Make no mistake; this Bedfont team are a very good side. New to the Surrey Youth League they came with a threatening record of 260 goals in a single season from the Middlesex League last year, and this weekend Brockham got a taste of their clinical finishing.
Bedfont play with some style and fluidity and their comfort on the ball is equally matched by their organisation when out of possession. An impressive give and go style stretched the Badgers from the first minute and before the black and whites had time to switch into gear the Eagles had scored, their striker putting the ball through the eye of a needle to place it just inside Brockham’s far post despite the narrow angle.
Five minutes later Bedfont doubled their lead. Quick interplay in midfield pulled Brockham’s defence one way and then the other. The Eagles front man was switching from one marker’s shoulder to another waiting to strike. A clever through ball put him in and he struck a sharp shot which was parried by James Rabbetts in goal but finished on the rebound.
The Brockham boys now decided to swap their pyjamas for their football kits and started to press play better and get back into the game. Jordan Martin was away once or twice on the right and Simon Vakeva-Baird was starting to find space on the left. The midfield trio of Lewis Wood, Sam Lloyd, and Oscar Cremmen showed a glimmer of last week’s heart but were getting caught too flat pushing forward for a reply, leaving space behind for any counter to hit the Badgers backline without challenge. Two balls from this space between the lines put the Eagles number 15 in on goal and with deadly precision he finished both - four goals down at half-time and a mountain to climb for Brockham.
The second half was a totally different affair. Brockham had the best possession and the best chances. They played with confidence and industry and the breaks started to come. Wood, Lloyd and Cremmen were first to every ball and Jack Coppin who had moved wide left delivered two dangerous balls that Joe Silver and Jordan Martin came close to making count.
The difference in finishing between the two teams was however very evident. Martin shot wide, Coppin over the bar, Silver was blocked and Brockham even had a penalty saved. Inevitably they were made to pay. Oli Gout, Justin Tarrant, George Gomes, Vakeva-Baird, and Luc Jhugroo had performed superbly in defence for the second period and were well organised when a counter from Bedfont ran at them. Jhugroo cleared well with his head from a cross but an Eagle collected and was not closed quickly enough on the right. A quick look up and he placed it top right.
Brockham can take some comfort from their second half performance. If only they’d turned up in the first.
Lad of the Match: Sam Lloyd
Report by Jason Rabbetts
