Town ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against Royal Wootton Bassett Town FC in a friendly game this evening.
Put together to help celebrate the one-year anniversary of Bassett’s New Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, both sides combined to put on an entertaining show in front of a bumper crowd.
But it was the Robins who came out on top thanks to goals from Jon Obika, Jake Evans and Jermaine Hylton.
Town First-Team Coach Ross Embleton opted to field a strong side at Bassett, with the likes of Sean Murray, Ellis Iandolo and Hylton all handed starts, while Raphael Rossi-Branco and Obika both made their comebacks from injury.
And it was the visitors who controlled the tempo of the game from the first whistle, with Obika forcing Bassett keeper Curtis Meare into an early save.
Midfielder Tom Smith and Murray then both tried their luck as Town launched wave after wave of attack on the home goal, while the lively Iandolo was twice denied by Meare in quick succession.
But their persistence paid off just past the half-hour mark as Obika opened the scoring, the striker carving out some space before curling home from the edge of the area.
Young midfielder Jake Evans then scuffed a shot straight at Meare in what was the final action of an entertaining first-half.
Despite a slow start after the interval, the visitors soon got back into their groove and were inches away from doubling their lead with Hylton smashing an effort against the post after doing well to beat a defender and round the keeper.
Both Evans and Murray went close as Town continued to flex their attacking muscles, pressure which finally told just past the hour mark.
With the Robins camped in the Bassett half, the ball eventually landed at the feet of Evans who finished emphatically into the bottom corner.
A flurry of substitutions disrupted the flow of the game somewhat but there was still time for one more Town goal.
After going close on a number of occasions, Hylton’s hard work finally paid off as he was picked out by Iandolo before drilling a well-struck effort into the bottom corner.
Second-half sub Scott Twine was inches away from adding a fourth for Town after hammering a shot inches wide, a miss which brought the curtain down on a good night's work by both teams.
TOWN STARTING XI – Henry; Stanley (Tommy Ouldridge 69), Rossi-Branco (Will Christoper 63), Frimpong, Spalding; Smith (Jordan Simpson 80), Evans, Murray (James Georgaklis 80), Iandolo; Hylton, Obika (Scott Twine 63)
UNUSED SUBS – Lehmann.
