The snow had cleared, the sun was out, and at last football was back on the agenda as an exciting league cup quarter final was played out at the Big Field this Saturday. Both Brockham Badgers U11A and AFC Ewell contributed to a game that lived up to the reputation of classic cup knock-outs with end to end action throughout to thrill the spectators.
AFC Ewell took the game by the scruff of the neck with an early shot that was tipped over by Huw Morgan and edged possession for most of the first half. Brockham looked dangerous on the counter though with lots of pace in advanced positions, and the defensive trio of Luke Page, Sam Church, and Will Timmons was limiting AFC Ewell’s chances to speculative shots from outside the area.
It was the pace of Callum Holder that gave the opportunity for Will Timmons to put Brockham ahead on ten minutes from the penalty spot. A through ball behind the AFC back line from Owen Knowles had Holder and his marker running at the Ewell goal. Holder was a yard too quick and got to the ball first and was bearing down on goal when a last ditched tackle from the AFC number five took him down in the area and the whistle blew for a clear penalty. Timmons stepped up as cool as a cucumber and thumped the ball home low and to the right of the keeper who he sent the wrong way.
Ewell were not about to collapse though. They continued to dominate possession and press high up the pitch. Tight marking from them in wide offensive positions for Brockham meant any ball to the feet of Joseph Rabbetts or Harrison Watts was going nowhere other than backwards. Knowles and Louie Darlington were excellent in offensive possession, time and again releasing Holder, but too much was being forced centrally and when losing possession Brockham sat too flat and deep allowing AFC Ewell to play in front of them with too much time and space.
This allowed Ewell to continually press and before long the pressure told. Five minutes before the break a Ewell corner was cleared and fell to the feet of Rabbetts. He had the opportunity to run into space on the left flank and slow the game down a little for his team mates to regain control and shape. Instead he attempted to hit Holder with an early ball which came straight back to a Brockham defence that had reacted slowly getting out. A quick interplay in front of the Brockham back line and a sublime lob looped over Morgan and gave AFC a deserved equaliser.
At half time debutant Conor Boniface replaced Darlington in midfield and George Wryde swapped with Holder to give the Ewell number five a bit more of a physical challenge up front. Wryde was asked to hold the ball up with his back to goal on the shoulder of the Ewell defence and bring his wing men into play. Brockham’s midfield was encouraged to play less deep and hit the space in front of their wide men rather than the feet.
To their credit the team executed their instructions to the letter. Brockham were now in the ascendency. Possession was wrestled back and there looked like only one winner and they were wearing black and white. Wryde and Rabbetts combined well on the left and went close once each early in the second half, whilst Church and Watts were combining well on the right flank. It was the transfer window signing Boniface however that most impressed. His technical ability and vision was giving the team an edge and after ten minutes of his first match it was clear than one of his early flashes of inspiration would show dividends at some point in the game. And so it transpired. Boniface cut an intelligent ball between centre half and full back for Watts to run onto. Watts crossed it first time from a wide right position and Rabbetts ran onto the back post to head home Brockham’s second.
Boniface was involved again in Brockham’s third. A combination with Knowles in midfield saw another ball played through behind the Ewell back line. Wryde raced towards the ball and the advancing goal keeper with the impressive and ever present number five in close attendance. All three reached the ball simultaneously and clattered to the ground but it was the quick thinking and hungrier Wryde that reacted first, scrambling to his feet and slamming the loose ball home from close range.
Lilly Turner replaced Owen Knowles to add some fresh energy to midfield and to stifle AFC play further. Turner was excellent, remaining calm in possession and frequently finding the right pass. Brockham continued to dominate until a strong challenge distracted the attention of too many and allowed Ewell to pull one back.
Timmons went down following a fifty-fifty challenge on Brockham’s left. Rather than remain focussed on the game, to many Brockham players were calling for the game to be stopped for Timmons to receive treatment. The ref correctly allowed the game to play on. Ewell cut through a stretched defence and finished well from 10 yards out.
The last ten minutes were tense. Brockham looked in control but Ewell were putting them under a lot of late pressure. The Badgers saw the game out however and deserved their place in the semi-final.
Man of the match: Luke Page