts out of the game before the 40th minute. Despite Boreham Wood attempting to rally, Basingstoke made no mistake, and consolidated their victory with a fourth goal before the game was over. That win closed the gap between the two sides to just six points, and will ensure an exciting chase as the end of the season approaches.
We visited the Soccer AM stadium, previously known as the Camrose, back in the middle of November, and came away with a surprise 1-0 win over Jason Bristow’s side. Luton Town loanee Charlie Smith, starting his first game for the club, scored the only goal of the game in the 19th minute, when he curled the ball home from 14 yards out to give City their first win the League since the 18th of October.
The Saints, meanwhile, currently find themselves in 14th position, 10 points behind play-offs, and 13 points ahead of Farnborough, who are sat in 20th place and the final relegation spot. It looks like City will be finishing the season in and around the middle section of the table, but with another twelve games to play, the management team will be going out to make sure they can pick up as many of the 36 points still on offer as they can.
We’ve had a few weeks away from Clarence Park having played three away games on the trot, and having picked up a red card and just two points from those three games, City will probably be glad to be returning to home soil this Saturday.
the Saints held play-off chasing Havant & Waterlooville to a 0-0 draw on the South Coast on Tuesday night, having lost to Chelmsford City just three days earlier.
Tuesday night’s draw was a much improved performance, and was City’s first clean sheet since a 2-0 win against Concord Rangers at Clarence Park on the 17th of January.
The draw with Havant was the 100th game under the managerial leadership of Jimmy Gray and Graham Golds, who themselves were very pleased to have not only just picked up a point, but also a well-deserved clean sheet. The management duo will now be looking to secure their first double of the season when we face Basingstoke this Saturday, and will welcome Sam Corcoran back into the side with the midfielder having served a two game suspension.
www.sacfc.co.uk/index.php/teams/first-team/news-reports/2963-basingstoke-town-h-match-preview.html
Written by Jake Ellacott
The Saints return to action at Clarence Park this weekend for this first time this month, as we welcome promotion chasing Basingstoke Town.
This is Basingstoke’s first visit to The Park since the start of the 2010/2011 Conference South season, when the two sides played out a rather drab 0-0 draw in the first Tuesday night game of the season, with just 311 spectators in attendance.
Of course, both clubs have had very different stories since then, with the Saints going on to be relegated at the end of that season, while the Stoke went on to have a solid season which saw them finish in mid-table.
However, with City now back in the Vanarama Conference South, they’ll be hoping they can record their first home victory over our Hampshire opponents since February 2009.
The Dragons have had an impressive season so far, picking up a total of 48 points from their first 26 matches played, which is a total of three games less than some of the sides around them in the play-off places, and are themselves just six points behind league leaders Boreham Wood, who Basingstoke will surely fancy they can still catch is results go their way in the coming weeks.
In their last five league outings, Basingstoke have had a real mixed bag of results, having picked up just one point from games against Gosport, Eastbourne Borough and Bromley, before winning 4-0 against Boreham Wood away from home, and then defeating Maidenhead United last weekend in a 3-2 victory at the Soccer AM stadium.
That 4-0 win over The Wood could prove to be a pivotal moment in the chase for the title, as three first half goals in seventeen minutes put the hosts out of the game before the 40th minute. Despite Boreham Wood attempting to rally, Basingstoke made no mistake, and consolidated their victory with a fourth goal before the game was over. That win closed the gap between the two sides to just six points, and will ensure an exciting chase as the end of the season approaches.
We visited the Soccer AM stadium, previously known as the Camrose, back in the middle of November, and came away with a surprise 1-0 win over Jason Bristow’s side. Luton Town loanee Charlie Smith, starting his first game for the club, scored the only goal of the game in the 19th minute, when he curled the ball home from 14 yards out to give City their first win the League since the 18th of October.
The Saints, meanwhile, currently find themselves in 14th position, 10 points behind play-offs, and 13 points ahead of Farnborough, who are sat in 20th place and the final relegation spot. It looks like City will be finishing the season in and around the middle section of the table, but with another twelve games to play, the management team will be going out to make sure they can pick up as many of the 36 points still on offer as they can.
We’ve had a few weeks away from Clarence Park having played three away games on the trot, and having picked up a red card and just two points from those three games, City will probably be glad to be returning to home soil this Saturday.
the Saints held play-off chasing Havant & Waterlooville to a 0-0 draw on the South Coast on Tuesday night, having lost to Chelmsford City just three days earlier.
Tuesday night’s draw was a much improved performance, and was City’s first clean sheet since a 2-0 win against Concord Rangers at Clarence Park on the 17th of January.
The draw with Havant was the 100th game under the managerial leadership of Jimmy Gray and Graham Golds, who themselves were very pleased to have not only just picked up a point, but also a well-deserved clean sheet. The management duo will now be looking to secure their first double of the season when we face Basingstoke this Saturday, and will welcome Sam Corcoran back into the side with the midfielder having served a two game suspension.
www.sacfc.co.uk/index.php/teams/first-team/news-reports/2963-basingstoke-town-h-match-preview.html