Southern League Division One South football: Ollie Cherrett's delight as Bashley return to winning ways with Frome Town triumph
Southern League Division One South
Bashley FC 3
Frome Town FC 2
AFTER two lacklustre defeats, Ollie Cherrett’s men found form against one of the hottest sides in the division – with 40-year-old player-coach Craig Stanley the inspiration.
Bashley’s new player-coach Stanley’s assurance at the back – alongside the ever-steady Sam Davidson, who edged the Man of the Match discussions – was inspirational, helping to restore the faith of their fans, of which 290 were looking on.
Bashley beat a team which had won its last five league games on the bounce and 11 of its previous 13.
From the start, Cherrett’s men were in top gear, and it took them only five minutes to take the lead. Brett Williams made the unlikeliest of perfect crosses under severe pressure on the right, and debutant Sean Wright rose to meet it with a powerful header at the far post.
It was a great homecoming for him, returning to the club where he started his career after Hamworthy pulled out of the Southern League Division One South, citing financial difficulties.
An equaliser looked on the cards, and it came after 24 minutes when Jon Davies fired high out of Ross Casey’s reach.
Bashley recovered their poise, and on the half-hour mark, Williams again went raiding down the right, and his cross was accidentally, but clearly, handled by Matt Wood. Williams’ low-struck penalty had enough power to beat Kyle Phillips, even though the keeper guessed correctly diving to his left.
Bashley’s third goal came in the 63rd minute when Kaya Tshaka had a goalbound shot parried away by Phillips, but Conor Whiteley was first to the rebound and hooked it high into the net.
Frome never found a way to keep Williams quiet, and he would have put Bashley out of sight if his clever chip over the keeper’s head had not hit the crossbar.
Bashley looked content after that to manage the game, but they made the final few minutes more anxious than they might have been by allowing Wood to scurry through unmarked to beat Casey from the edge of the area.
Manager Cherrett said: “A great performance – we’ve set our standards now. I’m a proud gaffer tonight!”
Craig Stanley added: “It was good to get the boots on seven weeks and one training session since I last played! What a performance and a good win against a good team.”
Bash is away in their next fixture, on Saturday at 3pm against Paulton Rovers.
Bashley: R. Casey, C. Baughan, S. Davidson, C. Stanley, B. Jefford, B. Morris, S. Wright, K. Tshaka, M. Wilcock, B. Williams, C. Whiteley. Subs: A. Pope, H. Brooks, L. Ross, J. Webber, D. Walster.
