A stunning second half performance made up for a shocking first half for Brockham Badgers U11A to run out deserved winners away to Brentfords’ Junior Bees. The Badgers had an excellent first five minutes, playing to plan and scoring an early opener when Joseph Rabbetts headed home an Owen Knowles cross. But The Bees got themselves a lucky equaliser a few minutes later and Brockham resorted to the untidy route one tactics of their hosts and spent the rest of the half in a tailspin, conceding a second for good measure.
The second half was a very different story. Edward Russ, struggling with a long-term injury, was replaced in the centre by Knowles who started to dictate the tempo of the game and orchestrate most of Brockham’s build ups. The defensive line of Sam Church, Luke Page, and Will Timmons began to relax on the ball and pass out from the back, always keen to receive short from Huw Morgan in goal, who was relieved to have some distribution options at last.
This took a lot of pressure off the team who were now able to widen their shape in possession and exploit their most potent asset – their attacking threat on the flanks. The second for the Badgers came from just such a move. Sam Church won the ball in defence and played a wonderful ball into the right hand channel for Callum Holder, who proved a revelation in the second period. His run to the by-line was finished with a pin point ball across the six yard box to the feet of George Wryde who finished first time with his left.
The black and whites had the Bees on the ropes now and sensed victory was within their grasp. When Holder was released again down the right by Louie Darlington, he beat his marker again, ran into the space and delivered a lofted cross for Rabbetts to repeat his first with a powerful downward header into the Bees net for Brockham’s third.
Holder made it four to the good when his delayed pass intended for the run of the effervescent Wryde was misjudged by the Bees keeper and slipped through his legs. Brentford grabbed a third for themselves but the momentum was all Badgers now and when another Holder cross whipped into the box, Page, driving forward from defence, buried it with an equally impressive header as Rabbetts’ earlier efforts.
Rabbetts finished the Juniors off with a cross come shot from the left that looped over the keeper and into the top far corner. It was difficult to split Holder’s assists, Rabbetts’ hat trick, the game play dictation of Darlington and Knowles, Wryde’s bullying forward play, and the organisation of Brockham’s defensive unit in the second half, so no man of the match was named. Instead the whole team walked off the pitch secure in the knowledge they had all played their part.