STOKE SAIL TO VICTORY

AS BOTH were knocked out of the FA Cup in the previous round this month, the Hampshire derby provided Sholing their first Saturday home game of the season – and one to forget quickly.

- Greg Dickson

Contrastingly, Basingstoke Town manager Dan Brownlic was happy with his side's showing, calling it close to perfect.

"The scoreline doesn't flatter us, I think we played really well the ideas worked, Sholing made us work for it, didn't come easy so we had to work hard for it and going forward at times, were scintillating."

Sholing started the brighter of the two and Dan Mason fired wide of Paul Stroudley's goal three minutes in.

A couple of minutes later, Jake Cope turned the defender inside out before he and Charlie Wagstaffe both had shots repelled by a stern Basingstoke backline.