Opposition Preview | Basingstoke Town FC (H)

Tomorrow we host Basingstoke Town at New Meadow Park as we return to playing league football at home for the first time since our 2-0 win over Dorchester on the 6th September.

We go into this game having collected four points on the road over the last week, three of those being at Weymouth's Bob Lucas Stadium and the remaining one at Farnham Town's Memorial Ground.

Basingstoke picked up one point less over the weekend, losing 3-1 at home to Havant & Waterlooville and winning 4-2 once again on home soil against Yate Town.

The Stoke's opening eight games have been a rollercoaster, remaining unbeaten after four matches with one win and three draws to then losing the next three games in a row, getting their form back on the right track in the last one against Yate.

Our opposition currently sit in 16th place on nine points meaning there is an eight point gap between ourselves and the Stoke, winning two, drawing three and losing three. The goals to goals conceded ratio is exactly the same, sitting on 13 for both.

Basingstoke manager Dan Brownlie made a fair few signings throughout not only pre-season, but also during the season too, one of those being ex-premier league striker Charlie Austin. Austin, 36, featured for promoted AFC Totton last season and decided to step back down to Step 3 and to the Winklebury Sports Complex for the season.

Tomorrow's visitors' current top scorer is Brad Wilson, who has five goals so far this season. Wilson rejoined the club in the summer after a spell at Kingstonian, but before that spent five years at Basingstoke Town FC, scoring 99 goals in that time.

Club History

Basingstoke Town Football Club was founded in 1896, emerging from a merger between Aldworth United and Basingstoke Albion. 

In its early years the club competed in local Hampshire leagues; they won the North Division of the Hampshire League in 1911–12 and 1919–20. After repeated strong performances in the 1960s—including runner-up finishes and eventually three Hampshire League titles in four years—the club stepped up, joining the Southern League in 1971.

Their ground, The Camrose, was acquired in 1945 when Lord Camrose leased land near Winchester Road to the club on favourable terms; subsequent improvements included stands, floodlights and terraces Over time they have moved between divisions: promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in 1984–85, switching to the Isthmian League in the late 1980s, a period in the Conference South (mid-2000s), then relegations and league reorganisations.

In recent years they’ve faced off-field challenges including the loss of their Camrose home in 2019, which led to temporary ground sharing at Winchester City before moving to the upgraded Winklebury Sports Complex in 2020. On the pitch, the club captured the Isthmian League South Central Division title in 2022–23, leading to promotion to the Southern League Premier South. Last season the Stoke finished in a respectable 15th place, two points above the drop zone.

Tickets for tomorrow's game are available here.