"On a cold and wet afternoon at Bulpit Lane Basingstoke Town FC made the short trip into West Berkshire to face an in form Hungerford Town FC. It was the Crusaders who came out on top, with a 2-1 win, thanks to goals from Louis McGrory and Luke Softley. A late penalty from James Clarke was nothing but a consolation for Basingstoke.

Prior to Kick Off rain had persisted all morning, continuing as the players and match officials arrived, a possible postponement began to look likely. Fortunately for the teams and both sets of supporters, who had began to take their seats, the pitch was deemed playable and the game was on.

After competitive early exchanges Basingstoke’s Deadfield found himself stood behind a 25 yard free kick. Only to slam it into the Hungerford wall. Hungerford created their own chance moments later as Marquez troubled Grant in the Basingstoke goal. With the ball remaining in the Basingstoke half Hungerford started to assert authority on the game. A 6th minute ball into the Basingstoke box saw their defence struggle to clear. Marquez for Hungerford attempted to bring the ball under control, until he was fouled in the box. Without hesitation the referee pointed to the spot… penalty to Hungerford and an early chance to take the lead.

McGrory stepped up, and despite attempts from the travelling fans to put him off, he coolly slotted the ball into the bottom left of the net. 1-0 Crusaders.

After the goal Hungerford continued to control the half, without either team really creating any clear cut chances. Marquez looked lively, breaking Basingstoke’s back line on a few occasions. In the 26th minute it was Tooze that found himself in, rounded the keeper but from a tight angle struggled to find Marquez in the middle. 7 minutes later Marquez was the provider for Tooze, however his shot was somewhat tame and easily collected by the Basingstoke keeper.

A slide tackle from Hungerford’s Berry-Hargreaves in the 37th minute, as Basingstoke’s Robbie Gallagher was taking his shot, prevented the home sides debutant keeper Evans being troubled. 5 minutes later the Basingstoke captain Upton found the ball make its way to him at the back post although he could only unleash a shot that was high and wide of the target.

HALF TIME 1-0

2 minutes into the second half Ferdinand for Basingstoke found himself unmarked in the Hungerford box and got his head on to the cross. However, with no clean connection on the ball it was an easy save for Evans.

In the 54th minute Hungerford should have extended their lead. A ball across the 6 yard box evaded Grant and it looked like Marquez would slot home into the empty net. Although he could not finish it off and the ball somehow ended up over the bar. A minute later he had another chance to score, this time seeing his powerful left footed shot well saved.

With just less than 20 minutes left on the clock Hungerford had a dangerous free kick. Marquez stepped up and fired his shot towards the goal. It looked destined to double their lead, only for Grant to produce another good save down to his left hand side. The resulting corner was whipped in, Softley climbed highest and his well placed header nestled into the net. 2-0 Hungerford in the 74th minute.

Credit where credit is due Basingstoke started to apply some sustained pressure as the game came to a close. Hungerford’s Jordan Rose seemed to dampen most of the pressure with a number of great headers. However he and his back line couldn’t keep Basingstoke’s Pele Kouisseoue creeping in round the back and getting a shot on target in the 86th minute. Evans was equal to it and the game seemed to be heading for a comfortable 2-0 home win.

7 minutes went up on the board at the end of the 90. This gave chance for substitute Ibe to have a go from a 25 yard freekick. The ball made its way over the Basingstoke wall, heading for the goal, only for Grant to make another good save.

Hungerford’s substitute Joe Beardwell found himself through on goal in the 94th minute, but once again Grant made another solid save. Minutes later Basingstoke found themselves with possession in the Hungerford box. With the ball heading towards goal Evans brought down the Basingstoke player and the referee pointed to the spot once again. James Clarke stepped up and powered the penalty home in the bottom left corner. Although Evans dived the right way he could do nothing to stop it hitting the back of the net. 2-1.

In the final minutes the ball remained in the midfield areas of the pitch and the full time whistle blew. Danny Robinson and his team claimed the victory, extended their winning league form to 5 on the bounce and remain unbeaten in the Southern Premier League in 2025.

Speaking to Jake Parsons after the game Danny Robinson “felt the elements” had an influence on the performance but credited his team by saying “I felt we worked harder than they did… The key moments won us the game”. Defender Curtis Angell convincingly added, when asked about the team’s camaraderie, “it’s good!” - making reference to the overall “Togetherness” within the team and the knowledge and experience Jordan Ibe has brought to the club.

Jake Parsons Feb 2025