Truro City 2 : Basingstoke Town 5
The Dragon’s battered their hosts Truro City during a five-goal romp on Saturday.
The win marks a good run of form for Basingstoke, who have netted 24 goals this season and have not lost in nine of their 12 Conference South fixtures.
Town started with new loan signing Taylor Parmenter joining Jay Gasson in the centre of defence and Shaun McAuley and Matt Warner on the wings supporting Tim Sills and Delano Sam-Yorke, with David Pratt on the bench.
After 13 minutes, the Dragons opened the scoring. Nathan Smart found Delano Sam-Yorke with a fine cross and the striker struck his shot, deflecting off a Truro defender and over the hapless keeper, Tim Sandercombe.
Town’s lead was doubled on 18 minutes when Sills beat the offside trap, running onto a long ball forward from Gasson and leaving the home defence flat-footed. The inform striker coolly slotted home past the advancing keeper.
Referee Brett Huxtable threw the home side a lifeline on 21 minutes when he adjudged debutant Parmenter had fouled and awarded a penalty against him.
Scott Walker stepped up and rifled the ball home, leaving Bayes with no chance.
Walker came close to an equaliser on 27 minutes with a thundering 25-yard free kick, but the big hand of Bayes denied him this time as the Town keeper rose to push the ball over the bar.
The Dragons restored their two-goal lead when a mistake by Arran Pugh and Sandercombe combined to allow Stuart Lake to net a free header.
Barry Hales should have reduced the deficit before half time, having been set up by Taylor, but he hesitated, failed to pull the trigger and the opportunity was lost.
Life was not to get any easier in the second half for the home side as the visitors dominated from the kick-off. Simple attacking football with neat passing and movement was too much for the home side and on the day the Dragons were just too good for their newly-promoted opposition.
Hales did well to beat Parmenter and flick on for Watkins, but the forward wasted the opportunity when goal-side of the visiting defence. Truro would be punished for the wastefulness as at the other end Town added the fourth that they had been threatening from the re-start. Sills again got in behind the home defence and fired past the Truro keeper from 25 yards.
The home side had a brief spell of play when Hayles collected a ball forward from the Truro half and his shot landed on the roof of the net on 70 minutes.
A couple of minutes later, Les Afful managed to connect with a bobbling ball in the box and Bayes did well to block low down. Truro attacked again and Afful scuffed his shot, which Bayes gratefully collected.
Town confidently dealt with the pressure and were in no mood to give up their grip on the game, which was cemented nine minutes from time when another defensive error allowed McAuley a one-on-one with Sandercombe and he delightfully chipped the keeper to complete the Dragons’ scoring.
There was time for one more goal in the last minute of normal time and a second for the home side and for Walker, again from the penalty spot after Toby Little had infringed Afful. Walker gave Bayes no chance again with a superbly executed spot kick.
On Saturday, Town face minnows Hartley Wintney in the FA Cup third round qualifier
