Brockham Badgers U16A 2 - 4 Kew Association Youth

What started brightly ended in disappointment as Brockham Badgers U16A were defeated for the first time this season in a 4-2 home defeat to Kew Association Youth.

Brockham were out of the blocks quickly.  Man of the match Sam Lloyd set up both early goals as Brockham took a two goal lead within the first ten minutes. Both were slide rule passes behind a lethargic back line, and finished excellent first by Jack Coppin, and then by Michael Cheeseman five minutes later.  Seemingly, the Badgers were cruising.

On fifteen minutes however, James Rabbetts was lucky to stay on the pitch.  The Kew striker had beaten the off-side trap and was bearing down on his 18 yard box.  Rabbetts rushed out to close the angle, and took the attackers legs from under him as he’d nipped the ball past the prostrate Rabbetts.  Had the fouled striker not immediately got up and distracted the referee with a tirade of verbal objections then Brockham would have been down to ten men.  Instead a free kick was awarded to Kew 20 yards from goal and the striker went in the book instead of the Badgers’ keeper.

Rabbetts saved well from the following set piece but Brockham were slow to react to the loose parried ball and Kew got their revenge from short range to narrow the deficit to just one goal.

There was a nervous ten minutes as Brockham steadied themselves but they controlled the game for large parts in the lead up to half time, but did start show worrying signs of things to come by losing the ball too easily in midfield and the defence standing too far off Kew players in possession.  Whilst the balance of the game to the interval was marginally in favour of Brockham, Kew were certainly not out of this match.

The second half began well enough for the home side.  Captain Sam Lloyd and his strike partner Cheeseman were leading from the front.  Both were running sometimes 30 or 40 yards to chase down the ball and put in strong tackles to ensure Kew had to fight for everything.  Unfortunately support from midfield and defence in transition was sometimes wasteful.  Winning the ball Brockham should have imposed themselves, instead they too often lashed a foot at a blind pass and gave away possession too easily.  When closing down play they too often dived into a tackle or allowed a player to turn and run, and the combination of profligacy and sloppiness punished them in the end.

Three goals in a twenty minute period put Kew ahead by two and Brockham were now chasing the game.  For the last ten minutes they were camped in the Kew half.  Joe Silver, Coppin, and Cheeseman were all menace as a top line but it was all too little too late, and Brockham can consider this three points wasted.

Man of the Match: Sam Lloyd

Brockham Badgers 5 - 0 Cheam Sports

From a neutral’s perspective it was clear to see within the first twenty minutes that Brockham held the technical advantage and should push on and win the game against their lower league rivals in this cup draw.  Yes, Cheam had the ball in the back of the net in the first ten minutes, albeit by virtue of a hand ball, but equally the Badgers should have scored in the first thirty seconds.

Despite their qualities however, Brockham were wasteful in possession throughout the first half.  Sam Lloyd had hit the post and Jack Coppin, one on one with the keeper, decided to make a simple finish difficult and shoot wide, but if the team didn’t start taking their chances and getting the game by the throat they could find themselves on the end of an upset.

Fortunately that was not to be.  The defence were steadfast in the second half with Christian Parsons and Luc Jhugroo looking rock solid at the centre, and James Rabbetts was having an excellent game with a couple of exceptionally good saves.  Sam Kadalaft conducted the midfield who held onto the ball and dictated the tempo, and despite missing both their first team strikers, Brockham made it count up front with man of the match Oscar Cremmen scoring a hat-trick from the number ten position.

His first was a simple close range nod in after getting on the end a corner from Sam Lloyd which followed an excellent shot at goal from Jack Coppin who had switched to the right and cut inside.  Simon Vakeva-Baird had worked tirelessly up top on his own all game and played a part in Cremmen’s second.  He nodded a high ball on from midfield and into the area between an on running Cremmen and an out-rushing Cheam keeper.  Cremmen was very brave sliding in and poking the ball into the net from ten yards before getting clattered.

Oli Gout, Alex Bevis, and George Gomes had switched shifts left and right of defence all day and were now starting to get some good overlaps working, finding space in wide positions and introducing a threat of their own.  It was Bevis who fed Lloyd from the right who lashed a shot at the keeper that was goal bound.  The shot was saved though and sent out for a corner which Lloyd took himself and who else but Cremmen was there to bundle the ball in from short range for his third.

If it was a day for the unexpected in a hat-trick for Cremmen then it was to turn surreal when Lewis Wood got himself on the score sheet – a rare event indeed.  Joe Silver hit a fierce shot after a twisting run from the right which was saved but not held.  Wood was on the move and arriving at pace he leathered a thunderbolt from fifteen yards that nearly took the net off.  He wasn’t going to miss this rare opportunity.

Vakeva-Baird got his just rewards for a very good performance five minutes from time when he used his height to good effect heading in a Coppin corner.

Man of the Match:  Oscar Cremmen

Elm Grove Colts 4 - 1 Brockham Badgers U11A

Travelling with only eight fit players it was unlikely Brockham were going to come away with a result and so it transpired.  Playing uphill in the first half they trailed two goals to nil despite have at least four decent chances but all of which went wide or over. 

Luke Page was marshalling his defensive partners Lily Turner and Will Timmons excellent against the numeric advantage and Huw Morgan was playing out of his skin in goal.  This gave Brockham something to build on and the second half started a little brighter when they nicked one back and gave themselves a chance.  Joseph Rabbetts fed George Wryde who clipped a left footed strike past the Colts keeper. 

But then Elm Grove buried another to take their advantage to two goals again.  If things were tough up to that point they were about to get more challenging.  The mercurial Louie Darling was caught in a strong tackle and could not carry on.  The Badgers were now two men down and having to work their socks off.  Sitting deep they tried to break on the counter but it was proving very difficult.  With time running out, Elm Grove took their chances once again and notched their fourth.

Man of the Match: Huw Morgan

Brockham Badgers U16A 2 -1 Elm Grove Colts

A tight and scrappy game contested by two competitive teams won’t go down as a classic but Brockham Badgers U16A marginally edged their game against Elm Grove Colts to win by two goals to one.

Brockham soaked up a lot of pressure from the Colts in the first fifteen minutes with no less than eight corners conceded and defended.  Once that passage of play had passed and Brockham were able to get the ball on the ground and retain possession their fortunes changed.  Lewis Wood played a superb ball into Jordan Martin who shrugged off the close attention of his marker a showed great confidence and composure to place the ball past the Elm Grove keeper with his weaker left foot.

Elm Grove had a strong and physical spine from back to front, but it was the diminutive Brockham captain Sam Lloyd that won the intelligence battle.  Receiving the ball to feet from an advanced midfield position he ducked under the shadow of his towering minder, showed a clean pair heels and played another neat through ball to Martin who finished with his left for the second time.

The Colts wrestled back some control of the game towards the end of the second half, and their frustration threatened to boil over into cautions with a few late challenges coming in.  Brockham held their nerve and composure however and were good value for their lead going into half time.

As expected Elm Grove applied some early pressure once more, their No.10 in particular, clearly identified as a target and receiving every ball forward to his feet and muscling his way through the Brockham lines at times.  Injuries forced changes for both sides and following three changes to the Badgers’ right sided setup the Colts seized on a little bit of complacency and tucked away a scrappy goal to put them back in the game with twenty five minutes to play.

From then on in the game descended into a stop and start affair with both sides giving away silly free kicks.  Composure, patience, and control was lost to some extent but the negative results were mostly self-inflicted and felt by the visitors as it stifled their own ability to get back into the game when the momentum had been with them.  Brockham saw the game out and can credit themselves with a mature performance from all the team.

Man of the Match:  Jordan Martin

Sutton United 3 - 3 Brockham Badgers U11A

A stunning recovery and a deserved point was earned by Brockham Badgers U11A on their travels to league champions Sutton United.  Brockham had given Sutton two good games last season despite losing both, and had narrowly lost by one goal to nil in a summer tournament to the Us.  So a tight and competitive game was expected.

Both teams play out from the back and try to construct flowing possession in their game.  For the spectators it was a joy to watch as both teams looked well organised and showed the best of their respective talents.  Each had two or three decent chances on goal in the first half but where the Badgers never got a break, the Us did, an easy collect from a soft shot slipping through the wet gloves of the Brockham keeper to give Sutton the lead on 20 minutes.

Brockham can be thankful a penalty was not awarded against them shortly afterwards, but as to reverse what seemed a change in luck Sutton bagged a second from close range shortly before half time.

The black and whites were nowhere near out of the game though and were encouraged to press higher up the pitch.  The tactic paid immediate dividends when the Us were forced into an error.  Some excellent defensive work by the Badgers allowed Luke Page to drive into midfield and switch play to Harrison Watts who picked the ball up on the right and pinged it low into the area where a Sutton defender sliced his clearance across goal.  The keeper parried the ball but Joseph Rabbetts pounced from 3 yards out with a quick turn and a deft flick of his left.

Further pressure forced a corner five minutes later.  Louie Darlington lofted it into the danger zone where it came straight back out to him.  Without a touch he instinctively punched a side footed shot from a tight angle straight inside the near post for the leveller for what he described as the best goal he’d ever scored.

It was all Badgers now, and the home team were rattled.  Excellent teamwork was forcing pressure all over the pitch and disrupting the Us game plan.  When another switch of play put Callum Holder in at the byline, his neat cut back was met by the alert George Wryde who reacted first at a congested near post and bundled the goal over the line for Brockham to take the lead.

On their second half performance alone the black and whites deserved the three points, but lady luck decided to even things up three minutes from time.  A period of pressure from Sutton saw a cross into the box met by Harrison Watts.  The ball bounced awkwardly and met his protecting arm and the referee blew for a spot kick.  Sutton took the gift and the game finished all square.  It was cracker.

Man of the Match:  Luke Page

Epsom & Ewell Colts 2 - 4 Brockham Badgers U16A

Brockham Badgers U16A provided a master class in possession and dominance in the first half of their Surrey Youth League match away to Epsom & Ewell Colts.  Their possession and control of the game was such that Epsom were limited to just two chances for the entire first period.  The second period was a lesson in complacency.

Jordan Martin got Brockham off the mark in the first three minutes when Oli Gout fed him a curved forward ball behind the Colts back line from an advanced left midfield position.  Martin ran at the keeper and finished well with a nick of a stretching defenders leg.

Epsom & Ewell were playing a very high line and yet from the evidence of the first fifteen minutes were unlikely to match Brockham’s forward line for pace.  This and the Badgers midfield dominance led the manager to take a luxurious risk and put pace into the left midfield position as well, at times playing a pacey forward line of three. 

James Rabbetts had little to do in the game to this point and decided to test the Colts back line for pace following the change by launching a goal kick.  It was route one, it was unsophisticated, but it worked.  Epsom allowed the ball to bounce and before they had time to turn Michael Cheeseman had beat the offside and his marker for pace and buried the ball beyond the advancing keeper for Brockham’s second, and Rabbetts was pleased with his assist.

It had worked once so why not twice.  Rabbetts launched another goal kick down the throats of the Colts centre backs ten minutes later.  Remarkably the ball was allowed to bounce again and this time captain Sam Lloyd was one on one with the keeper and finished well to give the black and whites a three goal lead going into half time.  Brockham’s goal keeper was now number one on the assist list.

The Badgers relaxed too much in the second half.  Their over confidence got the better of them twice with poor midfield pressure and resulting loss of defensive shape which gave Epsom & Ewell two really soft goals that threatened to ruin Brockham’s day.  If it had not been for a remarkable goal line clearance by Luke Brightman and some wasteful shooting from Epsom the match might have been thrown away.

Fortunately the Badgers woke up and their class came to the rescue.  Alex Bevis received the ball deep on Brockham’s right and played a wonderful pass into the channel for Martin to run onto.  Martin was never going to lose a race for the ball and drove into a dangerous advanced area, delivering a superb cross which Joe Silver finished expertly with an impressive stretched toe of the ball into the goal having advanced down the centre with incredible speed and timing.

Man of the Match:  Luc Jhugroo

Bookham Colts 1 - 4 Brockham Badgers U11A

Brockham Badgers U11A exacted revenge on Bookham Colts for the defeat they inflicted two weeks ago.  Brockham looked a totally different side, in control for most of the match despite going behind early on when a shot from distance slid under the Badgers keeper.

Brockham were back on level terms when Callum Holder scored his fourth of the league campaign, and then got themselves a deserved second when Ed Russ placed a powerful curling shot over the keeper from distance.

The Badgers were excellent in possession and equally organised without the ball.  The home team’s inability to break them down was frustrating them and committing players forward in an attempt to find a way through the Brockham lines.  This left them exposed at the back, so when the ball was won by the black and whites in midfield and fed wide quickly, the space was exploited by man of the match Sam Church lurking on the edge of the area, smashing Brockham’s third into the Colts net and giving the keeper no chance.

George Wryde could have scored twice, which would have been just rewards for his excellent work up front after replacing Holder.  Russ then added a fourth for the visiting Badgers of similar style and composure to that of his first to polish off a very satisfying performance.

Man of the Match: Sam Church

AFC Ewell 3 - 5 Brockham Badgers U11A

Brockham Badgers U11A notched their first win of the league campaign in a dominating display that belied the score.  Joseph Rabbetts scored the opener with a stunning left footed strike in the first few minutes.  Winning the ball in his own half he scampered down the wing, cut inside, and hit a pile driver from a tight angle which flew past the keeper and in off the angle of the far post and crossbar.

Callum Holder was next on the score sheet.  Playing the lone striker role he prowled on the shoulder of the AFC defenders all day waiting for a chance to beat the off-side trap.  Once or twice he had already come close but this time he timed his move to perfection.  Latching onto a great through ball from Louie Darlington in midfield he shrugged off some close attention from the Ewell defender and bore down on the keeper burying the ball with power and confidence.

Brockham were in total control and just had to keep their patience and composure.  However, as has often been the case in the last two games, moments of inexperience let the home side back in the game.  With the ball deep in the Brockham half but safely out to the side line, one too many touches and a dangerous move inside by Brockham’s defender allowed the Ewell striker to nick the ball from him.  He took two touches out of his feet on a run and hit the ball low and early with a strong right footed strike from distance that slid under the outstretched diving arm of William Timmons, who had courageously stood in for the Badgers absent keeper.

A two goal Badgers advantage was quickly re-established when Luke Page made a driving run from midfield and collected a square ball from the right.  He took on his defender, beat him, and drilled his shot past the diving AFC keeper.  There really was only one team in the match now and Brockham should have pushed on to take a comfortable margin victory. However, inexperience punished them again.  Ed Russ went on one of his trademark rampaging runs from central defence.  The ball was lost just outside the AFC penalty area, which normally should not have been a problem, but nobody had filled in for Russ in a defensive position and everyone bar Lilly Turner had joined him too far forward in an offensive onslaught.  Ewell quickly got the ball to their front men who were now three on one with Turner.  As she was drawn out to try and slow the ball, they passed inside and the Ewell striker ran unchallenged at an advancing Timmons.  He stood no chance.

Half time was an opportunity to gather themselves and rectify the over-enthusiasm that had given Ewell a fighting chance for the second time.  Ewell came out on the front foot and forced one or two excellent saves from Sam Church who had now swapped for Timmons in goal.  Brockham were losing their composure out of possession, all too often diving into challenges or getting sucked to the ball when all they had to do was slow play down.  AFC won a corner and Brockham failed to meet it with any meaningful challenge.  It fell to a Ewell player who slammed it into the roof of the net.  Somehow the game was level and AFC were in the ascendency.

Fortunately there was no repeat of the previous week.  To their credit Brockham decided they weren’t having any of it.  They shored up at the back and took two more goals when both Holder and Page completed a brace each.  There were some hairy moments which forced Church to make a couple more excellent goal keeping decisions, and a Ewell shot that flew off the crossbar.  But the Badgers nine men had managed without any subs and without a goalkeeper to battle the three points out of the second half.

Man of the Match:  Joseph Rabbetts

Brockham Badgers U16A 4 - 2 AFC Brooklands

Neither Brockham Badgers or AFC Brooklands had met each other before so this Surrey Youth League Invitation Cup draw was a bit of an unknown quantity for both sides.  Brockham started brightly and were comfortable in possession, moving the ball quickly with some good two touch football.  Their patient build up play was rewarded when Luke Brightman played a lovely through ball from the middle of the park between the AFC full back and centre half for Michael Cheeseman to latch onto.  Cheeseman started where he finished his stunning debut match last week scoring once again with a perfectly taken goal from 15 yards, struck hard and low off his left foot beyond an on-rushing goal keeper.

Sam Lloyd is a combative captain, always there to win a fifty fifty ball and lead his team by example.  When he ran onto another ball behind the Brooklands back line it seemed his first touch had invited the keeper to collect, but Lloyd was having none of it.  He stretched to toe the ball first and was taken down in the area by the momentum of the advancing AFC keeper on a wet sliding surface.  Cheeseman had been nominated for spot kicks but Lloyd picked up the ball and nobody was going to tell him otherwise.  He despatched the penalty confidently and Brockham were cruising.

Luc Jhugroo had put in another excellent performance but was crocked by a groin strain minutes before half time.  Brockham had to switch their defensive line-up to accommodate the injury and other missing players but everyone slotted in and performed superbly.  Had it not been for a comical goal ten minutes into the second half and a tired pass 10 minutes from time Brockham should and would have kept a clean sheet.  James Rabbetts advanced out of his area to nod a 10 yard bouncing ball to man of the match Oscar Cremmen in midfield.  The ball should have bounced up to meet his head but somehow just slid flat across the ground leaving Rabbetts stranded and gifting an easy tap in for the Brooklands striker.

Brockham remained patient though and stuck to their game plan and sure enough the maturity of their play enabled them to take a two goal lead again.  Lloyd received a pass to feet with his back to goal and under tight pressure from an AFC defender.  Lloyd rolled his body and with a nice turn of pace and deft footwork freed himself and ran into the space behind the Brookland left back.  Looking up he spotted Jack Coppin flying to the back post.  Lloyd delivered an inch perfect ball across the goal where Coppin tapped in from two yards out.

Brooklands nicked one more goal when Brightman sold Rabbetts short with a tired back pass from where their striker nipped in, rounded Rabbetts and slotted into an empty net.  Ten minutes from the final whistle Brockham won a free kick 30 yards from the Brooklands goal.  Jordan Martin played an intelligent ball to Cheeseman’s feet twenty yards out who was able to turn and shoot.  An outstretched Brooklands defensive leg changed the direction of the ball and gave the keeper no chance.  Brockham saw the game out confidently and can look forward to the next round of the cup.

 

Brockham Badgers U11A 4 - 6 Bookham Colts

This was a classic game of two halves.  30 minutes of Badgers domination followed by a second half in which they pressed the self-destruct button.  The first half was a disciplined performance.  Brockham enjoyed the majority of possession and converted two of their best chances into goals to take a comfortable lead.  The first came in the 15^th minute when Bookham conceded a free kick 20 yards from goal.  Joseph Rabbetts swung in a dangerous dead ball between the penalty spot and keeper which was met with a neat flick from the head of William Timmons burying the ball in the back of the Colts’ net.  The black and whites’ second was scored by Callum Holder in a magnificent solo effort cutting in from the right and passing the ball through the keeper’s legs.

Bookham got one back shortly before half-time but the Badgers still seemed in control of the outcome and destined to take the points.  And so it seemed when Brockham again took a two goal lead within minutes of the restart.  Rabbetts whipped in a corner from the right and man of the match Luke Page was there to deftly hook the ball in on the volley.  What happened next was inexplicable.  Bookham shot speculatively from distance and the ball looped over Huw Morgan in goal to close the deficit to one.  When an innocuous ball came in from the left two minutes later it was missed by Morgan and then fell to Rabbetts to clear under no pressure at the far post, but swinging his right it ballooned off his shin and in for an own goal to level the game.

The Badgers heads dropped when in fact they should have pushed on for the winner, whilst the Colts had their tails up.  A sustained period of Bookham pressure sent panic through the Brockham ranks as they tried to fathom how they were now fighting to stay in the match.  A combination of everything you shouldn’t do saw them ship three more goals in 5 minutes to take Bookham out of sight.  George Wryde made a rampaging run from deep in his own half all the way to the Colts penalty area where he was brought down and Rabbetts converted from the spot to snatch a consolation goal, but it was too little too late.