Pride Can Be Restored - 3rd April

Dave Turner leads his side into the game against Purton on the back of a solid win over Cheltenham Saracens in midweek and the manager believes that if his charges produce a similar performance tomorrow then pride will be restored.

“Tuesday was a really good team performance, our attitude was superb and I was really pleased for the boys,” said Turner. “We played some terrific football and if we pull out a repeat on Saturday then, win or lose, I will have no complaints.”

Turner believes Bassett did not do themselves justice in the defeat to Purton two months ago but insists increased morale in the camp will help the visitors make amends this weekend. “We let ourselves down against them earlier in the season. Our lads are a lot better than they showed against Purton in January. We need to get a bit of local pride back,” he said.

Terry Injured - 20th March

Wootton Bassett Town travel to take on the league’s top side Hardwicke AFC, without their top goal scorer.

Bassett will be without Sean Terry (left), who has notched up 16 league goals in 19 appearances. Terry looks set to be out long-term after he was injured in last Saturday’s draw at home to Easington Sports, in which he scored.

It is feared Terry has seriously damaged his knee ligaments, but he has not yet had a scan due to significant swelling around the injury.

Phil Tearle also misses the game with a foot problem and Craig Wall is unavailable.

Wootton Bassett boss Dave Turner has warned his players to keep their focus fully on tomorrow’s Hellenic League Division One West game against Easington Sports.

The Rylands Way outfit have a Wiltshire Senior Cup semi-final against Warminster Town on Tuesday night, but Turner revealed that anyone thinking too far ahead could easily find themselves axed from the side.

The manager is instead determined to pick up three more points this weekend towards their promotion charge, and said: “As long as we continue to perform to the level I expect then it shouldn’t be a problem. In the last two or three weeks we have been superb, and you can’t ask for any more from the players. We’re just concentrating on each game and we will be stressing to the players in no uncertain terms that Saturday’s match is the priority before we even start to think about the cup game. I don’t expect them to have any problems with that, but anyone who isn’t focused could find themselves dropped because this is an important time for us.”

Bassett were 5-2 winners on Wednesday night over Turner’s former side, Pewsey Vale, with Lee Moulton grabbing a rare headed goal, and Sean Terry, Eddie Everett and Steve Yeardley (2) also on target.

“I would be lying if I said it wasn’t nice to beat them and 5-2 flattered them a bit,” said Turner. “It’s always good to beat your old teams, but I’ve got nothing but respect for Pewsey and everyone at the club, I had some great times there.”

Bassett’s only doubt for tomorrow’s game is Tom Ritchie, who has an ankle complaint, and new signing Everett will continue to deputise if the midfielder fails a late fitness test.

Wootton Basset manager Dave Turner is full of enthusiasm ahead of tomorrow’s home game against Clanfield, with his team unbeaten this month and still looking at a title charge themselves.

He said: “It should be a good match, they are a good side and when we played them in October it was difficult for us. We set our own targets at the beginning of the season and we have achieved them. We are exactly where we want to be in the table and if we continue playing like that I will be more than pleased by the end of the season.”

Dave Turner believes he has captured the final piece in Wootton Bassett’s promotion chasing jigsaw puzzle as he targets a top two finish in the FTL Futbol Hellenic League Division One West.

Striker Craig Wall has arrived at Rylands Way this week from local rivals Pewsey Vale, and should make his debut as Bassett travel to basement boys Cirencester United tomorrow. Former Pewsey manager Turner has seen at first hand just what Wall can do, and is confident the front man can make an immediate impact. “Craig has missed most of the season through injury, but he’s fit now and it’s great to get him over here,” said the boss. I know him very well from Pewsey and he’s been there about 10 years. We’ve been tracking him for a long time and it was very difficult to convince him to come to us, but I’m delighted we managed to get him. He’s very quick and very direct, and that’s probably the only thing that we haven’t got at the moment. We’ve got good link-up players and a very good target man, but we didn’t have explosive pace - until now.”

Bassett face a Cirencester team tomorrow rooted to the bottom of the division with only one win and five points to their name this season. But Turner insists his players won’t take the game lightly, claiming: “If you don’t turn up and perform then you get nothing in this league, regardless of the opposition. It’s a local derby so they (Cirencester) will be very fired up for it, but I’m fortunate that I’ve got a group of players who know that if they don’t perform they will get dropped. They will be fully focused on getting the job done.”

Dave Turner insists his Wootton Bassett players won’t have an easy day tomorrow, regardless of whether their game survives the big freeze.

Bassett are supposed to play host to lowly Cricklade Town at Rylands Way, but all local sporting fixtures are under threat because of the cold weather that has struck the region. If their clash is called off Turner has already arranged an alternative solution for his troops, but if it gets the go ahead he believes his side will have to be on top form to get a result against their local rivals.

“We are preparing as if the game goes ahead, but we are in the lap of the Gods,” revealed Turner "The pitch isn’t in bad shape really. There’s no jagged edges so if we can get a bit of a raise in temperatures then we could have half a chance. But I’m not holding out too much hope. If it isn’t on we’ll be going to train - the players won’t be getting an afternoon off. We’ll have a good couple of hours together indoors at a local school to make up for not playing."

“But if we play we’ll be up against a decent side. Cricklade have lost a lot of players but on their day, and if you take them lightly, they can turn you over.”

Christmas came a week early for all at Wootton Bassett Town Football Club when they received the news from the Wiltshire FA that they had been accredited with the "Community Club" Charter Standard, and indeed the only current holders of this highest charter standard status in Wiltshire.

Work commenced back in 2006 to achieve Charter Standard status with Claire Smedley driving this through the heart of the club, considerable effort was undertaken to develop the club towards this standard that focuses on high standards in administration, coaching and child protection. This could not have been delivered without the commitment from the clubs coaching volunteers who found the time to attend coaching education programs in addition to their normal management and coaching duties. The assistance and guidance of Barry Stephens at the Wiltshire FA was also of great help.

In early 2008 WBTFC hard work, including production of a 5 year development plan was rewarded by the Club achieving Charter Standard "Development Club" status. Whilst this accreditation rewarded the clubs hard work, it was vital that momentum was maintained to ensure the processes were in place to maintain the necessary standards and deliver on the development plan. Following demonstration of the clubs ability to do just this it was felt appropriate to challenge further and seek Community Club status, a key part of which is the operation of a minimum of 10 teams across men’s, youth, and girls football. In December 2008 the Community club application was successfully accepted by the Wiltshire County FA.

The commitment by the club to maintain these high standards was supported by the appointment of Andy Walduck as Club Development Officer at the beginning of season 07-08, who is responsible for overseeing the delivery of agreed objectives. Working closely with Barry Stephens, Wiltshire County FA Development Officer, and other committee members the club has continued to place development high on its agenda. Without the support from the clubs volunteers, players and supporting parents the club could not be as successful club as it is today. This support, together with a strong development programme, suggests the clubs future is looking strong.

Write Bassett History - 14th November

Dave Turner is urging his Wootton Bassett players to continue rewriting the history books as they play the part of cup underdogs once again.

In the second round of the FA Vase, Bassett are away at a Wimborne Town side who won the competition back in 1992 and, having continuously faced higher level opposition in the cups this season, Turner knows just how tough their task is.

The boss insists his side have nothing to lose and is calling on his troops to play with a smile on their face and enjoy the experience of what is expected to be a big occasion.

Turner said to The Swindon Advertiser: “Wimborne have got a great pedigree in the FA Vase and we’ve already had a phone call telling us to expect anywhere between 400 and 600 home fans turning up. That will be new to most of our lads. A couple of them have seen that sort of thing before, but for everyone else it will be a real eye-opener. The lads have just got to go out, relax, enjoy it and give a good account of ourselves. I can’t ask for anything more than that."

“It’s a very important game for the club. It’s the first time they’ve ever reached the second round, so we’ve made history in that sense.” He added: “We really are the underdogs. It will be a massive ask, but we are full of confidence and we are in a win win situation. The cups haven’t been kind to us at all this year, we always seem to draw teams from the divisions above us. But we keep going through against tough teams so we’re obviously doing something right, and we’re quietly confident going into this weekend.”

Wootton Bassett recorded yet another shut out to progress to the second round of the The SBJ Insurance Brokers Challenge Cup at the expense of Hardwicke AFC at the weekend.

Sean Terry’s 75th-minute effort was enough to separate the sides on Saturday and leave manager Dave Turner purring about his side’s defensive record, having overseen their fifth clean sheet in seven games.

He said: “It was a terrific result and a good game too. I said before the game I thought it would be tight and that turned out to be the case. The lads dug in and I just can’t fault them at the moment. They’re giving me everything they’ve got and it’s being reflected in the results."

“We’ve had five clean sheets in the last seven games and I’m delighted with everyone - the defence, midfield and forwards. I think we’ve got a tidy defence, whether we play three or four back there they are doing very well. Their record speaks for itself and it’s a fantastic achievement, but we defend as a team and everyone should get credit.”

Bassett will be looking to make up ground in the Division One West table tonight when they visit Malmesbury Victoria. The Vics are two places above Bassett, but only two points in front. A win at the Flying Monk ground would take Bassett above them.

Dave Turner believes a single goal could be enough to win tomorrow’s tie against Hardwicke AFC in Division One West.

Rylands Way is the venue as Bassett take on the current FTL Futbol Hellenic Division One West runaway leaders, Turner said: “They are a very good side and you don’t have the sort of season they’re having unless you’ve got something about you. We’ve only conceded seven goals in the league and they’ve only conceded three, so it could be a very tight one. On paper it looks like it could be a goal either way to decide it because you’ve got two decent defences out there. Chances will be few and far between, and whoever makes the best of their few chances will win it.”

Bassett Wonders - 27th October

Dave Turner hailed his Wootton Bassett wonders after the Rylands Way outfit stormed to a 4-0 success at Easington Sports in Division One West.

Club stalwart Steve Yeardley was on target twice as Bassett continued their unbelievable run of form away from home. Former Swindon striker Paul Hunt and substitute Scott Ward also found the net to leave boss Turner in dream land.

He said: “The start we have made to the season is beyond what any of us could have hoped for. If you take out the defeat to Malmesbury in the Floodlit Cup last week, when we played our reserves, that’s 10 unbeaten now for this squad of players. Our main focus has to be the league, so it was nice to get that win before we play yet another cup game next weekend."

“It wasn’t our best performance from a football perspective, but in terms of the work-rate and commitment it was second to none. Even in the fourth minute of stoppage time guys were throwing themselves into tackles to keep that clean sheet. I can’t fault any of them.”

Saturday’s win moved Bassett into the top half of the One West table for the first time, with four wins from their opening six matches.

"Oggy's" Influence - 24th October

Dave Turner believes Wootton Bassett’s latest capture can have an influence not only on his players, but also on himself.

Bassett have snapped up ex-Cirencester Town assistant manager Paul ‘Oggy’ Hunt on a playing basis, and the front man goes straight into their squad for tomorrow’s trip to Easington Sports in FTL Futbol Hellenic League Division One West.

Turner revealed Hunt may not be around for too long, depending on job offers, but hopes his spell at Rylands Way can give Bassett a major boost. “Oggy’s agreed to join us on a temporary basis,” said Turner. “His heart is still in management but until he gets another job he’s going to play for us.

“It’s great news because he’s still a terrific player and a great signing. You might lose a bit of pace as you get older but you don’t lose that quality and hopefully his experience can help some of the younger players we’ve got. But Oggy can help me as well – he’s managed at a higher level than me and I’m willing to take on board any advice and help he can offer me. Hopefully he can help take us further forward as a club.”

Wootton Bassett boss Dave Turner lauded his players after they fell just two minutes short of a ninth consecutive victory.

Hosts Clanfield equalised in the FTL Futbol Hellenic League Division One West fixture with an 88th-minute penalty to salvage a point after Steve Yeardley put Bassett in front with a spot kick of his own.

The result means Bassett have eight wins and a draw from their last nine outings, and Turner is thrilled with the start his team have made to the campaign. He said: “I cannot fault the players, they have been magnificent. It would have been great to make it nine on the bounce, but we’re still unbeaten on our travels. We’re off to Easington next week who have made a good start, but the boys are full of confidence. Let’s see if we can make it 10 unbeaten.”

Turner Confident? - 17th October

Dave Turner is confident his side Bassett side can extend their remarkable winning run to nine games as they travel to Clanfield in the Division One West.

The Rylands Way outfit last slipped up at the end of August as they put together a run of extraordinary form which has brought them success in all areas.

But six of their eight victories have been in the cups and Turner is determined to see his side shoot up the league table. He admitted: “We’ve only played four league games which isn’t great, but we always knew that would be the case, it’s the downside of having a good cup run. But it’s a positive thing and not a negative because we’ve made the club some money along the way and have also had this run of wins. We’ve been stuck in the bottom four of the league through no fault of our own - because we haven’t been playing games. But a win on Saturday could send us straight into the top half and that would make much better reading.”

Turner welcomes Luke Sharps and Sean Terry back into his squad after they missed the midweek visit of Tytherington Rocks, who Bassett beat 2-0 to leave the boss full of praise for his troops. “It was superb and was up there with any of the performances we’ve put in this season,” he said.“We’ve probably played better football but the work rate and attitude of everyone was first class and I couldn’t have asked for any more. The lads are playing well and everyone’s full of confidence.”

Dave Turner was full of praise for Marlborough Town after seeing his Wootton Bassett side scrape through their Wiltshire Senior Cup first round tie with a 1-0 win.

Sean Terry’s 48th minute free kick was the difference between the sides, and the ex-Hungerford man’s moment of brilliance was needed to kill the resistance of the plucky Plaister Auto Services Wiltshire League Premier Division side, who have only managed 7 points from 9 games in league competition this season.

“Hats off to Marlborough,” said Turner. “They did a good job on us and worked their socks off and made things really hard for us. Credit where it’s due, they deserve a pat on the back, and they caused us a few problems as well.In the first half I thought we weren’t at our best and they had a lad up front who caused us no end of problems throughout the game, but Sean popped up with the winner and it was a great free-kick.”

In Saturday’s opposition, Turner admitted he could see a lot of qualities which have brought his side success this season. “They’re a good little side and they did to us what we’ve been doing to other teams over past few weeks,” he said. “I never thought we were in danger of losing the game, but we were made to work so hard for our win “But that’s seven straight wins for the lads and I’m absolutely delighted for them. We’re on a great run and everyone is in fantastic spirits.”

Yeardley Gets A Run Out - 10th October

Steve Yeardley (left) is back battling for Bassett after competing in last week’s Great North Run, while reserve team duo Andy Deery and John Grant are both included in Saturdays squad.

Wootton Bassett boss Dave Turner insists his players will not be taking Wiltshire Cup first round opponents Marlborough Town lightly.

Bassett beat Kidlington to reach the second round proper of the FA Vase last week, but Turner knows better than to underestimate Wiltshire League opposition.

He said: “Marlborough is right on my doorstep so I have been out to watch them. We will approach the game just like we did against Kidlington last weekend and show them every respect. The players are very confident at the moment, and we want to build on that.”

Former skipper Steve Yeardley is back after competing in last week’s Great North Run, while reserve team duo Andy Deery and John Grant are both included in the squad.

A brilliant individual effort from teenage striker Phil Tearle sent Wootton Bassett flying into the second round of the FA Vase for the first time in the club’s history.

Tearle came off the bench in extra time to seal a dramatic 3-2 win over Hellenic Premier outfit Kidlington as Bassett continued their fine early season form.

Afterwards a delighted Dave Turner paid tribute to his players, who failed to buckle after Kidlington had wiped out their early two goal advantage. “I thought it was a brilliant performance against a team from a higher division,” said Turner. “We had Kidlington watched last week and we decided to match their 3-5-2 formation, and it worked very well. Our players could have dropped their heads when they pulled it back to 2-2, but the spirit was excellent. Obviously the money from this win is a big, big thing for a small club like Bassett but it also raises the profile of the team too."

“I will be looking with interest at the draw for the next round to see who we get.”

Well it could be a night out in Bournemouth for the team if they win the next round, as they have been drawn away to Wimborne Town.

Will Bassett Make History? - 3rd October

Dave Turner is aiming to write his Wootton Bassett side into the history books as they entertain Kidlington in the First Round Proper of The FA Vase tomorrow.

Having never reached the second round of the competition, Turner knows just how important the cup competition is to Bassett and, after dispatching higher league opponents in the previous batch of games, Bassett’s boss is confident his side can repeat their heroics this time round.

He said: “Kidlington are a typical Hellenic League Premier Division side, big, strong and they get the ball down and play in spells as well. Having said that, they also like to get it forward quickly, and we’ll have to be at our best if we’re going to get anything from the game. They’re a step up from us and we know it will be another tough game. If my lads give me everything and perform like we have done over the past few weeks but we end up losing, then I’ll hold my hands up because sometimes you can’t do any more. We’re the underdogs and that’s not a bad thing because there’s no pressure on us. We’ve got a belief about us at the moment that we can beat whoever we play, and I don’t see any reason why we can’t win on Saturday.”

The tie will be Bassett’s first home game since the end of August, and Turner admits he has forgotten about the home comforts Rylands Way provides.

“Thankfully I’ve got a sat nav in my car and it’s got our ground saved in it’s memory, so I should be able to find my way there,” he joked. “But seriously, the FA Vase is a massive competition for non-league clubs and everyone at the club is really looking forward to the game.”

Bassett Banks' Success - 29th September

Wootton Bassett boss Dave Turner paid tribute to ‘unlikely hero’ Ryan Banks as the midfielder came off the bench to bag a brace and cause a SBJ Insurance Brokers League Challenge Cup upset.

FTL Futbol Hellenic League Premier Division outfit Hook Norton were on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline as Bassett embarrassed their higher level opponents to progress to the next round of the competition. The home side took the lead in the 70th minute when Carl Standen’s corner flew straight into the Bassett net without a touch. But Banks finished off a flowing five-man move to send the game into extra-time, and the midfielder sealed victory with his second when he drove the ball home, much to the amazement of his manager.

Turner said: “Banksy doesn’t score many but he’s got other attributes and nobody was more surprised than us when he scored. “He’s a smashing kid, but it was a shock that he got one, so you can only imagine what everyone thought when he got a second!

“But he’s won it from the bench for us, and I was delighted for him. He’s been on the bench for the last couple of weeks and he made a massive contribution on Saturday. Now he’s staked a claim for a starting place and it gives me a nice headache when it comes to picking the team.”

The victory was Bassett’s fifth consecutive win, all on their travels, and Turner said he doesn’t care who they are drawn against in the next round of the Challenge Cup.

“It really doesn’t matter,” he admitted. “We’ll take them as they come, and the way we’re playing at the moment I don’t think there’s anyone to fear. Saturday was a good result and we thoroughly deserved it. I was delighted with the win, but even more so with the manner in which we did it.

“We had been playing well in previous weeks and told the players to go out there and relax and enjoy themselves because they had nothing to lose. For long periods we played really well and caused them a lot of problems - we had four or five decent chances and the lads were magnificent to a man.”

After watching his side snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, Bassett boss Dave Turner admitted he thought the cup run was over.

Turner said: “It took us about an hour to get going, and at that point we were already two goals down. I got that feeling that it wasn’t going to be our day. But then we grabbed a goal back and the lads got their tails up. Even after Sean (Terry) missed a penalty you could tell we were on top and it was only a matter of time."

“We kept our 3-4-3 formation in extra time, and within a couple of minutes we went behind again. But the lads showed great determination, and when Sean netted the equaliser I knew we would go on and win it. For him to finish with a hat-trick was great, and three right-footed strikes too. Not bad for a left-footer.”

Scott Latham and Andrew Hammond fired the hosts into a 2-0 lead, before Steve Yeardley got Bassett on the board with a scrappy close-range finish. Second half substitute Craig Shand ensured the match would go to extra time with a neat finish from Terry’s reverse pass. Steve Norman drilled Buckingham back in front after 94 minutes, before Terry took over at the death, the striker enhanced his reputation with three clinical finishes to book Bassett a date with Henley Town in two weeks time.

Buckingham For Bassett - 5th Septhember

Dave Turner takes his Wootton Bassett side to Molten Spartan South Midlands League outfit Buckingham Athletic on Saturday in the first qualifying round of the FA Vase.

The Rylands Way club have faced a tricky opening to the campaign with the fixture list offering up just two league games so far this season but Turner insists that, following his team’s 2-1 win over Harrow Hill in the Floodlit Cup on Wednesday, they are “full of confidence” going into this weekend’s contest.

“The FA Vase is a big competition for us,second only to the FA Cup,” claims Turner. “The money and prestige on offer is massive at this level.”

With no new injury worries and a full squad to choose from, including new arrivals Lee Molten and Sean Bailey and the returning Shaun Terry, Turner believes that the Vase provides Bassett with the ideal way to kick start their season.

“We’ve only had two games and it’s already September - it’s time to get some momentum and after our good performance on Wednesday I’m full of confidence. We’ve got a coach going to Buckingham on Saturday so we’re doing it right, the Vase is a real chance to get some finances back into the coffers.”

New Wootton Bassett Town manager Dave Turner has been busy in the summer assembling a strong squad to mount a challenge for the FTL Futbol Hellenic Division One West title.

Last week saw the signing of two key players in the shape of Bassett based Sean Terry (pictured) and Matty Saye. Terry was at Premier League Hungerford Town last season, although he spent a short spell on loan at Bassett scoring 6 goals in 5 games.

Saye is a former Highworth Town and Swindon Supermarine player with plenty of experience at Hellenic Premier League level who will no doubt make a big impact in the coming season in Division One West. These two players are joined by a number of ex-Pewsey players who have followed Turner to Wootton Bassett including Shaun and Richie Carter, Adam Field, Harry Hambridge, Tom Richie and Luke Sharps. Two players from last year’s Under 18 side, who made the break through into the Hellenic side last season notching up 30 appearances each, Phil Tearle and Jonny Aitkenhead, have also both re-signed as manager Turner builds a squad with a mixture of experience and youth.

A change at the head of FTL Futbol Hellenic One West Club Wootton Bassett Town in Season 2008-2009 following last week’s AGM. With Chairman Mark Smedley (pictured left) stepping down after 5 seasons as he and his family move to Surrey.

The family will remain involved with the Club with the former Chairman continuing his role as programme editor, hoping to retain the record of producing the best programme in the Hellenic League for the last two seasons. Furthermore, son Scott will continue to administer the Club website.

Mark’s predecessor Paul Harrison (pictured left presenting a Player of the Month award last season) will return to lead the Club following his work on the project to drive forward the Clubs exciting proposals to relocate to a new purpose built ground on the edge of the Town. With Chris Jones as Senior Operations Director and Pete Yeardley as Youth Operations Director, Paul has a strong team in place to take the Club forward to the next level.

In the meantime new manager Dave Turner has been assembling a very strong squad for a promotion push in the forthcoming season with some exciting new signings to be announced in the very near future.