A Floodlight failure forced Basingstoke Town’s game against Gosport to be abandoned after 49 minutes, on Saturday afternoon.

The home side were leading 1-0 at the time, in an entertaining game, and was a real shame after all hard work on the pitch earlier in the day, to make sure the fixture went ahead.

Basingstoke re-shuffled their line-up after the 4-0 victory over Farnborough on Boxing Day, with six changes as Matt Partridge, Ross Adams, Wes Daly, Louie Soares, Ben Wright and Simon Dunn all made the starting line-up.

The visitors certainly started brightly and dominated the opening 10 minutes, as Jay Gasson, Soares and Adam Green all forced Nathan Ashmore into saves.

Gosport’s Sammy Igoe then had a shot well wide, as the home side started to do better on the counter attack making it a good game to watch.

The home side then forced a save out of Town goalie Louis Wells from Rory Williams and Green did well to deny Dan Wooden with the follow-up.

Town’s Green then fired into the side netting after nice build-up play from Soares and Wright, before Rob Rice’s saw his effort from 30 yard out go just wide.

On 27 minutes, a robust challenge from Andy Forbes as Dunn looked to have been set free saw over the top protests from Gosport player as they claimed their man had played the ball and this earned Brett Poate, sent-off on a Boxing Day, a yellow card.

Dunn fell awkwardly and was carried off the pitch, but is back to his feet in the changing rooms before half-time.

Soares and Green then tested the home goalie again, but it is Gosport who took the lead on 44 minutes as a cross from Tom Dunford on the left is headed in by the faintest of touches from Dan Wooden.

Town do not deserve to be trailing at the break, but four minutes into the second-half the floodlights on the opposite side to the main stand went out.

They had to be left 10 minutes before they can be turned back on to avoid blowing the bulbs, but it proved to be a bigger problem and 20 minutes later the game is abandoned.

Town: Wells, Rice, Green, Partridge, Gasson, Adams, Daly, Soares, Wright, Williams, Dunn (sub Holder-Spooner 33 mins). Subs (not used): Ibe, Jenkinson, Matthews, McDonnell.