Abbey Rangers 2 - 6 Badgers U11 Sunday (Surrey Youth Leaque Cup)

Brockham’s Cup campaign started away,  on an uphill slope and into a fierce wind.   Whilst the first half was a close run battle, the second, down the slope and with the wind, might have seen them score 10 or more!  They started the match in a positive manner, pressuring Abbey with sharp passing. Jack Wisbey was pushing forwards from the Badgers half to help open the Abbey defence. Max Austin was very lively up front.  Driving up the right hand side, he delivered an excellent cross which just evaded the outstretched legs of two Brockham strikers.  Joseph Issberner gathered and turned, but was unable to steer the ball past the keeper.  The Badgers continued to press with Aidan Torpey threading a tight ball through to Nataniel King.   An Abbey defender managed to get a boot to it, however, unfortunately for him the ball deflected past his own goalkeeper for Brockham to take a 1 – 0 lead.  The next through ball, delivered by Issberner, found King, however he was prevented from shooting by a solid tackle.

Abbey then moved into attack mode.  They found the Badgers indecisive in midfield and quickly took advantage.  Pushing up the left hand side a slightly miscued shot spun clean over the Brockham keeper and into the net.  Brockham resumed their all out attack with Issberner chasing another ball from Torpey, only to shoot too close to the keeper, who gathered well.  Austin was next to chase a through ball and was promptly bought down by the Abbey keeper.  Brockham were not able to convert the spot kick.  They continued with waves of attack.  King was next to receive a smart pass from Austin, but again strong defending denied him.   Issberner thought he had put the Badgers back in the lead having rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home.  The linesman flag said no! 

Abbey decided to rub salt into the wound by promptly breaking out of their area.  Winning a throw in they were nearly at the Badgers goal line before a shot was launched from a very fine angle to score an excellent goal and take a 2 – 1 lead.  Austin broke again drawing the Abbey keeper well out of his box.  He shot at goal and the keeper was lucky not to be dismissed as he gathered the ball several yards outside of the area.  Issberner and Austin continued to cause trouble for the Abbey defence, but it was Torpey who charged into the Abbey half before launching a long range shot into the roof of the net.  After another few Abbey attacks Austin threaded through to Issberner again.  His shot was parried by the keeper who was able to retrieve the ball as it spun towards his line.    Justin Hurst was next to join the scoring action.  He won the ball just outside the Abbey area.  Moving to his right past two defenders he lobbed the ball over the Abbey defence and keeper to take a 3 – 2 lead into half time.

The second half saw one attack after the other by Badgers. With Alex Watts and William Conroy (captain) controling the defensive lines, Austin (man of the match) and  Finn Campbell peppered the goal, but were either slightly wayward or well saved by the Abbey keeper.  Hurst floated a corner in for Conor Gilmartin to power narrowly over the bar.   Torpey then took a free kick with the rebound finding itself back at his feet.  He guided it through to Hurst who took it close to the goal line before firing into the back of the net from a narrow angle 4 -2.  Abbey then pressed up the right hand side but the solid defence fo Harry Fairley and Michael Goff wasn’t going to be penetrated.  Finn Campbell was next to score to give Brockham a 5 – 2 lead.  He neatly passed the ball into the corner of the net having chased another well placed through ball.  For their final goal Hurst passed a couple of defenders before turning back and delivering a pinpoint pass off the outside of his boot.  Matthew Ford was waiting to drive the ball cleanly into the net to give the Badgers an extremely well deserved win and take them into the next round of the competition.

Man of the Match: Max Austin

Squad: Max Austin, William Conroy, Finn Campbell, Harry Fairley, Matthew Ford, Conor Gilmartin, Callum Glenn, Micheal Goff, Justin Hurst, Joseph Issberner, Natanial King, Aidan Torpey, Alex Watts, Alex Wells, Jack Wisbey

Report by Chris Hurst

Badgers U14A 1 - 10 Sheen Lions (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

A sub-standard performance from most of the team meant Brockham were on the wrong end of a thumping.  It was a shocking performance in a game from which they should have been looking for points.  Whether it was over-confidence from last weekend’s impressive effort or simply one of those days, who knows?

Positives were in short supply and Sheen certainly took advantage.  The Lions were first to every ball and helping each other out with good communication and movement off the ball.  Within one minute Sheen started the punishment.  Their excellent former Reading academy striker shrugged off the Badgers defence and finished sharply into the side netting, and it was only a matter of minutes before he made it two.

Brockham’s midfield were getting caught in no man’s land, either too far advanced when losing the ball or too deep and flat when winning it back.  As a result the black and whites were on the back foot and soaking up too much pressure.  This lead to corner after corner from which Brockham shipped their next two goals.

Lacking any discipline in their shape the Badgers continued to miss opportunities to challenge loose balls in midfield or to find a player to receive and play.  For the remainder of the first half it was one way traffic and Sheen’s No.21 helped himself to another two goals, taking the half-time score to 6-0 and his personal tally to four.

Brockham performed marginally better in the second half and the introduction of the lively Luke Brightman certainly lifted the game of some of the players around him.  But it was indiscipline and concentration that let the stripes down again.  Two more corners resulted in unchallenged goals, one that went straight in, a ninth goal conceded as the Lions No.23 notched his personal sixth after out muscling his marker, and Sheen made it double figures after an easy clearance from a cross was ducked and the ball dropped to a gleeful lad in blue.

Luke Brightman scored for Brockham after a solo effort got what he alone deserved, Martin could have scored had he not been generous to pass when the shot was on, and two other good chances could have turned out differently.

Brockham know they can play better, and they know that they can create chances against anyone, but they also now know they can’t afford not to give 100% at this level.  Let’s hope it’s a lesson learned.

Lad of the Match:  George Gomes

Report by Jason Rabbetts

East Grinstead 7 - 1 Badgers U11 Saturday (Horsham and District League Cup)

The Badgers had a tough first round Cup draw away against League leaders East Grinstead.  Although the score line looked uneven, the Badgers held their own for much of the match, creating several scoring chances which would have made the result closer.  The boys maintained their commitment throughout the match and were at last rewarded through Patrick Scarr’s goal.  Jed Simister had an effort cleared off the line near the end. 

Man of the Match: Matthew Ford.


Squad: Max Austin, James Brown, Matthew Ford (c), Callum Glenn, Fergus McGoogan, Luke Morris, Ryan Murrough, Joshua Packham, Matthew Parisi, Harry Robertson, Patrick Scarr, Jed Simister, Alex White.

Worthing U18s 6 - 1 Dorking FC U18s (FA Youth Cup)

Dorking FC's Under 18s travelled down to Ryman league Worthing FC on Monday night for their prestigious FA Youth Cup fixture.

Playing a strong side, consisting largely of players in the upper age grouping compared to the majority of the Dorking team who are in the 16 to 17 year old age bracket, Dorking U18 manager Simon Coffey was pleased overall with the performance of his squad.  In fact, Worthing only really pulling away from Dorking in the last 10 minutes of the match as Dorking searched for the goal that would bring them back into the game, leaving things more open in defence. 

Dorking had started their Southern Youth League campaign well, winning and drawing their two games to date, but this game at Worthing was always going to be a tough fixture for the developing side, much like the forthcoming game in the Surrey Youth Cup with Woking will be.

Worthing had taken an early lead, but Dorking left midfielder Will Davis equalised on 10 minutes to put Dorking right back in the game at 1-1.  Dorking, watched by a large crowd including Dorking FC first team manager Pete Buckland, competed well for the next 60 minutes of the match, Worthing perhaps able to dominate physically as the younger Dorking team just lost out on the crucial midfield battle.

With the last quarter to play, Dorking were 3-1 down and very much in the game and Simon Coffey decided to go all out for the goal that would bring his side back into the game.  Bringing off defenders in favour of midfielders and strikers Dorking gambled on reducing the arrears, but luck was not on Dorking's side and an impressive Worthing outfit killed the game on the break with their fourth goal of the game with 10 minutes to go.

Naturally, a tired Dorking side now found the going tough, and Worthing pressed home their clear advantage to finish the game at 6-1.

A good experience for the U18s then, and with the vast bulk of the squad eligible for the team next season, Dorking will go into next season's FA Youth Cup that much older, stronger and more experienced

Next up - home to Lingfield in the Southern Youth League on Wednesday 29 September, kick off 7-45 pm at Dorking FC's Meadowbank stadium, entrance free and bar will be open.

Squad: Gavin Morrison (gk), Lewis Arnstrong, Ashley Smith, Chris Thurgood (c), Zak Smith, Will Davis, Jack Murrell, Stephen Batchelor, Harry Maneh, Ryan Stewart, Nathan Crosbie subs Daniel Russell, Chris Caley, Darryl Jeeves, Thomas Coffey, Henry Warne


Report by Bryan Bletso

Badgers U9A 2 - 4 Old Coulsdon Colts (Epsom and Ewell League Premier)

It was a  bright sunny Saturday morning at Old Coulsdon Colts and Brockham were hoping for an equally bright start. The match was played on a sloping pitch and following the toss Coulsdon elected to give Brockham the downhill advantage in the first half.


Brockham got off to a promising start with Ed Russ getting the ball through to Joe Rabbetts who shot into the side netting. Will Timmons, of Brockham, then had a shot on goal saved. Brockham continued to apply pressure winning corners but they still couldn’t find the back of the net. A Coulsdon defender then handled the ball in the Coulsdon penalty area and Joe Rabbetts stepped up to take it, only for it to be saved by the keeper. Coulsdon got a break and George Wryde was forced to make a good save for Brockham to stop them going one down. Ed Russ had a shot from distance tipped over the bar by the Coulsdon keeper.


Brockham continued to apply pressure and eventually got their reward when Will Timmons fired the ball into the back of the net. Then a defensive error by Brockham gave Couldson  a break and they made no mistake, 1-1 on the stroke of half time.  


After the break Coulsdon had the downhill advantage and following their late first half equaliser they were back in the game. Brockham got a break, Joe Rabbetts took the ball in the Coulsdon penalty area, controlled it, turned onto his preferred left foot and drilled it into the Coulsdon goal, 1-2.


Coulsdon struck back immediately with a great run down the right, out pacing the Brockham defence and finishing perfectly, 2-2. Resolute defending by Owen Knowles and Matthew Chapman kept Brockham in the game but Coulsdon knew how to use the sloping pitch to their advantage and played a long ball over the top of the Brockham defence to take the score to 3-2. George Wryde managed to break for Brockham but was brought down in the penalty area by a strong, fair, Coulsdon tackle.


Further Coulsdon pressure down the right created a great cross that was met by an unmarked Coulsdon striker who finished well, 4-2.


Man of the Match: Owen Knowles


Report by Rick Russ

Badgers U11 Sunday 7 - 2 Roehampton Rangers (Surrey Youth League Premier)

Brockham enjoyed their first home game of the season with a 7–2 victory over Roehampton.  The biggest pitch they had played on to date took some time to adjust to, with the opening minutes seeing the ball spend most of its time in the air.  It took a smart bit of skill by Max Austin for the Badgers to open their account.  He ducked to his right to allow a firm pass from his defence to cut through the opposition.  He was then quick to chase it down and slide it past the Roehampton goalkeeper for a 1 – 0 lead.  Brockham continued to apply the pressure and Justin Hurst was next to take advantage.  A loose ball from defence allowed him to shape a left footed shot over the defenders and goalkeeper high into the back of the net.

Roehampton continued to battle hard and were often quick on the break.  On one surge forwards their striker neatly took the ball around the Brockham defence and planted it past the goalkeeper.

Brockham hit another gear in the second half as they changed to go down the slope.  Joseph Issberner, continuously dangerous up the left hand side, delivered an excellent cross from the goal line which was perfectly volleyed into the roof of the net by Thomas Hemming.  Aidan Torpey, always  industrious in mid field, delivered a long ball from the right allowing Issberner to slide it neatly into the net for a 4 – 1 lead.  Callum Agent was next.  Bringing the ball from defence he spotted the busy keeper off his line, solobbed a fine shot directly into the Roehampton net.  Torpey then guided a strong corner into the box.  Off a couple of defenders the ball stayed in the air and Issberner, with his back to goal, struck the ball backwards over his head, clipping the cross bar on its way into the net.

Roehampton got one back, again with a long range shot clearing the Brockham keeper.  Not to be outdone, Tom Phillips powered forwards from deep in defence.  Arriving just outside the Roehampton box he delivered a blistering left footed shot into the roof of the net for the Badgers to complete an impressive days work.

Report by Chris Hurst

Badgers U15A 3 -1 Chase Lodge Athletic Juniors (Surrey Youth League Cup)

Having played the same opposition in a pre-season friendly and gained a hard-fought 3-2 win, Brockham Badgers U15A knew that Chase Lodge, despite playing in the division below, would be tough opponents in the first round of the League Cup, and so it proved. Badgers began the stronger and had some good early chances for George Coffey and a very lively Harry Ramsey, but the visitors turned things around either side of half time and earned a string of corners after the break. The Brockham defence held firm with keeper Dennis Rapson decisive when it mattered.

Despite Oli Winter and Mike Richardson slowly gaining the upper hand in the midfield, the match seemed destined for extra time until, with three minutes remaining on the clock, Josh Brown played in Harvey Mewis on the left with a superb ball. Harvey drove into the box and produced a delightful chip over the keeper. That should have been game over, but Chase took full advantage of six long minutes of added time to carve out an equaliser just before the whistle, with the Badgers defence looking tired.

Two ten-minute periods of extra time ensued, and four minutes into the second period Josh Brown made another telling contribution with a left-foot finish to put Brockham 2-1 up. Two minutes from time Harvey Mewis grabbed his second when his cross-shot was deflected into the net to secure a 3-1 win and a place in the second round.

Squad:  Dennis Rapson, Will Mahoney, Liam Ratcliffe, Ross Bangs, Matt Higgins, Will Bletso, Oli Winter, Mike Richardson, Frankie Routleff, Josh Brown, Jack Wyllie, Harvey Mewis, Alex Nicholson, George Coffey, Harry Ramsey, Chris Brooks.

Report by Simon Winter

Badgers U9B 1 - 1 Dorking Saints (Horsham and District League)

The U9Bs second match of the season bore distinct similarities to their opener. From the kick-off the boys and girl dominated in terms of possession, and impressed with their disciplined approach and with the way they stretched the opposition by resisting the temptation to stray from their positions.

Being a newly formed group for this season, the process of establishing players’ best roles continues. Having last week been in defence, in this match from early on man-of-the-match Jethro Burton showed distinct capability and comfort in right-midfield. Dorking Saints struggled to contain him going forward, and defensively he and Ben Austin at right-back proved impenetrable.

In centre-midfield captain Tom Ambrose again proved himself a lynch-pin, repeatedly breaking up Saints’ possession and threading passes to his supporting midfielders and striker.

Halfway through the first half Callum Holder came on at left-midfield and immediately proved a threat with his strong running. A characteristically brave defensive challenge saw Lily Turner win the ball and play it forward, enabling Arun Watkins to lure the opposition out from their penalty area before squeezing the ball to Callum who ran on and beat the advancing keeper with a slotted shot inside the far post. 1-0 to the Badgers at half-time.

The Badgers came under pressure early on in the second period. In goal Huw Morgan was commanding, making some good saves and generally showing why he is currently first choice in that position. He was, however, left exposed when Saints gave him no chance with their equalising strike.

This team never gives up though, and with the notable defensive contribution of ‘the interceptor’ William Glenn, Brockham weathered the storm. Ben Mackenzie’s usual energy and commitment helped the team to regain dominance of possession, however turning possession into goals remains the target for coming matches. The 1-1 result preserves U9Bs unbeaten standing and surely a resounding win will come soon.

Man of the Match: Jethro Burton

Squad: Tom Ambrose, Ben Austin, Jethro Burton, William Glenn, Callum Holder, Ben Mackenzie, Huw Morgan, Lily Turner, Arun Watkins.

Report by Frank Holder

Aldershot Boys Elite 1 - 1 Badgers U14A (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

A really professional performance from every boy on the pitch saw Brockham Badgers U14A come away with a point following their match with Aldershot Boys Elite.  A good performance was the most the travelling party had hoped for having been thoroughly outclassed by Aldershot in the same fixture last season, but to be honest the Badgers arguably deserved all three points this time round.


It was clear early on that this encounter was going to produce a very different result.  Brockham opted for an uncharacteristic 4-4-2 formation and this helped swing the game in the black and whites favour.  Jordan Martin, Luke Brightman and Joe Silver between them made up the strike partnership over the course of the game and it was their energy and effort that kept Aldershot’s defence on the back foot.  This helped take the pressure off the Badgers back four, enabling the midfield to exert its influence.

Justin Tarrant won everything in the air, fought for everything on the ground, and Lewis Wood sprayed the scraps and knock-ons around the pitch with expertise.  Sam Lloyd was a man possessed on the right, supporting play it seemed from nowhere at times whilst always tracking back to double up on the red and blues left winger when George Gomes was in need of assistance.

It was completely against the run of play when Aldershot snatched the lead.  A cleared ball from Brockham’s defence and a moment of hesitation meant the Shot’s midfield was not closed down quickly enough.  Spotting the danger Luc Jhugroo advanced but had only a split second to put his tackle in.  The referee blew for a free kick 20 yards from goal and the Aldershot captain despatched a perfectly placed kick beyond the reach of James Rabbetts and into the top right hand corner of the Badgers goal.

Brockham came out for the second half buoyed by their performance so far and did not let falling behind make them despondent.  In the first ten minutes Tarrant and Martin both went close and if it were not for some very good goalkeeping they could have put Brockham level.  Shortly afterwards however Lloyd got his and the team’s just rewards with a wonderfully struck goal from 20 yards.

Advancing down the right, the ball dropped in front of him.  Without hesitating Lloyd adjusted his body and hit the ball on the volley right to left with the outside of his boot.  The ball swerved left to right and buried itself at pace into the top left corner of the Shot’s goal.

Brockham continued to edge the advantage for the remainder of the game but the result could have gone either way.  Aldershot were denied by a superb reflex save by Rabbetts that pushed the ball onto the post, whilst the excellent Simon Vakeva-Baird saw a well connected header from a corner go just over the cross bar.

Lad of the Match:  Sam Lloyd


Report by Jason Rabbetts

East Grinstead Meads 1 - 7 U12A (U12 Roffey Robins Frank Giess Memorial Cup)

This first round cup-tie brought these two sides together for the first time and produced a memorable win for the Badgers. Talk about a game of two halves!


Brockham pressed the home time from the moment the ball was in play. They harried and pestered, and despite winning several corners, could not provide anything that looked like a clear scoring opportunity. East Grinstead kept the visitors pinned to the centre of the park for periods and in the 12^th minute they won their own first corner. The cross was cleared only to the edge of the area where an expectant Grinstead striker waited. He hit a belter of shot that flew into the net to give his side the lead. 

Brockham did respond positively and in quick succession Tuner, Purcell and Tiley all made worthwhile attempts on goal, but the visitors seemed generally to be chasing rather than controlling the ball. Towards the end of the half Dogansoy’s effort went wide and his team continued to try and find a way through to goal, but to no avail.

Underdogs East Grinstead were hit by a footballing juggernaut in the second half, as Brockham eventually flexed its muscles. The period was about 60 seconds old when a ball was slotted through to Tiley, just inside the home team’s penalty area. His shot flew passed the keeper and thudded into the net for the equaliser.

Brockham stepped up a gear and went on the offensive again. Three minutes later a melee in the Meads goal-mouth only resulted in the ball falling to Warne, who made no mistake with a decisive return that ended up in the goal, for number two and a Brockham lead.

Brockham sensed blood and pushed on for more goals. The next of which came in the seventh minute, when a Badgers assault lead to Tuner’s attempt ricocheting to Tiley, who planted in his second of the game. The play was restarted and Brockham were at it again. Thomas floated in an enticing cross that was met by Teague to parry in yet another for 4-1. 

East Grinstead looked stunned and it was all one-way traffic from here. Brockham were menacing with every move forward and their defence were left to spectate for long periods. With ten minutes remaining, Purcell again burst through the Meads ranks and flicked on to Teague, who hit a great shot to make it five.Watson and Heather were both denied only by the brave Meads keeper. Number six came two minutes later and came from the cheeky boots of Tuner, whose long shot left the goalie stranded. 

The final word went to Thomas with only 6 minutes left. After the East Grinstead keeper had pulled off two impressive saves, Thomas knocked in a rebound to round up the tally to 7-1.

Man of the Match: Joe Teague

Squad: Jamie Donegan, Kemal Dogansoy, Jordan Heather, Daniel Killick, Dominic Lane, Sam Potts, Jake Purcell, Joe Teague, Will Thomas, Ollie Turner, Jacob Vaughan, George Warne, Rufus Watson.

Report by Tony Watson