A total football experience was a fitting end to Brockham Badgers U16s’ season in a dominant performance over Kingstonians at the Big Field in glorious Spring sunshine.
Jason Rabbetts, in his last game as manager for the team, asked them to go and play the best possession football they were capable of and to play it with a smile he could remember in years to come. George Gomes, having never scored in a competitive match at 11-a-side for the Badgers in his nine years with the club was moved from his usual defensive duties and given a dual striker role with Jordan Martin, whilst the manager’s son was given a symbolic captaincy for his consistency throughout the season.
Play they did, and with some considerable style. Brockham dominated this match with 70% possession and some passages of play that were quite simply the best they had played in their time at the club. Martin opened the scoring with a stunning strike off the outside of his right foot from just inside the Kingstonian area having beaten his marker for pace and brilliantly controlling a wonderful lofted pass from Joe Silver after some stunning interplay from Oscar Cremmen that started from the Badgers’ back line.
Silver on the right and Jack Coppin on the left flank were skinning their counterparts for pace and delivering ball after ball for Martin and Gomes in the middle, but despite their efforts at servicing Gomes for his first ever goal, a defensive foot, the woodwork, or the Kingstonian keeper thwarted him at every chance. Cremmen and the excellent Sam Kandalaft both went close from midfield and were also doing their best to break Gomes’ duck, but nothing gave, and when the Ks scored to level the game shortly before half-time the score line was somewhat bewildering.
Brockham enjoyed a positive half-time talk and came out relaxed and confident. Soon they took the lead again with a strike from Michael Cheeseman from a tight angle that deflected in off the keeper. Kandalaft then scored a stunning solo effort following a virtuoso run through the middle that saw him shimmy through three players with close control, incredible footwork, and a beautifully and intelligently placed finish.
Kingstonians countered and scored once again but Brockham were soon back on the offensive and forcing the Ks to retreat at every opportunity. A fourth to match the classiness of Martin’s and Kanadalft’s earlier efforts was put away by Cheeseman for his personal brace. Receiving the ball with his back to goal he flicked the ball up, rotated, and volleyed with his left from 20 yards out. The pace and precision of the strike were perfectly executed and the ball flew over the Kingstonian’s keeper and hit the back of the net as Cheeseman raised his arms and nodded his head Cantonaesque style to the applauding crowd.
Martin came on to replace Silver and for the final twenty minutes was joined by Sam Lloyd. Lloyd and Martin joined the Gomes assistance brigade but despite their best and numerous efforts the bobble of the ball, a yard short of contact, or a misjudged angle continued to deny him his day of glory.
Then, in the last minute, of the last game, of his last season for the team, the ball was whipped across goal where Gomes had at last timed his run to perfection. He struck it with his right, but it was hit directly at the keeper who saved with his face. The ball spun up and then down, hit the goal line and spun backwards towards goal from where a defender slid across and headed the ball back onto the post. There seemed a moment where time stood still and everything went silent, but instantly noise and mayhem surged to the fore as Gomes spun away from goal grinning like a Cheshire cat and the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the centre spot, determining the ball had indeed crossed the line before the defender met it – GOAL. Cue a second week’s finale of mayhem as Gomes was bundled to the ground by all and sundry. What a wonderful finish to their Brockham Badgers experience.
