Royal Wootton Bassett Town have been handed a mouth-watering home derby fixture against Wiltshire and Hellenic League Premier Division rivals Corsham Town in the Isuzu FA Vase third round.
The tie is currently scheduled to take place at the Sustain Stadium on Saturday 3 December. Full details, including kick off time and admission prices, will be confirmed in due course. On top of being a derby encounter, there will be extra spice added to the match given that both teams will be aiming to write club history, with neither Bassett nor Corsham having ever advanced beyond the Vase third round before. Indeed, for both clubs this season is only the second occasion in which they have reached this stage. For Bassett, it will be a welcome first home fixture in the competition after wins on the road against Bridport (5-3) and then Wellington (2-2, 5-4 on penalties). While Sam Collier's side enjoyed an exemption to the first round, Corsham have already faced four fixtures in the Vase this season, recording three wins away from home during their impressive run. After a 3-1 home triumph against Cove in the first qualifying round, the Quarrymen triumphed 6-5 on penalties following a 2-2 second qualifying round draw away at Brislington. They then saw off a second Western League side, thumping Keynsham Town 4-0 in the first round. On Saturday, Kieran Baggs' men were 3-1 winners in their second round fixture against fellow Hellenic Premier outfit Roman Glass St George. Corsham last made it to the third round in 2006-07, recording wins against Harefield United and Amesbury Town before a loss away at Bideford. Since losing in the first round in 2007-08 and prior to this season, Corsham fell into a Vase rut, going beyond the qualifying round stages just twice (where they were eliminated in the first round) in 14 Vase participations. Corsham have more than made up for that recent dearth of Vase success this season though with a record-equalling run – and they'll no doubt be aiming to extend it further when they make the short trip to Bassett. Like their visitors to be, Bassett have only found themselves in the third round once before too – that coming last season when the team were beaten 3-1 at home by Hamworthy United. With club history again on the line, Collier and his side will be hoping to avoid a similar fate this time. Meanwhile, Bassett will be hoping to reverse a recent run that has seen Corsham win all three league meetings played between the teams since the Quarrymen joined the Hellenic League last season. A win for Bassett will be their first against Corsham since a 2-1 triumph in the 2008-09 Wiltshire Senior Cup. It promises to be a cracking tie – we look forward to hosting Corsham and hope to see a good crowd at the Sustain Stadium.
Details of Royal Wootton Bassett Town's historic record in the FA Vase are available to view here.
