All the effort paid off this weekend when Brockham at last broke their duck in the Surrey Youth League with a win against local rivals Leatherhead. The Badgers deserved the victory on balance but certainly put their coaching team and parents through the emotional mangle to achieve it.
Brockham more than matched Leatherhead through the early stages of the game. Sam Lloyd and Justin Tarrant were breaking up play in midfield, winning the loose balls and feeding the creative Lewis Wood, and playing balls into wide areas to good effect. It was from the right channel that Joe Silver opened his account with a stunning solo effort. At speed he drove to the bye-line riding three challenges en route. Just when everyone thought he’d gone too far he banged a cannon of a shot from a tight angle into the top corner.
Leatherhead’s frustration in midfield was evident but despite having little time on the ball to play there were signs of good link up play from their two front men that on two occasions tested James Rabbetts in the black and white’s goal. Rabbetts was on form today though, coming off his line well, communicating to good effect, and gathering balls to quell danger when needed.
Brockham expected a response from Leatherhead in the second half and so it came. A sustained period of pressure for fifteen minutes tested the Badgers but the back line and keeper met the challenge.
Brockham wrestled back the advantage and went close with two fine efforts from Martin. The first a fierce dipping shot that the Leatherhead keeper saved superbly at full stretch, the second a free kick that almost crept inside the far post unchallenged. Then Brockham grabbed their second. A ball from the left ran across the area where Martin picked it up wide on the right, he jinked past a challenge and passed the ball across goal for Silver to tap in for his brace.
The game ebbed and flowed. Both teams had goals disallowed for offside and some hairy moments in the Brockham area saw the ball bobble, bounce, and ping around on three occasions – but for the assured hands of Rabbetts, the Tanners could have been level.
Leatherhead got their rewards however soon after. Brockham switched off momentarily, allowing Leatherhead to press and run at goal. A tidy one-two between their forwards saw them nick a goal back. Everyone then thought the game had been levelled following a ball in from the Leatherhead left but the ball was adjudged to have breached the bye-line before the cross came in.
The Badgers then saw a second off-side decision cancel out a goal of their own when Silver, free on the left and running at pace, passed for Martin to stroke the ball past the keeper. This was followed by a barnstorming run at goal by Lloyd. With a simple touch left or right of the keeper he could have put Brockham out of sight but instead elected for power and blasted the ball over. Martin had an identical opportunity two minutes later but shot directly at the Tanners keeper. Almost immediately the Tanners responded with a goal to level the game five minutes from the end to send the opposition supporters into confident cheer and Brockham’s ruing their chances.
Silver had other plans though. He was on a hat-trick and when Alex Flint neatly played a ball between the Leatherhead full back and centre half Silver grabbed his chance. He shrugged off two challenges, put on the after burners and buried it. A terrific result and a glimmer, just a glimmer of hope.
Lads of the Match: James Rabbetts and Joe Silver
Report by Jason Rabbetts
