THERE was a palpable sense of relief around The Camrose last night as Basingstoke Town enjoyed their first win of the season.

Granted, it was only a Hampshire Senior Cup tie and troubled Ryman League outfit Farnborough were dreadful, but a win is a win and Town will be hoping that the victory is the first step towards a change in fortunes.

Farnborough's lack of quality all over the pitch made it a comfortable night for the hosts, who didn't really need to get out of second gear to win the game.

Goals in the first 15 minutes from Harrison Gilkes and Lloyd Macklin pretty much won the game, with Louie Soares adding a third in the second half.

Basingstoke manager Jason Bristow made three changes to the side that had drawn with Wealdstone three days earlier, with Will Salmon, Robbie Rice, Macklin and Liam Enver-Marum all handed starts in a 4-4-2 formation.

The game got off to a quiet start, but Town grabbed the lead with just six minutes on the clock.

Enver-Marum lead a break down the left and his centre found Gilkes on the edge of the area, with the winger smashing a powerful volley into the corner of the net.

Gilkes could have had a second soon after, but he was unable to get over his header and the ball cleared the crossbar.

However, the lead was doubled with 14 minutes on the clock. Macklin, who had a good game in general, cut in from the right side of the area and forced an ill-timed tackle out of Chinua Cole. Referee Gary Parsons pointed to the spot and Macklin took the kick himself, sending goalkeeper Victor Silvestre-Botans the wrong way.

With the game pretty much over inside 15 minutes, the rest of the half was something of a non-event, with Town holding plenty back and Farnborough incapable of posing a real threat.

Silvestre-Botans provided the bulk of the entertainment with a string of terrible kicks, most of which were followed by him slipping on his backside.

However, he did well to come out of his area and clear the ball away from Macklin as half-time approached. On that occasion, his kick was excellent, reaching the edge of the Town area and turning into the perfect pass for Bradley Fraser, but he was unable to control the ball with just Aaron Howe to beat.

Macklin had the final effort of the first half, firing a powerful shot well over from the edge of the area.

The hosts were sluggish at the start of the second period and had Howe to thank when Shaun Simms managed to bundle his way through a series of powder-puff challenges. He pulled the ball back for Lewis Collins, who seemed to have a tap-in, but the Town goalkeeper produced a fantastic reaction save to keep out the shot.

Soares was denied by the knees of Silvestre-Botans at the other end, while the visiting goalkeeper was fortunate to survive when Macklin chased down a back-pass and nearly robbed him.

Half-chances continued to fall to the visitors, with Fraser shooting wide of the near post from a narrow angle and L'Heureux Menga putting in a poor shot from the edge of the area.

However, Town substitute George Hallahan almost added a third on 69 minutes, getting around the goalkeeper but seeing his effort from a narrow angle blocked on the line by Simms.

The Farnborough reprieve was short-lived as Soares made it 3-0 just one minute later. The visitors allowed the ball to bounce across their penalty area and Soares had time to take a touch before firing over Silvestre-Botans and into the roof of the net.

More goals could have followed in the final 20 minutes. Soares fired narrowly wide after cutting in from the left, while both posts were made to rattle.

Tom Bird went first, catching Silvestre-Botans napping from a free-kick and firing in a low shot that smacked the base of the post, with a stretching Salmon unable to turn the rebound in.

Manny Williams then found himself in behind the defence and while the goalkeeper did well to half-save, the Town substitute was onto the loose ball, but he shot against the other post with the goal at his mercy.

Excellent play from Hallahan saw the youngster play Macklin in with an excellent pass, but the striker was only able to blast the ball wide, while Town just about held on to their clean sheet when Cole headed a corner back across goal.

Click here to watch a post-match video interview with Basingstoke Town manager Jason Bristow

PLAYER RATINGS

Aaron Howe - 8 (out of 10)
Didn't have an awful lot to do but made a fantastic save to secure just his second clean sheet of the season.

Nathan Smart - 7
A solid game at right-back.

Tom Bird - 7
Unable to get forward as much as usual due to Town's formation, but worked hard and unfortunate not to score with a cheeky free-kick.

Robbie Rice - 6
Looked out of place in the centre of midfield and struggled in possession at times.

Jay Gasson - 7
A good night. No mistakes and made a couple of important challenges.

Will Salmon - 6
Doesn't look a centre-back. Made a couple of errors and generally seemed uncomfortable.

Louie Soares - 8
Caused problems from the wing throughout the night, getting into good positions. Took his goal really well.

Shaun McAuley - 7
A quiet, but disciplined game in the centre of midfield.

Liam Enver-Marum - 7
Suffering with illness, he did well in the build-up to the first goal but was otherwise lacklustre.

Lloyd Macklin - 8 - Gazette Star Man
An excellent performance. Worked tirelessly to close the Farnborough back line down, caused problems with his pace and solely responsible for the second goal.

Harrison Gilkes - 7
Took his goal really nicely, but unable to really get into the game otherwise and had to go off with a hip injury.

SUBSTITUTES

George Hallahan (for Enver-Marum 47min) - 7
Tried too hard at times, but unfortunate to see an effort cleared off the line and showed excellent skill to create a chance for Macklin. A promising debut.

Manny Williams (for Gilkes 70min) - 6
A post's width away from adding a fourth goal.

Chris Flood (for Soares 77min) - 6
No real opportunity to show what he is capable of.

Subs (not used): David Ray, David Smalley

Farnborough: Victor Silvestre-Botans, Timi Abiola (sub Shaun Simms), Chinua Cole, Nick Awford, Tom Broadbent, Dean Whittingham, Bradley Fraser, Lewis Collins, Menga L'Heureux, Nathan Chambers, Yasin Benel-Mhanni (sub Callum Webb 60min)

Subs (not used): Courtney Fearn

Attendance: 157