Brockham Badgers U16A 2 - 0 Wandgas Youth; Wandgas Youth 3 - 3 Brockham Badgers U16A

All sixteen of Brockham’s U16A squad played their part in a double-header fixture versus Wandgas Youth at the Big Field this Sunday.  Both games proved to be enthralling duels with a competitive edge that brought an exciting end to a wet and cold week.

In the first match Brockham took the three points but it was not without a sturdy challenge from the Gas.  The first half decided the game but possession was a close affair throughout.  Both keepers did well to keep offensive chances at bay and an excellent save from Dorking boy Tom Francis playing between the sticks for Wandgas prevented Michael Cheeseman from snatching the best of the early chances following a swaggering rush through the Gas’s back line.

It was a spark of inspiration from Sam Kandalaft that broke the deadlock.  His quick feet are mesmerising at times and having turned one way then the other to pass his midfield marker, he dropped a shoulder and rolled the ball left and right to make his way past two more challenges before slotting the ball home just inside the upright from ten yards.  If it weren’t for a spot of knee bother and a lot of competition for midfield places he’d be a shoe-in to play all match, every match.

Joe Silver has been an inspiration since grabbing the chance to establish himself as a regular starter following the suspension and injury of Jordan Martin that has made the latter unavailable for the best part of 2013.  Silver’s first touch has improved and the sight of him running at pace with the ball must strike fear into any defender.  It was just rewards for his efforts that he netted directly from a corner just before half time to make it two goals for Brockham, a score-line that held for the remainder of the match despite some close efforts by both teams and four changes to the Brockham line up.

The second match was a different affair with Wandgas reversing the advantage.  The Badgers found themselves two goals down within fifteen minutes.  The boys could have felt hard done by having had the linesman’s flag for offside against Wandgas overruled by the referee for the first, and the second goal coming from a deflection off the referee’s back that looped the ball over the Brockham defensive line and into the path of the Gas striker to tuck into the net beyond a flabbergasted James Rabbetts in goal.

Brockham’s spirit has been better this season though.  An inspired substitution saw team captain Sam Lloyd re-join the fray and within minutes his guile and menace in midfield had won the ball and allowed him to drive purposefully towards goal from where he delivered an inch perfect ball from wide left of the penalty area for Cheeseman to bury and bring the black and whites back into the game.  Captain Courageous did it again five minutes later with an almost identical goal that Cheeseman collected gratefully once more from Lloyd’s excellent assist.

With the second game drawn 2-2 at half-time and Brockham on the rise it looked as if there would be only one winner in the second period.  Martin had two goals disallowed, one for off-side and the other for an innocuous foul.  George Gomes thought he’d scored his first of the season for it to be ruled out again by a marginal off-side decision, whilst Silver shot wide of an open net, and both Martin and Cheeseman were thwarted by an inspired Francis in the Wandgas goal.

The Gas had other ideas though.  At the start of the second half they had put their pacey number ten to the right of a three man attack and despite Brockham’s numerous chances he was causing Brockham’s left side all sorts of problems.  Francis had clearly been instructed to hit the right channel from goal kicks and Brockham had several warnings when the number ten had almost been put in on goal two or three times.  He didn’t need asking a fourth time.  A lofted goal kick into the right channel was knocked on over the Brockham back line to where the Gas striker outpaced his pursuers and buried it past an advancing Rabbetts.

Brockham couldn’t believe they’d gone behind again, and there was a five minute spell where they could have lost their confidence and discipline.  Instead they kept going and levelled the game with an almost identical goal that started with Rabbetts, was picked up and layed off by Gomes, and finished by Martin who ran away from his marker and rounded Francis.

With ten minutes to go and the momentum with the Badgers it might have been supposed that Wandgas would have been wishing the time away.  Instead it was Brockham craving the point by the end with Wandgas going close on three occasions, the first going inches wide, a forced spill from Rabbetts being sliced wastefully across goal when it seemed easier to pass it in the net, and a long range cracker ricocheting off the Brockham crossbar.

Man of the Match:  Sam Lloyd

Old Coulsdon Colts 2 - 4 Brockham Badgers U11A

Brockham Badgers U11A are still in search of the illusive clean sheet this season but a strong performance was enough to claim all three points away to Old Coulsdon Colts.

The majority of the first half was a close affair with Coulsdon pressing at every attempt and Brockham struggling to find time or space to play out and mount any significant offensive threats.  Some positional experimentation was not paying dividends so Brockham switched to their familiar formation after fifteen minutes and took the lead shortly afterwards.  Louie Darlington played a nice ball into the feet of George Wryde who dragged the ball past his marker and ran at goal finishing confidently with his left.

Coulsdon continued to press and harry though and enthusiastically chased down second balls, pinning Brockham back and asking questions of Brockham’s defence.  The Badgers stood the test well with particularly impressive performances from Lilly Turner and Luke Page and it was only a dead ball set piece that got the Colts back into the game.  Their determined pressure forced a corner which was delivered superbly to the back post where it was buried with a powerful header and a well-timed run.

The second half required more composure and a focus on possession from Brockham.  This was executed well in parts and contributed to an early second period goal from the rumbustious Wryde.  He swaggered onto another lovely through ball from Darlington and muscled his way past his marker.  Each stride at stunning pace gained him a little distance but he still had a lot to do to put the ball past an on-rushing Coulsdon keeper.  The finish was so accurate it defied the angle, rocketed into the only passage it could past the keeper and going in off the foot of the upright.

Brockham were up and running now and shortly afterwards made it three goals to one with a fabulously executed volley from Conor Boniface who let the ball drop over his shoulder from an Owen Knowles throw into the Coulsdon area.  Simple but perfectly effected.

Couldon then got themselves back into the game with an amazing strike from distance.  Brockham’s defence had cleared the ball to the relative safety of midfield and just short of the half way line.  The Colts were again first to the ball and from nowhere their midfielder struck it so sweetly and with such precision that the ball flew off his foot 25 yards out and never rose or fell from four inches off the glass from the moment it left his foot until ballooning the net just inside the post and out of reach of Huw Morgan in goal.  One of those goals you just had to applaud.

The Badgers returned parity five minutes later and put the game beyond the Colts when Harrison Watts played a channel ball down the right to Callum Holder.  Holder edged his marker for pace, nipped the ball around him, ran at goal from a wide angle and drove a fierce shot over the Coulsdon keeper.

Man of the Match: George Wryde

Westcott 1935 Youth 2 - 2 Brockham Badgers U16A

A highly competitive match between local rivals Westcott 1935 Youth and Brockham Badgers U16A resulted in a fair draw.

It was less of the cliché game of two halves and more of a game of identical halves.  Two goals in the opening minutes of each half, one for each team, were all the highlights of a scrappy match compromised by conditions and opposing playing styles.

Oscar Cremmen opened the scoring for the Badgers with a poke in from short range following a goal mouth scramble from Sam Lloyd’s early corner in the first two minutes.  This was then immediately countered by a fine strike from 15 yards out by Westcott.  A ball through the middle was well intercepted by Luc Jhugroo but a strong challenge forced him to the floor.  With the defence out of position Westcott took advantage, Dan Huggins picking up the game and hitting the ball across goal with his right and into the side netting.

The remainder of the second half was an uninspiring spectacle.  Conditions made any hope of free flowing football difficult and Westcott’s natural second ball game, whilst effective, didn’t give the spectator much of a thrill.  There were some strongly contested tackles and the odd dangerous set piece from both teams but the half time whistle was a welcome break in a battle of attrition.

The second half started just as the first had begun.  Brockham scored in the first two minutes from the penalty spot after Jordan Martin’s chasing of a lost ball ended with him being grounded by the Westcott keeper.  Captain Lloyd stepped up and placed a perfect penalty kick just inside the post.

Westcott immediately replied.  Charlie Clarke chased down a fifty-fifty ball in a race with James Rabbetts in the Brockham goal.  Both players met the ball at the same time but it popped loose and Clarke chipped it into the goal from distance despite a valiant effort from Simon Vakeva-Baird to make a last ditched attempt of clearing off the line.

The balance of the game then resumed very much the same script as the first half.  Long and high balls, knock downs, battles for the second ball, and neither team really asserting any great advantage.

Man of the Match:  Oliver Gout

Brockham Badgers U16A 3 - 1 Sheen Lions; Sheen Lions 0 - 2 Brockham Badgers U16A

Brockham Badgers U16A secured six vital points in their pursuit of the Surrey Youth League Division 1 title this weekend in a double header versus Sheen Lions at a wet and muddy Big Field.

A backlog of fixtures as a result of the winter weather and two good cup runs meant Brockham had the tricky challenge of two back to back matches in one day.  This really was a six pointer.  Both Sheen and Brockham are chasing the title and an advantage to either after this weekend would have a strong influence on the outcome of the season.

Brockham had a dream start to the first match scoring within five minutes when Joe Silver crossed a ball from the right which Cheeseman slid in to connect with.  His strike rebounded off the keeper to Jack Coppin who passed the ball into the back of the net from six yards out.

In confident mood the Badgers controlled the first half from then on in with the back five in particularly organised and dangerous form, passing out from defence and building attacks.  This defensive control helped take Brockham into the break two to the good with some attractive football and the most impressive goal of the game.  A short ball from Vakeva-Baird in central defence was received by Oscar Cremmen in the centre of midfield.  His incisive pass between full back and centre half set Coppin off on a run down the left from where he pinged a dangerous cross between Sheen’s penalty spot and six yard box.  Cheeseman timed his run magnificently and slammed the ball in first time.

Sheen caught Brockham napping early in the second period following a lofted ball over the Badgers’ rear guard.  James Rabbetts rushed out of his area and met the ball with a brave guided header to his full back but it was intercepted and the Sheen striker guided the ball over a retreating Rabbetts giving him no chance.

Brockham were not to be distracted though.  They continued to dominate possession and frustrated the visitors with some excellent teamwork extinguishing threats at will across the park.  Cheeseman added his second of the game and took the result beyond Sheen with ten minutes to play with a solo effort that saw him chase down a lost ball that was odds on to be gathered by the keeper.  His urgency and enthusiasm caught the Sheen keeper by surprise and forced a fumble which was then followed by a scrambled tackle from a Sheen defender that turned into an assist for Cheeseman who poked the ball across the line from short range.  Brockham had their first three points of the day.

Fresh legs came into midfield for the second game with the impressive Lewis Wood and Sam Lloyd being relieved of midfield duties by George Gomes and Sam Kandalaft.  Both were very able deputies.  Gomes broke up play at will and Kandalaft’s quick feet and silky ball skills sucked in tackle after committed tackle, opening space for himself to play.

Sheen were not to be underestimated though.  They came at the Badgers determined not to roll over and concede another three points easily.  If it weren’t for some heroic goalkeeping by Rabbetts the first half of this second game could have swung Sheen’s way.  Several excellent decisions to come off his line, a tip over from under the bar, and an incredible dive low down to his left to palm away a certain headed goal from a Sheen corner, were all commended by the gathered spectators.

After fifteen minutes it was Brockham who struck again however.  Gomes found Coppin who ran on ten yards at the Sheen back line before threading a through ball down the centre for Cheeseman to chase.  Cheeseman shrugged off a challenge and placed his finish around the keeper impressively with his weaker right foot.

Five minutes later Brockham scored a second.  Kandalaft’s maestro skills bought him a yard in midfield from where he played a slide rule pass behind the Sheen back line for Coppin to pick up and run at goal.  From twenty yards out he curled an absolute beauty of a strike over the Sheen keeper and into the top far right corner of the goal.

Brockham shut down the game from there on in.  Organised and in control they continued to snuff out any attacks and retain possession with great maturity.  A good weekend’s work made up for the miserable conditions.

Man of the Match:  James Rabbetts

Brockham Badgers U16A 2 - 0 Epsom & Ewell Colts

Brockham Badgers U16A were in complete control throughout this match but equally struggled to make it count, and arguably could have found themselves in a spot of bother had James Rabbetts not had one of his best days in goal.

The Badgers never really got out of third gear to notch an important three points towards their title challenge, but it wasn’t a case of cruising to victory, more one of those games where they managed to get away without having to put in as much as they should have.  Other than a couple of frights when Epsom & Ewell got in behind Brockham’s defensive line and challenged Rabbetts the first half was a dull affair when Brockham failed to press their obvious quality into any advantage.

Joe Silver and Jack Coppin were always a menacing threat on either flank but didn’t challenge their opposite numbers as much as they might, but when given the opportunity their runs would draw the Colts defence to them and open up space for Michael Cheesman and Sam Lloyd through the middle.

It was a ball down the Colts’ flank that opened the opportunity for Brockham’s first goal in the early minutes of the second half.  The ball was put out for a corner which Silver stepped up to take instead of the nominated Lloyd.  Silver’s delivery wasn’t exactly copy book but to his credit he got an assist when the Colts defence failed to clear the danger and Cheeseman poked in his thirteenth competitive goal of the season from close range.

Injuries ravaged Brockham’s balance after that with Chris Parsons, Simon Vakeva-Baird, and Sam Lloyd all having to come off.  Brockham’s back line, particularly Luc Jhugroo, kept themselves well organised however, and Rabbetts built further confidence with another important save when it seemed easier to score.

From his save he punted a direct ball down the throat of the Colts’ centre backs.  Silver’s pace got him there first from where he placed a first touch ball behind Epsom & Ewell’s defensive line for Lloyd to run onto.  Lloyd still had a fair bit to do, shrugging off a strong challenge, but impressively finished by calmly passing the ball into the net from fifteen yards out.

Brockham eased back into their comfort zone again and saw the game out.

Man of the Match: Sam Lloyd

Sutton United 2 (0) - 0 (0) Brockham Badgers U11A

It took extra time for Sutton United to knock Brockham Badgers U11A out of the Epsom & Ewell League Cup with a goal in either half of the extra period.

Brockham put in an excellent performance to hold Sutton to a blank draw by half time, with the defence holding firm and a superb day’s work for Huw Morgan in goal making two or three key saves in the early minutes.  Sutton edged the first half but were not having it all their own way as Callum Holder came close to snatching the lead five minutes before half time when he was put in one on one with the keeper following an excellent through ball from Connor Boniface in central midfield.

Brockham took the game to Sutton in the second half, edging possession and having more chances on goal than their opponents, pressing high up the pitch and keeping most of the game in Sutton’s half.  George Wryde was a pillar of strength in the lone striker’s role, bossing his marker and holding the ball up well to bring his supporting midfield into play to good effect, whilst Brockham’s defence was excellent when called upon with Owen Knowles and Sam Church deserving particular accolade. 

When the referee blew for full time it was Sutton who looked the more worried, but it was still very tight and either team just needed a little bit of luck in front of goal that had eluded both sides when it counted in normal time.

Unfortunately for the Badgers it was Sutton that got the break.  A strong strike at goal from the right was well saved by Morgan but the parried ball fell just out of his reach.  The fast approaching striker looked odds on to bury it but somehow Church was there to compete for the first touch.  It seemed Church had done a magnificent job in sliding the ball out of play for a corner, but after consulting his lineman the referee determined the ball had crossed the line and gone through the side netting before appearing behind the goal’s left hand post.

The Kiln Lane boys felt a little hard done by but got their chins up and held the one goal deficit into the second period of extra time.  With two minutes to go however Sutton buried an impressive goal when a quality cross from their right pitched over Morgan and dropped for their striker to slam into the roof of the Brockham net from close range.

The Brockham lads were disappointed but their performance merited more and there was nobody debating whether they had matched their opponents throughout.

Men of the Match:  Sam Church and Owen Knowles

Kew Association Youth 3 - 3 Brockham Badgers U16A

League leaders and fellow league cup finalists Kew Association hosted Brockham Badgers U16A in an enthralling match then ended with the points shared and three goals apiece, Brockham bossing the first half and Kew the second half.

The Badgers got off the mark early with a goal on five minutes from Michael Cheeseman.  Simon Vakeva-Baird won the ball in midfield, played a ten yard pass to captain Sam Lloyd who quickly passed it on to Cheeseman who clipped it first time beyond the Kew keeper’s stretching dive.

Brockham continued to press their advantage with some good passing football throughout the team and some excellent defensive contributions from all, particularly wide players Joe Silver and Jack Coppin.  Kew were all at sea and when Chris Parsons lofted an intelligent free kick from 40 yards out into a dangerous area on Kew’s penalty spot Vakeva-Baird was on the move.  Using his height advantage he directed a header beyond the Kew keeper for the black and white’s second, an advantage they took into the break.

Kew came out of the blocks early and set the tone for the second half when they scored just two minutes in.  Brockham however responded immediately from the restart with a ball into the right channel which was chased down by Silver.  Using his pace he beat first one and then a second Kew player before driving a low ball from a wide position a yard out from the goal line and across the goal mouth.  Kew defenders were still adjusting their body positions from running at goal and the ball flew off an outstretched defensive leg and into the Kew net to give Brockham back their two goal lead.

Kew were a different team in the second half.  They kept the ball better, their offensive work was more direct, and they pressed the ball higher up the pitch.  This put Brockham on the back foot and if it weren’t for some good defensive work Kew could have snatched another.

Two forced substitutions for Brockham upset the balance of the team a little and Kew took advantage as the black and whites adjusted. A ball came in from Kew’s left channel and zipped across goal where it fell to a Kew striker.  He still had to do a lot from a tight angle but didn’t hesitate in striking a superb first time rocket across goal and into the top left corner of the Badgers’ net.

Brockham fashioned one or two opportunities and Kew should have been reduced to ten men after a horrific late challenge on Cheeseman who spun a full 360 degrees in the air, but only a yellow was produced.  It was on the run of play however that Kew snatched their equaliser.  It was a scrappy goal that Brockham should have dealt with better.  Following a double save from Rabbetts the ball fell to a Kew player 10 yards out.  The Badgers were slow to respond and he poked the ball away unchallenged.

Rabbetts made a world class save in the dying minutes to save a point for Brockham and enable Brockham to see the game out for a fair result given the dominance of each team in respective halves.

Man of the match:  Joe Silver

Brockham Badgers U16A 0 - 4 Westcott 1935 Youth

Westcott exacted revenge on Brockham’s drubbing of them in the cup with an emphatic 4-0 victory in the league this Sunday at the Big Field.  Brockham dominated possession for large parts of the game but it was Westcott that proved more clinical in front of goal.

The Badgers started brightly enough, keeping the ball well and fashioning one or two chances in the first twenty minutes that suggested they would ultimately edge the game.  Simon Vakeva-Baird went close with a header from a Joe Silver corner that flashed just wide of goal, and Silver was himself denied by an excellent reaction save from Eddie Elster in the Westcott goal from close range.

Brockham were racked with injuries and absentees.  Both their pacey wingers missing and the influential Lewis Wood in midfield side lined along with the versatile and equally pacey Alex Bevis.  So when Sam Kandalaft signalled to come off feeling sick and Silver starting to complain of a tight hamstring it looked like it might be one of those days with only Luke Brightman to bring on from the bench.  When Westcott then pounced on a loose ball that had been cleared by Vakeva-Baird from a cross, and nailed it to the back of James Rabbetts net to take the lead, things went from bad to worse.

To their credit Westcott had one or two influential players missing themselves, but galvanised by their goal they now started to press forward in high areas down both flanks.  Without Jack Coppin and Jordan Martin to keep the Westcott full-backs quiet they both started to influence the game, particularly on their left where George Gomes was often two on one and struggling to keep up with a rampant Roo Campbell.

Without the width and pace that Martin and Coppin would normally offer Brockham had hoped to use their technical ability to maintain possession and work the ball through the middle more effectively or deliver early balls behind the Westcott back line from channels.  Unfortunately, once behind, the Badgers lost a little composure and passes started to be missed and possession surrendered too cheaply.

Brockham gathered themselves again though in the early part of the second half, again opening up two good chances for Michael Cheeseman and the excellent Oscar Cremmen, who along with Sam Lloyd was leading by example.  Westcott delivered a succour punch however with a tricky run through the centre that went uncontested by three half-hearted challenges and then a simple delivery behind the Brockham back line to expose Rabbetts one on one with the Westcott striker who finished with ease.

Brockham now started to play with too much haste and panic.  The sick Kandalft had to come back on for Silver, whose hamstring had now virtually immobilised him, and when Silver had to re-enter the fray ten minutes later for Brightman who pulled a groin, Brockham were virtually playing with ten men.  Needing to chase the game and adjust for injuries the Badgers switched to 4-4-2 but no sooner had they done this than Westcott added another goal to their tally with yet another one on one from a simple through ball behind the back four.

Luc Jhugroo finally added to Brockham’s walking wounded going to ground with a leg injury and finally reducing Brockham to nine and a half.  Westcott didn’t need to be told what to do with only three at the back for Brockham, and low and behold another through ball put Charlie Clarke in on goal from where he out-muscled Chris Parsons and placed a powerful shot around the on-rushing Rabbetts from 18 yards out.

Brockham mustered a last hurrah for pride’s sake but nothing led to anything more than the odd half chance.  It was Westcott’s day and Brockham’s boys will be glad half term should limit the ribbing in the school yard that would have had to have been endured.

Men of the Match:  Sam Lloyd and Oscar Cremmen

 

 

 

 

 

Brockham Badgers U16A 6 - 0 Westcott 1935 Youth

A powerful and commanding performance by Brockham Badgers U16A saw off the challenge of local rivals Westcott and booked Brockham a place in the Surrey Youth League cup final.

Much pre match banter and school ground taunting had promised a competitive match with plenty of local interest, but it didn’t detract from the football as both teams went at each other in a fair but competitive spirit that lead to early periods of classic end to end cup football.

Westcott gave Brockham an early scare when Dan Huggins bore down on James Rabbetts in a one on one competition but shot narrowly wide as Rabbetts closed the angle.  Then Huggins fired another salvo five minutes later that spun off the defensive leg of Luc Jhugroo and Rabbetts palmed the ball around his near post.

Brockham struggled in the first twenty minutes to get the ball down and play their normal passing game.  Westcott played to their game plan well, pressing early and putting balls in behind the Brockham defence.  Their two man marking job on Michael Cheeseman was also limiting one of Brockham’s usual offensive outlets.  This however meant that Jordan Martin and Jack Coppin were able to exploit wider positions where they often found themselves one and one and in space.

Some good pressure from Jack Coppin forced a corner which Sam Lloyd swung in to the near post.  Westcott’s number seven swung a leg at the ball from where it propelled viciously to Ed Elster in the Westcott goal.  He had no time to react other than to palm the ball away where it fell for Coppin to bang home from short range.

Once Brockham took the lead their nerves settled and they began to dictate more of the tempo of the game and play to their strengths, fashioning more openings from wide positions.  Jordan Martin particularly impressed with some fast and jinking runs down Brockham’s right, shooting wide on one occasion shortly before half time when he and everyone thought a goal was a certainty.

The second half began with further Brockham pressure and another corner was conceded by Westcott.  Specific instructions for corners were given at half time and these were followed to the letter as Cheeseman whipped in the dead ball for Simon Vakeva-Baird to attack and finish with his head at the near post.  Two ahead and feeling confident Brockham now pushed on to further secure their advantage.

Brockham’s third was arguably the best in terms of football.  George Gomes fed a short ball from right back to Oscar Cremmen who had made a run from central midfield.  Cremmen knocked a ball inside to Sam Lloyd who played a one-two back to Cremmen.  Cremmen’s quick feet took him inside a yard and past his marker from where he laid off a ball to Martin who was beginning a run down the right channel.  Martin ran with the ball all the way to the by-line, skipped one and then two challenges as he run along the white line to goal from where he crossed.  Everyone had been sucked to the ball with the exception of Cheeseman whose movement away to the back post was timed perfectly and he headed powerfully as the ball dropped to him unchallenged.

Lewis Wood was having a magnificent game in central midfield and shortly after his pin point pass from the centre to Martin on the right was accurate enough for Martin to run onto again, take on his marker, then cut back a ball for Cremmen to drive home the Badgers fourth from ten yards.

Coppin and Martin were causing all sorts of problems for Westcott and their combination led to Brockham’s fifth.  Coppin cut inside from the left and picked up a loose ball central and thirty yards out.  He looked up and spotted the movement of Martin and pinged an inch perfect pass in front of his run.  Joe Silver made a clever run inside as he swapped with Martin, opening up the space for Martin to run into.  Martin really had the bit between his teeth in the second half, but was still selfless enough to take on his marker and cut back a ball once again for Cremmen.  Cremmen this time was not in a position to take a shot so he laid it out to the left for Wood.  Wood took on one defender and then a second as he advanced towards goal and executed a clinical finish with his right for Brockham’s fifth.

Brockham’s sixth was the simplest and resulted in Martin getting his rewards.  James Rabbetts put a long goal kick over the top of everyone.  Martin was quickest to respond, beat the offside trap and bore down on Elster’s goal, this time finishing the job with confidence.

To their credit Westcott continued to press forward, forcing two corners and a free kick from one of which Roo Campbell went close with a header over the bar, but by this time it was over as a contest and Brockham were able to look forward to a cup final in their last season as Badgers.

Men of the Match: Lewis Wood and Jordan Martin

Brockham Badgers U11A 2 - 4 AFC Ewell

Brockham Badgers U11A lost a competitive league match at the Big Field against last week’s quarter final cup opponents.  This time AFC Ewell came away with the victory when they exacted revenge with four goals to Brockham’s two.

AFC Ewell again started with ten minutes of strong pressure but it was Brockham who took the lead with a wonderful free kick from just outside the area that Joseph Rabbetts curled into the top right corner of the AFC goal.

Ewell got themselves back into the game ten minutes later when the Badgers conceded an own goal following a corner and some goal mouth pinball.  It was a disappointing way to concede but in fairness it was probably a fair score going into half time.

Brockham came out very positively in the second half but were finding the heavy muddy conditions difficult.  Owen Knowles started to add a bit of strength and intelligence to midfield play, fashioning one or two half chances for Rabbetts and Callum Holder.  It was Ewell that took the lead however when they scrambled a ball in from short range when it seemed easier for Brockham’s defensive line to clear that for Ewell to score.

When AFC scored a third five minutes later Brockham were really on the back foot.  Passes were not quite making their intended targets in the heavy conditions and Ewell were winning most of the second balls with a more physical edge to the diminutive but skilful Badgers.  A loose pass in midfield was quickly picked up by AFC and switched right to left.  Harrison Watts and Sam Church did well to shuffle the threat wide and to safety but somehow the Ewell winger threaded a cut back through to an on-running team mate who scuffed a half shot.  Brockham missed a chance to clear not once but twice and somehow the ball rolled to a Ewell player who poked it home.

Church and Watts continued to threaten on the right and suggested that Brockham might still get back into the game if their combinations and determination could be replicated across the team.  Unfortunately for Brockham a fourth conceded goal put the game beyond them.  Luke Page was still coming onto the pitch to take up his defensive position having collected the ball from behind the goal for a goal kick.  The ensuing goal kick fell to a Ewell player who drove into the space Page was still to recover to and nailed the winner from 15 yards.

Brockham grabbed themselves a consolation goal with a terrific right footed strike from the left footed Will Timmons just inside the AFC Ewell area but unfortunately it was too little too late.  Brockham can take some comfort that Ewell were better on the day and the pitch wasn’t a big help.

Man of the Match: Sam Church