Basford knocked out of FA Cup by Chasetown

The teams were a tier apart going into the fixture with Basford as heavy as heavy favourites

The first half could not have started much worse for Basford who were outplayed in the opening exchanges with Chasetown dominating all areas of the pitch.

The ‘underdog’s’ early pressure paid off after just nine minutes as Oli Haywood’s delivery from a free kick out wide on the left was expertly headed home by target man Joey Butlin as he planted the ball inside the near post past an outstretched Jordon Pierrepont.

The hosts, somewhat surprisingly, refused to rest on their laurels as just minutes later Pierrepont was called into action again as Jordan Evans broke free down the left hand side of the box before unleashing a stinging effort that the Basford goalkeeper could only parry to safety.

Following an enforced substitution and the resulting change in shape, Basford began to find their feet in the game, regaining the majority of possession and creating a few half-chances.

They then found a route back into the game in the 27th minute as a delivery from a Ryan Wilson free kick wide on the right was glanced home by Kain Richards in what appeared to be a carbon copy of Chasetown’s opener.

Much like the first half, the second started with a bang. Just five minutes into the half, the host’s Goalkeeper Curtis Pond was shown a straight red card for violent conduct after a petulant kick out against Niall Towle.

With one less man and being seen as the underdogs on paper, the odds were stacked heavily against Chasetown, however, the host’s spirits were not to be squashed.

In the 57th minute, their fine spirit was rewarded as a cleared corner was hooked back in to the far post as Ryan Wynter rose highest to plant his header in the bottom left corner.

Basford predictably piled on the pressure in the search for another response but to no avail as the game quickly began to run away from them.

However, just two minutes from time, a smart flick round the corner from Towle played Matt Thornhill baring down on the Chasetown goal. His low effort looked destined for the bottom far corner. Yet, much to Basford’s despair, the effort trickled just inches wide of the post.

The defeat is Basford’s second this week following a loss to Warrington on Saturday, as well as continues their poor run in F.A Cup fixtures in recent history.