Roffey Robins Athletic 1 - 4 Badgers U16A (Horsham and District B League)

Brockham Badgers U16As continued their good form with a comprehensive win over Roffey Robins Athletic in a game that was switched to Brockham’s Big Field  pitch due to waterlogging at Roffey.

Brockham were really in control of the game from the off, and only a 10 minute spell early in the second half saw Badgers forced on to the back foot for any part of the match.  Brockham took the lead in fortunate fashion on 15 minutes when a Stephen Kehl shot was deflected past the impressive opposition keeper to make it 1-0.  Badgers then pressed the Roffey defence for the rest of the half, chances falling to Aaron Clark, Will Bletso, Ollie Legg, and lad of the match Charlie Holmes who looked in fine form all day as some great long range shots narrowly evaded the Roffey goal.

The only surprise at half time was that Brockham had not scored more than the one goal, and Roffey came out fired up in the second half and took the game to Brockham.  Keeper Connor Mitchell was in his usual imperious form though, and with Jack Hunt down the right side making some crucial tackles and marauding runs forward, the Roffey spell of pressure was soon overcome.  Normal service then resumed with Brockham controlling the game, Clark making it 2-0 with 20 minutes to go as the game seemed to stand still allowing Clark to toe punt the ball past the Roffey keeper who seemed destined to stand between Brockham and a comfortable win with some fine saves. 

Clark however made the game safe with 10 minutes to go, and a great header 5 minutes from time from Clark from a pin point Legg free kick gave the Brockham striker a well deserved hattrick.  It seemed a bit harsh on Badgers when a penalty was awarded to Roffey in injury time, the Roffey captain blasting home the penalty with what turned out to be the final kick of the game, but the goal could not mask a very good Brockham performance that bodes well for the rest of the season.

Squad: Connor Mitchell, Henry Smith, Joe Parker, Tom Bletso (c), Jack Hunt, Ollie Smith, Mike Carty, Charlie Homes, Will Bletso, Aaron Clark, Stephen Kehl, Ollie Legg

Report by Bryan Bletso

North Holmwood Athletic 2 - 7 Badgers U16B (Horsham and District D League)

Badgers U16Bs made it 4 league games unbeaten with a good win at local rivals North Holmwood Athletic.  The win moves Badgers to 3rd in the league, and the team’s growing confidence was clear to see.


Last week, Brockham saw a 3-1 lead pegged back to 3-3 in the final moments of the game after the team had seemed destined to win, this week, Brockham made no mistake as they turned their advantage into an unassailable lead, strikers Dan Hoad and Ollie Curtis each notching a hattrick as the side made sure of the points


Squad:  Jack Whetnall, Elliott Austin, Dex Bass, Jonathan Bryer , Joshua Caldwell, Oliver Curtis , Daniel Hoad , Dhilen Patel , Max Ruff , James Stone , Jack Whetnall , Ben Wright , Josh Hook, Stefan Issberner,
Will Sprange

Report by Bryan Bletso

Epsom Eagles 4 - 4 Badgers U9A (Epsom and Ewell League Premier Division)

A fantastic performance by Brockham Badgers U9A saw them share the spoils with a very good Epsom Eagles side at Banstead on Saturday.

With all players available for the first time in a while Brockham were able to field a well balanced starting line up and boy did they start well.  Joseph Rabbetts was looking menacing up front with Will Timmons and Joss Hunt finding good space on either side, delivering some threatening balls for Rabbetts to run onto.  On three occasions in the first five minutes the Badgers went close with some gilt edged chances that only the keeper or the woodwork prevented from counting.

The Eagles were looking dangerous on the counter however, pouring players forward with a four man midfield and on one or two occasions showed what might come later if the backline of the imposing Edward Russ and George Wryde were not on their toes.  Whilst the black and whites looked most likely to break the deadlock it was in fact a counter by the Colts that drew first blood.  A well worked ball to the right was whipped in and finished by the Eagles forward to give them the lead.

Within minutes though Sam Church swept the ball right to Hunt who switched it to Timmons on the left.  Timmons put Rabbetts through who took a touch past the keeper with his left and passed the ball into the net with his right.  Game on.

The game was really opening up now.  Both teams were finding good space in wide positions and again Epsom made this count with a neat ball behind the Brockham defence which the Eagles midfielder ran onto and gave Matthew Chapman in goal no chance.  Moments before half-time the Badgers got the equaliser they deserved though.  Again Rabbetts was the goal scorer turning on a cross ball from Timmons behind him and lofting the ball into the roof of the net with his left and Timmons following the ball into the net to be sure.

In the second half Brockham still looked like the team to win it but two mistakes put them right on the back foot.  First a goal kick fell invitingly to the feet of the Eagles striker who drove at goal and made no mistake.  Then a loose ball forward by the Colts was not cleared and the gleeful Eagles runner was one on one with Chapman and took a confident finish.

With only five minutes to go the Brockham manager thought all their dominance would end with no reward but these eight year old battlers had different ideas.  Church put a ball out to the left for Timmons to run onto.  Timmons pinged a low level cross into the box and the poacher Rabbetts let fly with his favoured left.  Brockham were back in the game.  Archie Routleff came on for the bright Owen Knowles and quickly made an impact.  Winning the ball on the right he passed inside.  Church picked up the pass and played Rabbetts through.  Rabbetts had the chance to take on the last defender but instead found Timmons in space, who ran at the keeper and let fly for the leveller.

It was a great team effort and any number of the boys could have grabbed a winner.  They shall all take confidence and push on up the league following this performance.

Lad of the Match:  Edward Russ (Eduardo)

Report by Jason Rabbetts

Kirdford U10 A 2 - 2 Badgers U10A (South Surrey Boys League)

Snow gone, Christmas over, New Year in full swing and so back to the football!

Badgers went to Kirdford ready to continue where they left off in 2010.

It was a difficult first ten minutes for Brockham as they weren't ready for Kirdford's fast start and physical commitment.  They were overrun and out of sorts early on.  Things started to change when Adam Bower won a free-kick after some tenacious harrying and sharp running saw him begin to have an impact on the game.  Adam was trying to thread balls through to his partner up front and was only inches away from splitting the opposing defence.

Morgan Hamilton was beginning to find traction from his deep position and made some powerful surges down the right flank that drew studs and lunges from the opposition.  Even so Badgers didn't really create too much of note and seemed unable to get a grip of the game.

Kirdford had gone close with a corner or two that the high winds swept in to the goal mouth and eventually scored a neat curling chip that took the Badgers' defence and keeper by surprise.

Half-Time: Kirdford 1 Brockham Badgers 0

The second half saw Oliver Yeates, Morgan and Ezra begin to work together.  This trinity was soon in full flow and Kirdford were now finding it difficult to get out of their own half.  But…

When they did Henry Lucas snuffed out every sign of danger whilst Joe Allen combined his great strength with composure and a right foot that gets sweeter every week.  These two boys were an exceptional unit for Brockham, allowing the lads in front of them to play their football.  Joe's distribution was better than a newspaper boy expecting a Christmas tip.  And one dad remarked of Henry, "It's like there's a magnet attaching the ball to his foot."

Brockham's goals eventually came from similar crossed balls that led to Kirdford's goal.  Morgan guiding one in from the left and Oliver Yeates, not to be outdone, sweeping one in from the right.

Jack Duncan made a couple of exceptional saves to the applause of the watching fans and admiration of his team mates.  He kept the Badgers' noses in front in a frantic final 5 minutes that seemed to last an eternity…

Toby Evans and Oliver Quigley played their parts well.  Toby had a fantastic game.  He was always in the right position, closed down the opposition, was committed in the tackle, never gave up and passed well.  Oliver worked hard for the team and showed some great moments of vision that we've been lucky enough to witness all season.

With the game seeming to be a 2-1 win a lapse of concentration (of the kind you can't avoid when you're up later than is usually allowed) saw Kirdford steal a goal at the end for a 2-2 draw.

Final Score: Kirdford 2 Brockham Badgers 2

Man of the Match: Joe Allen (the living definition of the 'Libero' position, Franco Baresi but with more class)

  

Squad: Henry Lucas, Jack Duncan, Joe Allen, Oliver Quigley, Toby Evans, Oliver Yeates, Morgan Hamilton, Ezra Charles and Adam Bower

Report by Jason Charles

Badgers U16A 2 - 2 Steyning Strikers; Badgers U16B 3 - 3 North Holmwood Utd (Horsham & District League)

Brockham's U16 squads will both be wondering how they let  wins slip from their grasp  this weekend as the U16A and Bs somehow contrived to draw games that looked won with just a few minutes to go.

The U16As put in one of their best displays of the season against Steyning, bossing the match  from start to finish, only to see  a goal 2 minutes from time grabbing Steyning an unlikely point.

Brockham had taken the lead within 20 seconds, Aaron Clark opportunistically shooting from distance and catching the visiting keeper unprepared. It looked a matter of time before Brockham extended their lead, but a quickly taken free kick on the half hour mark caught the Brockham defence cold and a good finish made it 1-1

All square at half time, Brockham came out fired up in the second half. Badgers were creating chance after chance, lad of the match Henry Hill hitting the post after one fine run, but at long last brockham did regain the lead with 15 minutes to go, Clark poking the ball home from close range to make it 2-1.

Steyning pushed up in search of an equaliser, but Connor Mitchell was rarely threatened in the Brockham goal and it was Badgers who looked more likely to kill the game

However,  with 2 minutes to go a long ball down field saw Steyning force the ball home.

The draw masked a good team performance from the U16As, and with plenty more games to go this season, the overall play bodes well for the team.

Squad:  Connor Mitchell, Henry Smith, Joe Parker, Tom Bletso (c), Jack Hunt, Ollie Smith, Charlie Holmes, Will Bletso, Henry Hill, Stephen Kehl, Aaron Clark, Michael Carty

The U16Bs drew against North Holmwood Utd after leading 3-0 at half time. Despite starting slowly, Ollie Curtis scored with a good finish after 15 minutes, and further goals from Curtis and lad of the match Elliott Austin made it 3-0 at the interval

North Holmwood scored early in the second half, but with 5 minutes to go, the game looked to have been secured by Badgers. But North Holmwood had other ideas, scoring twice in the final few minutes to grab a draw.


Reports by Bryan Bletso

Sheen Lions 3 - 1 Badgers U15A (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Badgers U15A went to Sheen Lions hoping for their first points of 2011 and in the process, to avenge a 3-1 defeat to the same side in the home fixture.

For large parts of the first half, this looked likely as the Badgers strung some good passing moves together and gained a slight upper hand in the midfield, enabling George Coffey in particular to engineer some good shooting opportunities for himself and teammates, but the end product was not quite enough.

Sheen possess some quick, skilfull players especially in attack, and they snatched the lead against the run of play just before the break, a smart finish from a tight angle giving stand-in keeper Chris Brooks no chance. This was hard on Brockham's usual centre forward, who earlier had shown his talent in the green jersey with an agile tip over the bar and some commanding sorties off his line.

The second half continued in a similar vein, with Josh Brown back to his combative best down the left flank, Mike Richardson and Harvey Mewis battling well in midfield and Coffey increasingly influential through the middle, holding the ball up well but never afraid to take on the Sheen defence with the ball at his feet. Just when it seemed Brockham were getting back on terms, the home side doubled their lead when allowed too much space in the box, and before long the game was out of reach with a third goal, once again the result of some slack defending.

Frustratingly, Harvey Mewis then found the net with a beautifully placed shot into the top corner to show what Badgers are capable of when they take their chances, but there was no time to reduce the arrears any further and the game ended 3-1 to the Lions.  


Report by Bryan Bletso

Elm Grove Colts 2 - 1 Badgers U14A (Surrey FA County Cup)

Brockham Badgers U14s missed the opportunity to go into the final eight of the Surrey FA County Cup following a 2-1 defeat to Elm Grove Colts of Hersham.  Brockham had far more possession and a sack full of chances, but just couldn’t make it count.

Things looked encouraging early on with the ball being worked well down both flanks and some half chances for Jordan Martin and Joe Silver suggesting goals would come aplenty.  The Badgers conceded though after twenty minutes, against the run of play, when a decision could have gone either way with the ball seemingly in both hands of keeper James Rabbetts and simultaneously on the end of the toe of a Colt striker.  The Badgers immediately levelled from Silver however when he met a cross ball from Martin on the left and cheekily back- heeled it in at the far post.  Tekkers!

Brockham were further imposing themselves now.  The back line looked composed and the power of Justin Tarrant in midfield was disconcerting for the hosts.  On three of four occasions the frontline of Alex Flint, Silver, and Martin were in on goal only for their eye for goal to let them down at the crucial moment.

For Elm Grove to go into half-time one up was a disappointment, but the manner of the goal took the wind out of the sails of even the staunchest supporter.  A cross come shot was speculatively hit from the Colts left some twenty yards out.  As it left the players boot it marginally caught a defending Badgers shin pad and spun high in the air catching Rabbetts off his line and dropping in under the cross bar despite his admirable effort to back pedal and get two hands to the dropping ball.

Oscar Cremmen and Lewis Wood came on at half time to form a five man field and Luc Jhugroo dropped into a back three.  The Badgers were confident they could turn it around and hit the Colts with real intent throughout the second half.  Martin took on the left back, cut inside and let fly with his right to see his shot go over.  Simon Vakeva-Baird put in two or three good balls from the left flank that either were cleared in desperate goal mouth scrambles or marginally too  close to the keeper, and Wood did all the hard work when he shimmied his way through the Colts defence and let fly straight at the keeper.

The Colts hung on though, their spirit buoyed by every minute that ticked by and the teamwork and hard work for each other was to be admired.  It just didn’t happen for the Badgers and will just have to be put down to one of those days. 

Report by Jason Rabbetts

Badgers U15A 0 - 3 Sandgate U15 (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Brockham Badgers U15As played their first game since 21st November due to the prolonged adverse weather, and were pleased to get back to league action, albeit courtesy of a delayed kick off as both teams sought to get the game played despite a heavy overnight frost.

Illness had struck in the Badgers camp and manager Simon Coffey was forced to name a bare 11 with no subs, calling up keeper Tom Wells into the squad and full back Ross Bangs into the team, both of whom did well against a strong Sandgate side boasting a full complement of subs and arriving at the Big Field in third spot in the league.

Brockham started well, and were a match for Sandgate in an evenly contested first half. Sandgate had more possession, but Wells' goal was rarely directly threatened as centre back pairing Matt Higgins and Will Bletso had one of their best games of the season to keep a dangerous Sandgate attack at bay. Brockham were creating a few chances of their own, with Chris Brooks always seeking to make the most of his pace in attack with George Coffey.

Sandgate scored early in the second half, and were in the ascendency, midfielders Mike Richardson and Ollie Winter battling to turn the tide in midfield as Will Mahony,  the Brockham defence and Tom Wells worked hard to keep Brockham in the game. Brockham's main escape was by way of their wide players Harry Ramsey and Harvey Mewis, but with Ramsey playing through an injury picked up with half an hour to go, Brockham's chances were further reduced.

Two late goals slightly flattered the visitors as Brockham's 11 players tired, but Brooks almost pulled back a consolation with an inventive run late on. Sandgate were worthy winners, but Badgers will expect more when back to full strength and when back in the rhythm of the season.

Squad: Tom Wells, Ross Bangs, Will Mahoney, Matt Higgins (c), Will Bletso, Ollie Winter, Mike Richardson, Harry Ramsey, Chris Brooks, George Coffey, Harvey Mewis.


Report by Bryan Bletso

Brockham Badgers U9A 1 - 6 AFC Wimbledon (Epsom & Ewell League Premier Division)

AFC Wimbledon are the league leaders and Brockham would need a stellar performance to get any points from this game. Brockham were immediately under pressure but defended well before gifting a soft goal to Wimbledon. Matthew Chapman, in goal for Brockham, performed some marvellous saves to keep Brockham in the game. Brockham responded well to the pressure winning a corner and counter attacking with Sam Church forcing a good save by the Wimbledon keeper. On the break again Ed Russ crossed the ball to Joe Rabbetts  who finished perfectly, 1 – 1. Wimbledon immediately came back and hit the post twice but Brockham counter attacked again with Will Timmons forcing a good save just before half time.

Brockham came out for the second half positively but were not as organised as in the first half and soon found themselves the victim of a goal surge by Wimbledon. Before they knew it Brockham were 1-3 down and their heads dropped which made matters worse. Sam Church and Matthew Chapman battled hard for Brockham but that was not enough and Brockham conceded 5 goals in the second half. Brockham’s first half performance was inspired but they need to be able to maintain that level of performance throughout the game to have any hope of taking points from teams of Wimbledon’s calibre.

  

Man of the Match: Sam Church

  

Report by Rick Russ

Brockham Badgers U14A 4 - 1 Warlingham Colts (Surrey County Cup R3)

A convincing win and a terrific football performance gave much succour to Brockham Badgers U14A after a dismal run of results and the victory saw them through to the 4^th round of the Surrey FA County Cup for the first time.

The fixture with Warlingham Colts had been on and off all week.  The wintery conditions had meant no football for two weeks for most Surrey youth teams and the snow’s icy stubbornness forced MVDC’s hands on Friday, calling off all matches at the Big Field this weekend.  A quick switch to Brockham Recreation Ground and a sudden thaw however meant it was game on.

Brockham looked the better side from the start, but as seems their way this season, they inexplicably conceded in the first few minutes from a corner that dropped onto the cross bar and fell invitingly to the head of a Colt.

There was an air of calm confidence in the Badgers team this week though, and they dominated possession for much of the ensuing half.  This was built from the back where captain Simon Vakeva-Baird was a tower of positive inspiration with both Justin Tarrant and Tom Hampshire proving imperious partners for him in a physically intimidating back three.

Midfield controlled play and built a series of surging runs through the middle and out wide, in particular to their left where Jack Coppin was demonstrating his quick feet skills and devastating pace to good effect, on two occasions going very close to scoring when one on one with the Warlingham keeper.

Pace was definitely the weapon of choice and when Jordan Martin got in behind the Colts back line and ran onto a killer ball from Flint it was only a matter of placing the ball either side of the keeper to level the game.  Having opened his body superbly however the ball somehow went wide.  Martin and Flint went close again before half-time when only the heavens had any idea how Brockham were a goal behind.

It was all out power and pace for the second half with the introduction of Joe Silver up front and Martin moving right to support the pace of Coppin on both flanks.  Within minutes of the start Silver, who had been itching to get on, subtly poked the leveller in.  Five minutes later he had his second with a deft lift over the keeper.  Coppin then joined him with a superbly taken two touch finish on the end of a free kick from Tarrant, making it 3-1 to the Badgers.

Silver thought he had his hat-trick after pinching the ball from the toes of Tarrant following his powerful run from defence which parted the Warlingham team like the Red Sea, but Silver’s cheekiness was ruled out for off-side.  Another through ball provided Silver with his just rewards though.  He powered past two Warlingham defenders and passed the ball into the net for his trio of goals in thirty minutes.

Lad of the Match:  Tom Hampshire

Report by Jason Rabbetts