Nine years of hard work were rewarded on Sunday when Brockham Badgers U16A bagged themselves some silverware with a 2-1 extra time victory over Kew Association Youth in the Surrey Youth League Invitation League Cup. It had everything you’d expect from a classic cup encounter including spectacular weather, thrilling end to end football, a penalty, and a last minute winning goal.
Luc Jhugroo opened the scoring for the Badgers on seven minutes when he rose majestically to meet a Michael Cheeseman corner and powerfully headed into the back of the Kew net. Brockham then settled down and dominated much of the play for a large part of the first half with Sam Kandalaft having the best of the opportunities to score with a wonderfully struck volley from just outside the box that went only inches wide of the upright.
James Rabbetts in goal and his back four of Oli Gout, Jhugroo, Simon Vakeva-Baird, and Alex Bevis looked rock solid and both Jordan Martin and Joe Silver gave great width and balance on either wing, at times terrorising the Kew full backs with their devastating pace. Most credit in the first half should go to the trio of Sam Lloyd, Lewis Wood, and Kandalaft who didn’t give the Kew team a second’s peace, time, or space, and did much to create some of Brockham’s best passages of play with Wood himself threatening to score with a long range effort.
The second half ebbed and flowed and Kew came back into the game more as they pressed for an equaliser. After fifteen minutes Kandalaft was spent and Chris Parsons came into midfield to shore things up with fresh legs. Lewis Wood was relieved of his midfield duties shortly afterwards and the creative Oscar Cremmen entered the fray. The substitutes did well and had much to contribute to the rest of the game but the unexpected process of two substitutions in quick succession disrupted Brockham’s rhythm a little and Kew capitalised. They broke down the right and put in an awkward cross along the line of the Brockham defence. Parsons did excellently to twist and reach the ball with a defensive header but its flight took into the path of the advancing Kew striker who tucked it past Rabbetts to level the game.
The game was finely balanced for much of the second half. Brockham were relaxed, and the pressure was very much on the league champions from Kew. George Gomes and Jack Coppin came on to freshen things up, with Silver and Cheeseman coming off for a well-deserved rest. Gomes made an immediate impact with a lovely instinctive volley from the D that flashed inches wide of the left upright, and Cremmen became more influential in the game with some telling play making passes into the Brockham front line.
But it was Kew that carved a golden opportunity to snatch it. Gout had been in spectacular form all season and in this game it was no different, but with his legs tiring on the rock hard pitch and in the hot sunshine, and with the pace of a fresh-legged striker advancing once again down Kew’s right he made a challenge for the ball that was adjudged to be a foul and inside the Brockham area. Penalty.
Rabbetts stood tall and waved his arms to fill what he could of the goal. The Ashford Town stadium fell into a deadly silence as both sets of supporters held their breaths in hope of a counter outcome. Kew stepped up, struck the ball hard, beat Rabbetts’ lunge but the ball went high, hit the cross bar and rebounded out into open play. A desperate rush for the ball ensued with Brockham coming away with it and clearing to safety. When the referee blew for the end of full time Brockham felt luck might just be on their side.
Two halves of ten minutes played out with Brockham displaying the better football. They looked more purposeful and the most likely to score, the industrious Sam Lloyd almost winning it with a lobbed effort that had the Kew keeper back pedalling before touching the ball onto the crossbar and over for a corner. As the clock wound down the Brockham management team started to mentally note who needed to be on the pitch for penalties and brought Cheeseman back into the game for Gout who was crocked and out on his feet. Cremmen slotted into Gout’s left-back position, Coppin came into midfield from wide left, whilst Martin, Cheeseman, and Silver took up their starting berths in a three man front line.
Then, with two minutes to play, the Kew keeper sent a long goal kick down field. The imperious Vakeva-Baird advanced from defence and met it under pressure from Kew’s midfield. The nod down fell to Martin who scampered two paces forward and weighted a lofted ball from the centre right into the path of Cheeseman who’d timed his run to perfection and beat the Kew off-side. Cheeseman took one touch, ran onto to the ball and let fly with his left past the advancing Kew keeper. The ball seemed to take an eternity to cross the line before nestling in the back of the net. Queue Brockham celebration and mayhem.
The last ninety seconds were tense, but Brockham saw the game out and took the victory. It was a fitting end to many of the boys’ and coaches’ time at Brockham Badgers Football Club.
