Badgers U10A 5 - 4 St Paul's Panthers (South Surrey Youth League)

On Saturday morning we were treated to one of the most exciting games we're likely to see all season.  Definitely the game of the season so far.

Our illustrious managers, Simon and Mick, used the friendly with The Panthers to blood a few deserving starlets in the A team after some mightily impressive performances in the B team.

Morgan Hamilton ran the show early on with his trademark runs and midfield battling.  Morgan was pinging in dangerous through balls and crosses throughout.  The St Paul's defence had to be on their toes to keep Morgan's guided missiles from finding their target but there was only so much they could do...

Adam "Full Power" Bower was like a pickpocket in the hustle and bustle of the January sales as he timed his run to perfection, evaded all surveillance and clipped a stunning shot over the keeper and into the corner of the net.  Morgan's wonderful passing had the finish it deserved.  It was a wonderful sight to see these lads combining so well.

Oliver Yeates followed this up with a divine piece of opportunism as he took advantage of a lapse in concentration at the back, nodded the ball over the keeper and ran through for The Badger's second.

St Paul's would not lie down though and managed to claw one back right at the end of the first half.  Patrick Oliveira-Fry showed great awareness and intelligence in his attempt to cover the keeper.  Patrick has shown great improvement, attempts to use both feet and is a very solid defender.

Half-Time: Brockham Badgers U10 A 2 St Paul's Panthers U10 A 1

The second-half started with Morgan taking the gloves from the ever dependable George Lees.  George had made some excellent saves in the first half and his distribution was much quicker and therefore much more effective.  George is very quietly and steadily becoming a fantastic goalkeeper and when he plays up front he never lets anyone down. 

Even so, St Paul's soon levelled the game.  It was a little against the run of play but when a side never gives up there is always a way back.

Henry Lucas was formidable at the back.  His grace and poise on the ball was setting up Oliver Yeates to go forward.  When St Paul's attacked Henry was like passport control turning away everything that hadn't been stamped by one of his team mates.

The Two Olivers (now a real threat to Barker and Corbett) began to showcase their skills.  Oliver "Iniesta" Quigley carried on from where he left off last week, darting about and laying on chances for the forwards.  His vision for picking out team mates is a much welcome talent.

Oliver Yeates volleyed home number three from an acute angle.  It was a top notch strike to put The Badger's noses back in front.

The Panthers were soon back in it.  Quick to capitalise on errors they ghosted in to the box on two separate occasions and suddenly Brockham were four-three down.  It could have been worse too if not for Joe "The Radar" Allen.  Joe put in the challenge of the season to put off their main striker as he went through on goal.  Joe may well have saved the game.

Will Pirt was making the most of his second outing with some quality runs down the wing.  Will's industry was outstanding and the last time I saw someone turn that quick was when a fifty-pence piece fell out of Simon Lees' back pocket about two seasons ago.

Oliver Yeates wouldn't give in, and another super strike levelled the game at four-each.  Oliver and Ezra continued to threaten.  Oliver's passes soon found Ezra who seemed to teleport in from the left like Captain Kirk.  After a fine right foot shot was palmed away by The Panther's keeper it looked like The Badgers would have to settle for a draw...

Then Oliver made another great pass which Ezra took, beat his marker and drilled past the keeper.  It was a true goalscorer's goal and another milestone in Ezra's transformation from midfielder to attacker.

Full-Time: Brockham Badgers U10 A 5 St Paul's Panthers U10 A 4

Man of the Match: Henry Lucas, set up the counter attacks with excellent passing and kept the drawbridge up in defence (I'm too young to remember Bobby Moore but they say he was in the same league as Henry).

Squad: George Lees, Henry Lucas, Joe Allen, Patrick Oliveira-Fry, Morgan Hamilton, Will Pirt, Oliver Quigley, Oliver Yeates, Ezra Charles, Adam Bower

Report by Jason Charles

Badgers U9A 3 - 2 Worcester Park Colts (Epsom & Ewell League Premier Division)

Buoyed by their recent away win at Leatherhead, Brockham got stuck into Worcester Park straight away. Jos Hunt hit a shot hard and low to beat the Worcester Park keeper. Ed Russ took a short corner to Will Timmons who was unmarked on the edge of the box, Will hit it first time to make it 2-0. It appeared that Brockham had found their form and that this game was going to be one way traffic, but the Brockham players eased up and let Worcester Park back into the game, 2-1. Will Timmons hit another great shot which the keeper saved but Sam Church followed up to make it 3-1. Joss Hunt took a knock and was substituted for Archie Routleff. Joe Rabbetts, in goal for Brockham, made some great saves to protect Brockham’s lead including one with his head which he must have picked up on the streets of Bogata!

In the second half Matthew Chapman went in goal for Brockham whilst Joe Rabbetts moved out to the left and Owen Knowles went to right back. Worcester Park applied pressure immediately, winning corners and getting another goal back to make it 3-2. Great defending by George Wryde and Owen Knowles kept Brockham in front as Brockham pushed forward. Ed Russ had a good free kick saved and a cross from Owen Knowles was met by Joe Rabbetts forcing another good save. Brockham applied more pressure but could not get another goal and the home crowd were delighted and relieved to hear the final whistle, 3-2. Based upon the balance of play Brockham deserved all three points.

Man of the Match: Ed Russ

Report by Rick Russ

Cranleigh Casuals 2 - 1 Badgers U9 Barbarians (Horsham & District Youth League)

Unbeaten in nine matches since the start of the season, a long trip deep into the Surrey Hills saw the Barbarians attempting to add Cranleigh Casuals to their impressive record.

Right from kick-off it was clear that to impose themselves on Cranleigh the Barbarians would have to bring together all the positive attributes they have displayed this season, for Cranleigh were clearly the strongest opposition faced so far. As a unit Cranleigh were well-organised, and provided a very stern test with their hard-working defence, including a very capable goalkeeper, and more attacking players with no little ability.

Despite the unusual experience of facing a team with such capability Barbarians were not cowed, and fought toe-to-toe to gain possession. Honours were even for the first ten minutes, with play being concentrated in a midfield where new captain Lily Turner, Tom Ambrose and Ben Mackenzie showed their usual energy and ambition. In goal, Jethro Burton was relatively under-occupied.

Whilst there could be no faulting the commitment of the team, it was nonetheless apparent that the recognition that Cranleigh possessed the players to cause damage made the Barbarians a little reluctant to open the game up by playing passes to colleagues in space. There was a tendency to dwell on the ball and this was punished when possession was lost in right midfield. The Cranleigh left-midfielder advanced, and shot from the left edge of the area, beating the unsighted Barbarian keeper.

Heads did not go down, and the Barbarians retained their fighting spirit. Too few chances were created however, with the striker a little isolated by a continued habit of over-playing the ball further back. When shooting opportunities did come, the Cranleigh ‘keeper showed his quality.

After half-time the game opened up a little, with two or three chances being created. Arun Watkins and Ben Austin worked hard to support their team’s ambition whilst William Glenn and Huw Morgan at the back made some timely interceptions when Cranleigh broke through the midfield.

With ten minutes to go the price was paid for earlier failure to create sufficient genuine goal-scoring opportunity. Cranleigh again broke free on their left, and their striker let go a looping shot into the top right-hand corner beyond the reach of the Barbarians’ keeper. 0-2 to Cranleigh and seemingly no way back for the black and whites.

Five minutes from time, Callum Holder took the initiative. Intercepting a Cranleigh move in the centre circle he raced forward, jinking past two or three opponents. Bearing down on the ‘keeper, he struck with his left and the spirits of his teammates were lifted as the ball nestled into the left hand corner of the net.

The rally continued as chances came and went, chances which on another day might well have stuck. A minute to go and another break from Holder represented the last chance to salvage a point. He again broke from the half-way line, beating all challenges save that of the outstanding Cranleigh keeper who saved at the striker’s feet. The final whistle followed, signifying the first defeat of the season for the Barbarians.

Man of the Match: Ben Austin

Squad: Lily Turner (c), Tom Ambrose, Ben Austin, Jethro Burton, William Glenn, Callum Holder, Ben Mackenzie, Huw Morgan, Arun Watkins.

Report by Frank Holder

Old Isleworthians Youth Red 0 - 2 Badgers U11 Sunday (Surrey Youth League Cup)

If the first quarter was anything to go by, we were in for a typical cup tie, as both teams participated in frantic end to end attacks.  Each term earned a number of corners, but nobody could find the net.  Brockham’s Callum Agent came closest latching onto a poor headed clearance, but he drove the ball just wide of goal.  To add to the frenzied atmosphere the coaches were finding it hard to be heard as aircraft took off overhead, including a huge Airbus 380 en route to Singapore.  Brockham’s Nataniel King was the first to truly trouble the Isleworthians defence with his impressive pace, however he wasn’t able to get the better of their captain at centre back, who remained impassable.  It wasn’t until late in the first half that another surge down the left hand side by King, having picked up a throw in, culminated in a cross to Max Austin who seized the rare opportunity to squeeze the ball between the keeper and post for the Badgers to take a 1 – 0 lead into the break.

The second half saw continued end to end activity with the Isleworthians particularly quick on the break.  The Badgers defence stood up extremely well, with some great saves by Alex Wells at short range and resolute clearances by Alex Watts.  Aidan Torpey was typically busy in defence and encountering quite a battle in mid field, but still managed to bring the ball forwards.  On one charge he pushed the ball out to the right.  Max Hill did well to bring the ball under control and slip it to Finn Campbell who guided it into the net for a 2 – 0 lead.  Conor Gilmartin and Campbell pestered the Isleworthians defence up the right hand side but were unable to break though again.

Brockham had beaten an undefeated side and showed great character to keep a clean sheet on a narrow pitch.   Gilmartin was named man of the match for his constant pressuring and excellent covering in defence.

Man of the Match: Conor Gilmartin 

Squad: Callum Agent, Max Austin, Finn Campbell, William Conroy, Conor Gilmartin, Thomas Hemming, Jack Wisbey, Justin Hurst, Alex Wells, Aidan Torpey, Natanial King, Max Hill, Alex Watts, Tom Phillips

Report by Christopher Hurst

Badgers U15A 2 - 0 Tooting & Mitcham United Stripes Terriers (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Brockham Badgers U15A brought to an end a dismal run of five consecutive defeats with probably their best performance of the season at home to Tooting and Mitcham Utd. The 2-0 victory was all the sweeter as it avenged an earlier cup defeat at home to the same team in what had undoubtedly been Badgers' worst showing of the current campaign. With 4 regulars missing, Brockham lined up with several players out of position, including stand-in keeper Alex Nicholson, but this didn't deter the home side from taking the game to Tooting from the start. The first half-hour saw Badgers pose the greater threat going forward, and their good work was eventually rewarded when Oli Winter opened the scoring on 30 minutes with a fine shot from outside the angle of the box which sailed over the keeper into the far top corner.

Badgers came out all guns blazing after the break and had several good chances to double their lead, not least a penalty tipped against the bar by the Tooting keeper. The pressure soon told when Mike Richardson burst into the box on 50 minutes and, taking the ball to the bye-line, calmly crossed for Chris Brooks to finish at close range. Although the visitors had their chances to get back in the game, this was a day when the whole Brockham side pulled together and every player contributed to a fine display, with particularly strong performances from Mewis and Richardson in midfield and the back four of Mahoney, Higgins, Bletso and Bangs who spared Nicholson too much work in goal (though what he had to do, he dealt with comfortably). The one thing missing – as usual – was some more clinical finishing, and a higher winning margin would not have flattered the Badgers. If they can keep this level going a mid-table finish should easily be within their reach.

Squad: Alex Nicholson, Will Mahoney, Ross Bangs, Liam Ratcliffe, Matt Higgins, Will Bletso, Oli Winter, Mike Richardson, Josh Brown, Harvey Mewis, George Coffey, Chris Brooks.

Report by Simon Winter

Brockham Badgers U14A 1 - 6 Bedfont Eagles (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Another decent performance, another disappointing result - finishing really counts at this level.  Brockham Badgers, buoyed by a good outing last week were in optimistic mood to face the Middlesex FA County Cup finalists Bedfont Eagles for their first time.

Things started well.  Although conceding early on, the Badgers immediately responded to level the game through Sam Lloyd and they dominated the first twenty minutes.  A lack of concentration however allowed three silly goals for the Bedfont boys in a nightmarish ten minute spell at the end of the first half which put Brockham undeservedly on the back foot.

The Eagles smelled blood and came out for the second half in impressive fashion.  Brockham held their nerve though and didn’t allow the score line to diminish their determination.  Lewis Wood, Jack Coppin, and Jordan Martin all went close on several occasions but nothing was hitting the back of the net.

At the other end however Bedfont made it count every time.  They bagged themselves two more goals mid-way through the second half to secure all three points and to finish the game with a score line that deceived the Badgers’ real performance.  The Eagles deserved the win but not by quite the margin they enjoyed.

Lad of the Match:  Simon Vakeva-Baird

Report by Jason Rabbetts

Badgers U12A Blues 3 - 1 Roffey Robins (Horsham & District B League)

First Half
Brockham kicked off the game on a sticky Autumn pitch. They launched
into their first attack with only seconds played and continued to put
the Robins under pressure. Although, on 3 minutes the away team
showed their potential for surprise with a sprinting break from their
own half, which clearly woke up the Brockham defence. Down at the
other end, 5 minutes later, Teague whipped over a telling cross that
required a decent save by Roffey's keeper.


Once more, the Robins replied with an assault on the Brockham goal,
only to be denied by a Vaughan clearance off the goal line. On 10
minutes there was more surprise for the Badgers as the ball bounced
around in their penalty area and was only half cleared. The ball
landed at the feet of a ready and willing Robins forward, who hit a
strong shot that took a deflection and ended up in the net. 0-1.


The normally tight Brockham defence were trying, with a little
difficulty, to adjust to the efforts of the trying Roffey forwards.
As soon as they found their feet again Brockham began to assert
themselves and drive forward. Their attempts paid off in the 12th
minute, when Thomas gifted Turner a lovely through ball into the
area, to chase. The striker's assured finishing left the visitor's
goalie watching as the ball slid past him and into the goal, for the
equalizer. 1-1.


The tide was turning Brockhams way and just 2 minutes later they won
a corner. The kick went to Teague, who delivered another great
looping shot over all comers heads to make it 2-1.


The hosts were keen to add to their tally and strove towards goal at
every opportunity. We saw some visionary passing from Dogansoy and
plenty of graft from Thomas and Warne. Up front, Turner, Teague and
Potts were a constant menace. Turner and Teague both had full hearted
attempts at goal but the half ended in a narrow lead to Brockham.
Half time 2-1.


Second Half
The visitors were stung just 2 minutes after the half kicked off,
when Turner wove himself past the Roffey defence down the left wing
and cut the ball back inside to the charging Thomas. Thomas
dispatched a confident strike that went clean past the out-stretched
keeper, for his side's third. 3-1.


An increasingly slippy and heavy pitch made for some tired legs and
the flow of the game started to look a bit stodgey. The ball
generally went from one end of the field to the other, with both
sides going for goal. Roffey went close on 8 minutes with a shot that
was lifted over the heads of all. Mostly though, Brockham were the
team now most likely to score.


Their commanding defence in Purcell, Lane, Killick and Baker were
working as a secure unit, allowing their team-mates ahead of them
more freedom to play forwards, and kept keeper Wheeler relatively
untroubled. Watson was added to create another dimension on the wing,
and despite the pitch Brockham were playing some good formation
football. They were also closing down the opposition more effectively.
Brockham's pressure won them a number of corners and following a
lovely movement in the 24th minute they won the last corner kick of
the day. A well placed kick floated over and could have had any
outcome. The ball was cleared and the scoreline remained at 3-1.
Full time 3-1.


Man of the Match: Sam Potts


Squad: Joe Baker, Kemal Dogansoy, Daniel Killick, Dominic Lane, Sam
Potts, Jake Purcell, Joe Teague, Will Thomas, Ollie Turner, Jacob
Vaughan, George Warne, Rufus Watson, Oakley Wheeler.

Report by Tony Watson

Badgers U16A 1 - 1 Twin Oaks (Horsham & District League)

Brockham U16As played out a terrific game of football against Twin Oaks at the weekend, perhaps feeling hard done by not to have got all three points as for the second game running Badgers finished the far stronger of the two sides only to finish with a draw.

Brockham started once more with a high tempo and scored inside 5 minutes, Stephen Kehl tapping home after the keeper parried a Henry Hill shot.

Twin Oaks have gained  a couple of good cup scalps this season, including A league Ashurst Wood, and played their part in an entertaining match. Brockham were just shading it though, and it was slightly against the run of play when 5 minutes into the second half Twin Oaks equalised, a long range shot finding the inside of the post with the otherwise excellent Brockham keeper Connor Mitchell just failing to tip the ball round the post.

The last 20 minutes saw Brockham have all the possession. Chances fell to Hill, Kehl and Tom Bletso from some fine Ollie Legg corners, but somehow the Twin Oaks goal escaped with the game finishing at 1-1. Ref Neil Holland went out of his way at the end of the game to complement both sides on a fine game which reflected well on both clubs
Lad of the match went to Stephen Kehl for his tireless running, although midfielder Ollie Smith ran Kehl close with an energetic performance

Brockham keeper Connor Mitchell's matchday and training gloves are sponsored by Robbie Ellis (Football Freestyle Promoter) To book a freestyler for an event you can contact Robbie on 07837 994461

Squad: Connor Mitchell, Henry Smith, Joe Parker, Tom Bletso (c), Jack Hunt, Ollie Smith, Ollie Legg, Mike Carty, Will Bletso, Henry Hill, Stephen Kehl, Tim Hopkins


Report by Bryan Bletso