A YOUNG Wootton Bassett side continued their quest for promotion with a thumping 6-1 win away at Bath Buccs.

Bassett, missing their usual back three, fielded a young side boasting six players under the age of 18.

But from the first whistle they put the Bath goal under pressure, with the pace of Matt Jakubiec, Kristian Mansfield and Kyle Barnes causing all sorts of problems.

Barnes quickly opened the scoring with a typically calm finish under the Buccs keeper.

From the restart, Bassett regained possession and forced a short corner.

The well rehearsed set play led to a fine save from the Bath keeper, but Mark Skivington was on hand to pick up the rebound and make it 2-0.

It was not long before Bassett made it three following a 16-yard hit out as Ali Wood and Grant Kirkup combined to find Mansfield on the right wing.

He burst into the D and found the in-form Jakubiec waiting at the back post where he made no mistake with the finish.

Any hopes of a Bath comeback were soon dismissed as Barnes fired home his second of the match, and with half-time approaching Bassett created further chances.

A foot on the goal line led to a penalty stroke, the resulting flick sailing inches wide.

And right on the stroke of half-time, Barnes picked up the ball and, from a seemingly impossible angle, managed to loop the ball over the Buccs defence with a reverse stick strike, only to see his effort rebound off the crossbar.

The second half kicked off with Bath inspired by the half-time team talk.

The home side created numerous chances until they finally found the breakthrough whena defensive mix-up forced keeper Paul Warren into a brilliant save, only for the rebound to be sent into the roof of the net.

Bath's joy did not last long as Mark Tolley picked up the ball and took on several defenders, finishing with a calm push into the bottom corner.

And 10 minutes later Barnes completed his hat-trick with a back post tap-in.

The emphatic victory leaves Bassett in second place, only needing two points from their final four games to gain promotion to the Avon Division.

n Bassett A failed to score for the first time this season as Swindon C's stubborn defence held out for a goalless draw.

Facing a Swindon side intent on defending in numbers, Bassett continually pushed for a winner.

However, the away team's tactics stifled Bassett's attacking play and forced the game to a draw.

Despite the disappointing result, Bassett will be spurred on by the performance of their younger contingent, with Daniel Metson winning the man of the match award.

The draw leaves Bassett eight points behind second-placed Swindon B with a game in hand.