Men's 2XI Vs Royal Wootton Bassett A

Wilts travelled away to face a Royal Wooten Bassett side that they knew would be a tough challenge. Wilts also arrived with a drastically different team to the previous weeks, with only 1 of their regular midfielders available to play.

This change of personnel took a while for Wilts to adjust to. They didn’t really get into the free flowing, passing hockey of previous weeks in the first half, and in turn this aggravated the players. A dispondent Wilts enabled their oppo to get on top of them and despite lots of hard work Wilts went into the half time break 3-0 down.

A quick and clear team team talk at half time, along with the break to compose ourselves, helped Wilts perform in the second half. Fantastic play from MoM Alex Arnold in the midfield and Ant Crosbie at the back really helped Wilts get back into their flow. Matt Dawson threw a fantastic aerial pass to James Baker upfront who managed to beat his man, get round the keep and slot the ball home to get Wilts started. Toby Dorgan and Alex Arnold then showed everyone what they were capable of. Some beautifully intricate 1-2 play set Arnold up to slide the ball under the Bassett keeper making the score 3-2. Buoyed by this newly found positivity in their play and attitude Wilts took the game by the scruff of the neck and pinned Bassett into their ‘25’ for most of the half. This turned out to be too little too late though and Wilts were unable to claw in front of their oppo. In fact, with all the effort focused on attacking, Wilts allowed Bassett to score on the break and take the win.

A disappointing result for all the Wilts players involved, but lessons to take away for the rest of the season. Wilts have had a bit of a wake up call and reminder that you have to start strong if you want to win. Positive attitudes looking forward to next weeks game at home on Saturday, and cup game away on Sunday.