The Alamo comes to mind. Brockham Badgers were by some distance the superior team and should have scored a hat full had their finishing been more clinical. Instead they had to settle for a draw following a Joseph Rabbetts penalty conversion and a Stoneleigh equaliser 30 seconds from time.
Brockham dominated from the start and should have been two up within five minutes when both Rabbetts and the powerful front man George Wryde forged themselves excellent chances following good build up play from Sam Church and Callum Holder on the right. But Stoneleigh’s keeper was having an excellent game and saved well on both occasions.
Brockham then won a penalty but the otherwise faultless Luke Page failed to convert when the Stone’s keeper made another impressive save to turn the ball around the post. With the disappointment still fresh in the minds the Badgers remarkably won another penalty when Holder’s jinking wing play was brought to a halt with a late challenge. This time Rabbetts stepped up and was also denied by another magnificent save but managed to convert the rebound to give the black and whites a more than deserved lead.
It is no exaggeration that just about every Brockham player on the pitch was denied in some way by the performance of the Stoneleigh boy between the sticks. Darlington, Knowles, Ed Russ, and Page all should and could have scored, and even Will Timmons, Lilly Turner, Harrison Watts, and Church got involved in goalmouth action from defence.
It was inevitable therefore that despite such clear dominance and as time ticked by something was going to upset the applecart. And so with less than a minute left on the clock a Brockham goal kick was picked up in midfield by Stoneleigh, quickly switched to their left where the Stone’s winger hit it first time and placed a beauty over the retreating and otherwise unchallenged How Morgan in goal.
Brockham’s keeper felt the pain only keepers can feel. But there was nothing he could do. The team had played excellently from Morgan to the forward line. It was a great strike and just one of those days. Unfortunately for Brockham it was the second one of those days in as many matches!
Man of the Match: Sam Church