Brad Wilson marked his 100th goal for Basingstoke Town with a finish of instinct and precision inside the opening 15 seconds, but despite their fast start and a strong late rally, Dan Brownlie’s side fell narrowly short in a five-goal contest at Bracknell, writes Henry Pearson.
Wilson’s strike was the perfect opening: cutting in from the left, his low curling effort kissed the post on its way in, silencing the young home crowd and delighting a sizeable travelling contingent. Moments later it might have been two, Robbie Gallagher charging down Mike Eacott’s clearance and allowing Ben Cook to release Wilson again, only for the forward to bend his effort just wide.
Bracknell, rocked by the early tempo, were second best for much of the opening quarter, but the game turned in the 22nd minute. A long ball into the box allowed Jordan Esprit space to shoot, Simon Grant parrying the initial strike before Joe Grant lashed in the rebound. Basingstoke protests for offside were strong, valid and prolonged, but the referee and assistant awarded the goal after consulting each other. Having had the luxury of looking back at the footage, it was clear and by quite some distance, the scorer was nearer to our goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender.
The equaliser gave Bracknell impetus. Gallagher almost restored our lead with a slaloming run through the box and a left-footed strike into the side-netting, but the home side grew in confidence after the break. Esprit’s hold-up play early in the second half teed up Bowerman, who finished low across Grant for 2-1.
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Wilson and Joe O’Loughlin combined well to threaten, only for Eacott to save with his feet, while at the other end Amartey’s flick and burst forward was denied by Grant. The game seemed settled on 83 minutes when substitute Alfie Pavey volleyed a long ball through Basingstoke’s backline past Grant for 3-1.
Still, Brownlie’s side kept pressing. Wilson’s late strike was parried by Eacott but George Reid reacted quickest to turn in the rebound, setting up a frantic finish. Basingstoke dominated possession in the closing stages as Bracknell sat deep inside their half, but we could not find the leveller.
A frustrating afternoon then, but one illuminated by Wilson’s landmark goal.
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