Brockham Badgers U10A 1 - 3 Wolves

The best team on the day lost!  Another enthralling encounter between Brockham and league winners Wolves, saw the Badgers seize the advantage in terms of open play and chances, but the opposition snuck into the sheep pen and ran off with the Sunday roast.

Both teams play some very good football.  They each like to build play from the back and move the ball along the ground with a natural passing style that on occasions gives a display of pass and move one touch dynamism that belies their age.  Wolves are very good at dictating the tempo and as such can take the sting out of the opposition when it comes to pressing and urgency.  A little more of Brockham’s normal style and tempo might have produced a different result.

Brockham were up for this one though and were soon out of the blocks with a couple of attempts on goal from Conan Torpey and Ed Russ that stung the Wolves keeper’s hands.  The Badgers certainly had the lion’s share of possession in the first half but Wolves are an excellent counter attacking team.  They allow their opposition to play in certain areas and wait to press and nip in once the ball reaches their own half.  They then rarely waste it, making accurate passes to quick moving players that mount goal opportunities in a matter of seconds for a clinical forward with a real eye for goal.

Wolves’ first came from an interception in the middle of their own half which was quickly switched outside right.  Brockham were a little slow to cover the threat and a cross came in that was finished well.  A similar second shortly followed.  A wasteful pass in midfield conceded possession, the ball was switched right again and despite some tight marking by Joseph Rabbetts the canny Wolves winger sneaked a cross in from the by-line.  Huw Morgan anticipated well and went to ground to parry the ball with an outstretched hand as it fizzed across his area, but it fell to a Wolf in sheep’s clothing who sharpened his claws from short range.

Against the run of play, two shots had put Brockham down by two goals.  Brockham pushed on.  Torpey hit the post, Russ skimmed the cross bar and fired another into the belly of the very capable Wolves keeper, and William Timmons, who was having an excellent game in left midfield had one shot pushed away by the keeper and another fizz past the post.

The next goal was typical of football , and what makes it such a frustrating but ultimately exciting game.  A long goal kick from Wolves was met by Rabbetts deep in his own half.  The ball spun up off his knee from his half clearance, Morgan and Rabbetts hesitated as the ball dropped between them and the Wolves number 4 was there again to nip over the sheep pen fence and snaffle supper for a third time.  The big bad Wolf licked his lips.

The second half was one way traffic.  Brockham stifled the Wolves counter attacking threat with a little more pressing high up the pitch.  This worked, neutralising threats to the extent that Morgan had nothing to do in the second period.  Sam Church, Ed Russ, and Owen Knowles combined well with some one touch passing that saw a good shot from Russ collected confidently by the Wolves keeper.  Russ then headed another good chance from a Church cross and had a another strong shot from distance pushed over the cross bar.

Harrison Watts and Rabbetts were absolutely solid by now, and this provided a little confidence for Brockham to continue to push for a goal.  Russ on a rampaging run punched the ball at goal from outside the area.  The Wolves defender raised an arm to protect himself and a penalty was given.  Russ drilled it low and hard and the Badgers were back in the game.

Rabbetts had a powerful shot sail over, a great turn on the outside of the box saw Torpey ping another shot which the Wolves keeper saved yet again, whilst Church was finding lots of space on the right to put in threatening crosses in a repeated display of link up play with Russ.  Timmons had another crack, Torpey hit the post for a second time, and the big bad wolf in goal blocked yet another, this time from Timmons.

Twelve shots to none, but it wasn’t to be in the second half.  Brockham tried everything but the Wolves keeper was up to the challenge.  Watts was the Badgers’ man of the match for his perfect defensive display, but everyone agreed that the Wolves stopper must surely have walked away with their own award.

Man of the match:  Harrison Watts

Brockham Badgers U10 Barbarians 1-1 NPL Youth A (Epsom & Ewell Youth Football League), Saturday 10th March 2012

Having perhaps not quite delivered the results of which they are capable during a New Year period which significantly disrupted their match schedule, Brockham Badgers U10 Barbarians finally raised their performance level to that of the first half of the season.

Saturday’s return fixture at home to NPL Youth saw a frenetic opening period, with end-to-end action from the off. Despite the absence of the defensively stoic Tom Ambrose, the gritty determination of the defensive unit saw off in quick succession some penetrating offensive moves from the opposition. Some excellent blocking and covering by the likes of Ben Austin and William Glenn gave protection to ‘keeper Josh Snow who – when he did need to respond – did so effectively and confidently. In their turn, the midfield trio of Bailey Osborne, Ben Mackenzie and Lily Turner gave NPL plenty to worry about, with the latter providing a stunning 20 yard pass to split the defence and provide Mackenzie with a shooting opportunity which went narrowly wide.

The tendency of the Barbarians not to be first to the ball set a counter-attacking pattern to the game. NPL were able to keep the defence busy on those occasions when they managed to evade the strong tackling of man-of-the-match Osborne in centre-midfield. Home supporters and team alike had hearts in mouths momentarily when Snow was called upon to make a stunning point-blank save, and again when a header from an NPL corner was put narrowly wide.

Going forward link play between midfielders Osborne and Mackenzie kept their opponents from complacency by linking well with striker Watkins to create chances, however a lapse in attention further back allowed NPL finally to break the deadlock with the last kick of the first half.

After the break the Barbarians progressively suppressed NPL both in terms of penetration and confidence. The clearance of a Barbarians free-kick fell to Turner who shot narrowly over, before being provided by Watkins with a further opportunity which again failed to find the net. As legs tired the game again opened up into an end-to-end affair, however chances for both teams dried up, the Barbarians fortunate to have in defence the ever-dependable William Glenn who on more than one occasion used his speed and anticipation to sweep up long balls forward from the visitors. In midfield the Barbarians more than held their own, and were defended from the front by Watkins who battled hard to regain possession in advanced positions.

With ten minutes to go and having given everything he had, Watkins was replaced by leading scorer Callum Holder who had been held in reserve following a bout of illness. Fresh pace gave fresh concern to NPL. Holder kept them fully occupied at the back until the last minute when the quick-thinking Mackenzie provided penetrating service to Holder from the flank, and the latter ghosted past the defence to shoot from the corner of the penalty area through the legs of the keeper and into the far corner. Thus was sealed the point the earlier efforts of his teammates so richly deserved.

Team: Turner (capt.), Snow, Austin, Glenn, Mackenzie, Osborne, Turner, Watkins, Holder.

Report: Matt Snow & Frank Holder