Stoneleigh Athletic 1 - 1 Brockham Badgers U11A

The Alamo comes to mind.  Brockham Badgers were by some distance the superior team and should have scored a hat full had their finishing been more clinical.  Instead they had to settle for a draw following a Joseph Rabbetts penalty conversion and a Stoneleigh equaliser 30 seconds from time.

Brockham dominated from the start and should have been two up within five minutes when both Rabbetts and the powerful front man George Wryde forged themselves excellent chances following good build up play from Sam Church and Callum Holder on the right.  But Stoneleigh’s keeper was having an excellent game and saved well on both occasions.

Brockham then won a penalty but the otherwise faultless Luke Page failed to convert when the Stone’s keeper made another impressive save to turn the ball around the post.  With the disappointment still fresh in the minds the Badgers remarkably won another penalty when Holder’s jinking wing play was brought to a halt with a late challenge.  This time Rabbetts stepped up and was also denied by another magnificent save but managed to convert the rebound to give the black and whites a more than deserved lead.

It is no exaggeration that just about every Brockham player on the pitch was denied in some way by the performance of the Stoneleigh boy between the sticks.  Darlington, Knowles, Ed Russ, and Page all should and could have scored, and even Will Timmons, Lilly Turner, Harrison Watts, and Church got involved in goalmouth action from defence.

It was inevitable therefore that despite such clear dominance and as time ticked by something was going to upset the applecart.  And so with less than a minute left on the clock a Brockham goal kick was picked up in midfield by Stoneleigh, quickly switched to their left where the Stone’s winger hit it first time and placed a beauty over the retreating and otherwise unchallenged How Morgan in goal.

Brockham’s keeper felt the pain only keepers can feel.  But there was nothing he could do.  The team had played excellently from Morgan to the forward line.  It was a great strike and just one of those days.  Unfortunately for Brockham it was the second one of those days in as many matches!

Man of the Match: Sam Church

Stoneleigh Athletic 1 - 5 Brockham Badgers U16A

Brockham met the third opposition team this season to wear the familiar black and white of the Badgers, but despite having to wear orange bibs in the first half before away shirts arrived, there was no distracting the Big Field boys from the task. 

Brockham dominated possession from the off and should have had a two goal lead within the first fifteen minutes, but instead went a goal behind for the first time this season.  To be fair, the goal had to be applauded.  It was unsaveable.  Advancing down the left flank the Stoneleigh number 10 was well marshalled inside by George Gomes.  However, Brockham discovered the bright striker was equally adept on his right as he was his left.  Running across goal from the corner of the eighteen yard box he let fly with his right and placed the ball perfectly between up-right and cross bar, giving James Rabbetts no chance despite his admirable effort in managing the faintest of touches at full stretch.

The response from Brockham was superb, equalising within five minutes with an excellent move.  Gomes won the ball at right back and scampered forward before playing a pass into space for Joe Silver to run onto.  Silver used all his pace and guile to beat the Stoneleigh left back and deliver a brilliant ball across goal that Michael Cheeseman met with a fierce left footed strike from ten yards out, notching up his sixth of the season.

Stoneleigh were in no mood to roll over however, time and again using their playmaking number 12 to good effect, particularly down the left where they were starting to find space.  A tactical change switched Jordan Martin in front of Gomes to thwart any further luck and Jack Coppin came onto the left to starting using the opposite channel that had been largely unexploited by Brockham.  The impact was immediate. Sam Kandalft found a yard with his neat footwork and with great awareness put the ball between full back and centre half on Brockham’s right.  Martin picked the ball up and delivered an awkward ball that Coppin scooped in from close range in a goalmouth scramble.

Two minutes later another short range goal was finished off by Chris Parsons.  Stoneleigh conceded a corner which Sam Lloyd half scuffed short to the near post where Parsons had positioned himself and was first to react.

Half time saw Chris Bevis replace the excellent Gomes and Simon Vakeva-Baird slot into midfield for Kandalft.  Both were immediately involved in Brockham’s next goal.  Bevis played a ball into the right hand channel from his defensive position which Vakeva-Baird ran onto and applied enough pressure for the Badgers to win a corner only minutes into the second period.  Cheeseman put in a dangerous dead ball which was cleared with a defensive head from the near post.  It dropped on the edge of the Stoneleigh box where Martin was circling for prey.  He thumped a powerful right footed shot goalward which took a fortunate deflection and sent the keeper the wrong way, gifting Brockham their fourth.

The next twenty minutes were a little disjointed.  The black and whites were hoping for a cricket score and started to lose a little discipline.  Balls were punted forward in hope rather than with intent, and play was disrupted a little with subsitutions as the Badgers rested a few tired legs and rotated the bench.  When they did play to plan however things happened, and probably the best example was the build-up play to Brockham’s fifth and arguable best goal.

Oscar Cremmen fed Coppin on the left who chipped the ball into an advanced left channel position for Cheeseman to chase down.  Cheeseman was herded to the touchline but managed to wriggle past his marker and dart toward goal on the limit of the pitch boundary.  He pinged an incredibly flighted ball across goal which Martin flew through the air to meet at pace and volleyed almost taking the net off with the power of the ball.  Brave and fantastically well timed with intricate and determined approach play.

Despite the Badgers’ ruthless forward play, the defence deserved great praise for their shape, discipline, and particularly their constantly improving communication with other, from goal keeper all the way across the back line.  It was a deserving Oli Gout therefore that was awarded man of the match for his exemplary contribution at left back.

Brockham Badgers U11A 1 - 1 Leatherhead Youth

Brockham Badgers U11A found an early Saturday morning break in the rain to beat the weather and play their local derby with league leaders Leatherhead Youth.  Both teams played well and put on an enthralling match of high quality to compensate for the damp conditions.

Brockham edged the first half with good possession, Louie Darlington and Owen Knowles in particular showing great awareness and composure to control the game from central midfield.  Leatherhead were frustrating their hosts however, particularly in full back positions where they did well to blunt what is normally very sharp wide attacking play from the Badgers. 

Brockham looked the most likely to score, both Callum Holder and George Wryde having a couple of decent chances each, and so it was the black and whites that took the lead shortly before half time.  Joseph Rabbetts received from Knowles and cut the ball inside and square to Wryde who had followed the play down the left.  Wryde struck a peach of a shot first time with his left, powerfully driving the ball over the advancing keeper with enough dip for it to fly under the cross bar.

The second half was also a close affair but Leatherhead began to exert more pressure.  Nathan Page and Huw Morgan’s performances in central defence and goal respectively were critical, and when called upon they delivered, giving Brockham enough to stay a nose ahead in the game.  Leatherhead hit the cross bar, Brockham hit foot of the post, Brockham then put the ball in the net from an off-side position, and the ball narrowly avoided crossing the Brockham line when Leatherhead whipped it across goal without a touch from the crowded area.

The last five minutes were nail biting, so when Leatherhead won a corner after a minute into stoppage time, the outcome was written in the clouds.  The first delivery was cleared for a second corner.  The second delivery cleared for a third.  When the referee indicated it was all over once the corner was delivered for a last time, Brockham parents couldn’t look.  The inevitable transpired.  The best delivery of all three corners put the ball into a dangerous area.  Morgan met the ball first but it dropped into the area where a scramble involving four players saw the final strike from a Tanner push the ball over the line for a last gasp equaliser.

Man of the Match:  Luke Page

Junior Bees 3 - 6 Brockham Badgers U11A

A stunning second half performance made up for a shocking first half for Brockham Badgers U11A to run out deserved winners away to Brentfords’ Junior Bees.  The Badgers had an excellent first five minutes, playing to plan and scoring an early opener when Joseph Rabbetts headed home an Owen Knowles cross.  But The Bees got themselves a lucky equaliser a few minutes later and Brockham resorted to the untidy route one tactics of their hosts and spent the rest of the half in a tailspin, conceding a second for good measure.

The second half was a very different story.  Edward Russ, struggling with a long-term injury, was replaced in the centre by Knowles who started to dictate the tempo of the game and orchestrate most of Brockham’s build ups.  The defensive line of Sam Church, Luke Page, and Will Timmons began to relax on the ball and pass out from the back, always keen to receive short from Huw Morgan in goal, who was relieved to have some distribution options at last.

This took a lot of pressure off the team who were now able to widen their shape in possession and exploit their most potent asset – their attacking threat on the flanks.  The second for the Badgers came from just such a move.  Sam Church won the ball in defence and played a wonderful ball into the right hand channel for Callum Holder, who proved a revelation in the second period.  His run to the by-line was finished with a pin point ball across the six yard box to the feet of George Wryde who finished first time with his left.

The black and whites had the Bees on the ropes now and sensed victory was within their grasp.  When Holder was released again down the right by Louie Darlington, he beat his marker again, ran into the space and delivered a lofted cross for Rabbetts to repeat his first with a powerful downward header into the Bees net for Brockham’s third.

Holder made it four to the good when his delayed pass intended for the run of the effervescent Wryde was misjudged by the Bees keeper and slipped through his legs.  Brentford grabbed a third for themselves but the momentum was all Badgers now and when another Holder cross whipped into the box, Page, driving forward from defence, buried it with an equally impressive header as Rabbetts’ earlier efforts.

Rabbetts finished the Juniors off with a cross come shot from the left that looped over the keeper and into the top far corner.  It was difficult to split Holder’s assists, Rabbetts’ hat trick, the game play dictation of Darlington and Knowles, Wryde’s bullying forward play, and the organisation of Brockham’s defensive unit in the second half, so no man of the match was named.  Instead the whole team walked off the pitch secure in the knowledge they had all played their part.

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