Non-League and Academy football writer

FC Baresi and Basildon Town faced each other on Saturday afternoon at Wodson Park, in a Thurlow Nunn League First Division South fixture. FC Baresi started this match in 17th place in the league standings, after 31 matched played. Basildon Town started this game in 14th place in the league table, after 26 matches played. On Saturday, just like when these two sides had met earlier on in the season, the game would finish in a 1-1 draw.

Basildon Town would come very close to taking the lead during the opening minutes of this game. With Basildon’s captain, Robbie Scanlon, receiving a cross to the left-hand side of the FC Baresi penalty area, in quite a bit of space. And despite the FC Baresi defence having recovered well, Scanlon would curl a good effort against Razvan Marcu’s crossbar, in what was a let off for the home side. A couple of minutes later, and Baresi’s centre-forward Junior Appiah, would get onto the ball following a nice lofted forward pass from deep, to the left-hand side of the Basildon penalty area. With the Basildon goalkeeper off his goal-line, Junior Appiah would try a sublime lobbed effort, which resulted with the ball dipping and then hitting the inside of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post, as the ball bounced clear.

Basildon Town defender Giovanni Boffa would glance a header narrowly wide of Razvan Marcu’s goal, after meeting Charlie Jarvis’s corner-kick delivery to the centre of the Baresi penalty area, before Basildon created another good chance. Following a couple of efforts on goal from FC Baresi, in this closely contested first half of football, the home side would lose the ball around 20 yards out from their goal. With Luke Winter hitting a good effort on the half-volley, just wide of the Baresi goal. 

Towards the end of the first half, and Erol Hassan would help the ball on to Kishawn James, who sprinted forwards with the ball, down the right-hand side of the Basildon box, before squaring the ball for the onrushing Sajid Aziz, whose powerful effort was well pushed behind by the Basildon goalkeeper, Joe Durrant. I thought that Basildon Town started the second half the better of the two sides, and early on in the second half, following a cross into the busy FC Baresi box, the ball would fall for James O’Brien. Slightly off balance, O’Brien’s powerful low effort on goal was well kept out and saved, by Razvan Marcu.

Soon after that chance for James O’Brien, and Basildon Town would take the lead in this match. A good Basildon move would end with Robbie Scanlon passing the ball across from the left flank, to Aaron Akoman-Ehikpa, on the edge of the Baresi penalty area. Aaron Akoman-Ehikpa would curl the ball high into the goal, beyond Razvan Marcu, 0-1. Basildon would defend very well as they looked to maintain their 1-0 lead. This would, for a long spell in the second half, really frustrate FC Baresi, as Matt Knight’s side kept their defensive shape really well, battling well as a team.

Baresi did eventually manage to create some additional goalscoring chances, as the second half progressed. During the latter stages of the game, and FC Baresi would manage to score an equaliser. Stefan McKie would receive a lofted pass down the left-hand side of the Basildon penalty area, but following a challenge from a Basildon defender, Stefan McKie would lose the ball. However, the ball would roll to Junior Appiah, who finished clinically beyond Joe Durrant, under pressure and from inside the box, 1-1. A couple of minutes after play had resumed, and Baresi player Kuba Vermont Ollivierre would start an FC Baresi move, before then getting to the ball around 20 yards out from goal. As his powerful low effort was really well turned behind by the outstretched Joe Durrant.

During the final minutes of this game, and a well worked FC Baresi move would lead to Junior Appiah scoring a goal, which everyone thought was the winning goal. However, after the referee had gone over to the linesman on the near side, the goal was ruled out for offside, ending FC Baresi’s celebrations, much to their players shock. This was a game which on the day, was played between two well organised sides, with both defences standing strong and defending well during today’s game. Basildon Town probably created more goalscoring chances on the day, but Baresi also created some fine chances, as well. In the end, I think that a draw was probably quite a fair result.

FC Baresi central-defenders Mark Twumasi and Stephen Ellery, both had fine games, working well alongside each other. However, my overall player of the match was Basildon Town’s impressive defender, James O’Brien, (Aaron Akoman-Ehikpa and Robbie Scanlon were also contenders) who was aggressive in defence and vocal in his leadership. For FC Baresi, at left-back, Stefan McKie, was my player of the match for the home team, as he got forward really well, creating a number of good chances on the day. All in all it was a good and competitive game of football.