Points shared at Bolitho
Parkway vs Basingstoke Town | Match ReportParkway returned to Bolitho Park for the first time in 3 weeks after 3 successive away games to face 6th placed Basingstoke Town looking to extend their 3 match unbeaten league run. An unchanged starting line-up was named from last week’s creditable 1-1 draw at Merthyr Town.
 Plymouth ParkwayBasingstoke Town FC 
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Full Match Report
Images: Tom Finnie
Basingstoke created an early opportunity with Stefan Brown getting in behind the Parkway defence only to slice his shot well wide. With both sides adapting to the greasy surface, play became fairly even with Mark Scott gathering a cross from Mikey Williams on 4 minutes with the visitors responding by breaking away and forcing a corner which was only cleared as far as Paul Hodges who fired well over from around 20 yards.
Reece Thomson then saw a deep cross from the right overhit with the ball being recycled through midfield and Tom Purrington shooting well over from distance. On 12 minutes Parkway’s next attack saw them take the lead. A neat interchange of passes between Jack Crago and Thomson saw the ball only half cleared with Callum Hall reacting quickest to the loose ball and firing a low left footed drive from around 15 yards which squirmed away from Scott lowdown at his left hand post.
Basingstoke responded straight from the kick off with the ball being played forward and with a couple of Parkway defenders slipping, George Reid kept his feet to fire home the equaliser from around 15 yards.
Play continued from end to end with both sides growing into the game and on 17 minutes Parkway almost retook the lead. More patient play through midfield saw the ball break to the unmarked Hall whose angled drive from around 18 yards flew narrowly wide of the post. A good chance. Play continued to ebb and flow but with neither side able to take control. On 21 minutes a Parkway free kick from the right saw Thomson’s on target header comfortably saved by Scott. Adam Parkes was then called into action for the first time doing well to push away a powerful drive at full stretch from around 25 yards by the dangerous Hodges.
Parkway continued to threaten down the left and on 25 minutes good build up play between Ryan Lane, Williams and Garside set up Hall whose angled shot flew just wide. Parkway continued to create the better chances and on 28 minutes good work on the right by Shane White saw his cross to the far post reach Crago who scuffed his effort just wide from close range.
The visitors almost took the lead on 35 minutes after a cross from the left by the increasingly influential Reid was deflected for a corner by Toby Down from which Parkes saved superbly from a close range header by Brown. With defences generally on top neither side were able to create any further with both sides content to see out the 3 minutes of added time.
An even half not lacking endeavour but lacking the necessary quality from either side in the final third with both scoring early and creating further half chances but with defences generally remaining solid and in control.
Parkway made a bright start to the 2nd half with Lane making a strong run forward on 49 minutes with his dangerous cross blocked with Garside following up shooting well over from around 25 yards.
Parkway continued to press and more good build up play between Garside, Lane and Hall forced another corner which was cleared away. Basingstoke continued to have the better of possession in midfield but lacked the cutting edge in the final third and it was Parkway who almost retook the lead on 58 minutes.
From yet another corner a firm close range header from Down was instinctively pushed on to the bar by Scott and cleared away with Crago picking up a caution in attempting to regain the ball on the edge of the 18 yard area.
On the hour Parkway made a double substitution with Matt Wright and Henry Wilson replacing Thomson and Hall respectively. Play began to become scrappy and broken up with neither side able to gain control of midfield and both guilty of conceding possession too easily. On 63 minutes Marcus Johnson-Schuster fired way over from distance for the visitors who began to create a period of pressure but still unable to penetrate the Parkway defence.
Parkway made a bright start to the 2nd half with Lane making a strong run forward on 49 minutes with his dangerous cross blocked with Garside following up shooting well over from around 25 yards. Parkway continued to press and more good build up play between Garside, Lane and Hall forced another corner which was cleared away.
Basingstoke continued to have the better of possession in midfield but lacked the cutting edge in the final third and it was Parkway who almost retook the lead on 58 minutes. From yet another corner a firm close range header from Down was instinctively pushed on to the bar by Scott and cleared away with Crago picking up a caution in attempting to regain the ball on the edge of the 18 yard area. On the hour Parkway made a double substitution with Matt Wright and Henry Wilson replacing Thomson and Hall respectively. Play began to become scrappy and broken up with neither side able to gain control of midfield and both guilty of conceding possession too easily.
On 63 minutes Marcus Johnson-Schuster fired way over from distance for the visitors who began to create a period of pressure but still unable to penetrate the Parkway defence.
Basingstoke made their first change on 65 minutes with Ashleigh Artwell replacing Brown. Play continued to lack any great quality with the visitors still having the majority of possession but unable to create any clear chances. On 74 minutes a Parkway attack along the right saw White and Wright link well with the latter’s cross from the byeline blocked for a corner. Basingstoke then made their second change with D’Andre Brown replacing Hodges.
On 77 minutes a Basingstoke break along the left was halted by Oscar Halls with substitute Artwell pulling up with what appeared to be hamstring injury and being replaced by Noah Chengun. Parkway also made their final change with Dylan Jones replacing Crago.
Play continued to be confined to a midfield battle with neither side looking particularly threatening and defences remaining on top with neither goalkeeper being tested. Basingstoke forced a corner on 85 minutes which came to nothing as both sides looked for a winner with neither seemingly settling for the draw. On 89 minutes Callum Winchcombe was cautioned for a foul on Garside as Parkway created a period of pressure going into the 5 added minutes.
A strong run wide on the left by Jones saw his cross deflected for a corner after just failing to reach Garside. In the third minute of added time a long ball by Halls found Lane whose cross was hooked just over by Garside from around 15 yards. The final action saw Basingstoke break away along the left with Parkes comfortably gathering the cross as the game petered out into a predictable stalemate with the points shared.
Not a game that will live long in the memory with Parkway extending their unbeaten league run to 4 games with their 3rd successive draw after a solid, hard working if unspectacular performance against well organised opponents.
Parkway shaded the first half creating the better chances with Basingstoke having the better of possession in the second with Parkway displaying their defensive qualities by denying the visitors too many chances. Despite Parkway finishing the game on the front foot, Basingstoke also defended well under pressure with the draw a fair result.
Today’s other results saw Parkway climb a place on goal difference to 19th. They now visit 2nd place and in form Salisbury on Tuesday who won 2-1 at Didcot Town today and who have only been beaten once in their 12 league games this season having won 8 and drawn the other 3.
Match Info
Line-ups:
Plymouth Parkway
1 Parkes, 2 White, 3 Lane ©, 4 Hall (Wilson 60), 5 Halls, 6 Down, 7 Williams, 8 Purrington, 9 Thomson (Wright 60), 10 Garside, 11 Crago (Jones 78)
Substitutes:
12 Belsten (unused), 14 Wilson, 15 Rose (unused), 16 Jones, 17 Wright
Basingstoke Town:
1 Scott, 2 Johnson-Schuster, 3 Winchcombe, 4 Atkinson, 5 Smart, 6 Upton, 7 Hodges (A Brown 75), 8 Dunn ©, 9 Rowe, 10 S Brown (Artwell 64) (Chengun 77), 11 Reid
Substitutes:
12 Atwell, 14 A Brown, 15 Chengun, 16 Collins (unused), 20 Halliday (GK) (unused)
Attendance: 426 (Decent away following, estimate (50-60)
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