Badgers U11A 3 - 4 Hook U11 4 (aet) (Surrey FA Youth Cup SF)

The Badgers were 10 seconds away from a first Brockham appearance in the Surrey Youth Cup final, however, a last ditch direct free kick found the net to allow Hook to take the match to extra time and progress to the final with a 4 – 3 win.  

Having lost in the League semi final to the same team a few weeks earlier the Badgers knew it would be a tough ask.  They were clearly hoping that playing at home on a wider pitch would be to their advantage.  The tough ask got harder as they lost their captain, Will Conroy, to a boot in the head after just 10 minutes. 

Having gone two goals behind in the first half, with Hook having most of the play, the second half was another story.  Going down the hill Brockham persistently pressed the Hook defence and were rewarded with a brilliant goal by Joseph Issberner, who charged up the left hand side, rounded several defenders before blasting the ball into the roof of the net. 

This really galvanised the Brockham team who were rewarded with two further goals to go 3 – 2 up with under a minute to go.  Unfortunately, throwing everything forwards, the Hook danger man up front burst through to the edge of the area where he was taken down.  Hearts were broken as the free kick sailed high into the rook of the net to force extra time.

The Badgers found it difficult to reproduce their second half pressure as Hook fought to preserve their unbeaten record.  Another surging attack earned Hook another free kick on the edge of the area.  The Badgerss dreams were shattered as it again beat the keeper to give Hook the victory.  The Badgers had just lost to the strongest unbeaten side in the Premier Elite Division.  It was by the narrowest of margins and will undoubtedly give them confidence for their next encounters with Premier Elite opposition.  

Squad: Callum Agent, Max Austin, Finn Campbell, William Conroy, Jack Wisbey, Thomas Hemming, Alex Wells, Aidan Torpey, Natanial King, Tom Phillips, Alex Watts, Joseph Issberner, Justin Hurst, Harry Fairley, Callum Glenn

Report by Chris Hurst

Badgers U14A 0 - 1 Wandgas Youth (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Their progress continues but the points are still in short supply.  Brockham Badgers U14A put on a robust performance against the Wandsworth outfit and a draw would have been a fairer reflection of the game.  Brockham had numerous opportunities to score but failed to finish any of them off.  Wandgas were limited to two or three good chances and made it count with one which ended up being enough.

It’s a measure of the Badgers’ improvement that they were far from embarrassed and unlike in early stages of the season when they would have been bullied, bossed, and off the pace, if anything they looked like the team with the edge and the composure.

The game was very open and with a three man front line full of power and pace the black and whites fancied their chances.  Their width and speed on the break was worrying the Gas back line and on several occasions Jordan Martin and Joe Silver were able to break the lines and drive at goal.  Good defending however thwarted them at every attempt.

Wandgas were seeking to exploit pace on the flanks as well and when a goal kick reached their right winger he drilled a ball down the line for their forward to run onto.  Two touches took him inside and past his marker and with his third he met the ball sweetly with his laces and leathered a dipping shot on the run over James Rabbetts in the Brockham goal.

An enforced change at half time saw Jack Coppin pushed up into left midfield whilst captain Simon Vakeva-Baird dropped into the centre of defence.  Both excelled in their changed positions.  Vakeva-Baird looked composed and in total control, thwarting through balls and advancing forward to link up play well.  Coppin was terrorising their right back and put two excellent crosses into dangerous areas, each of which was hastily hacked away to safety.

The Gas went very close on one occasion and if weren’t for a reaction save from Rabbetts their lead could have been doubled.  A lofted cross from the right was met with a powerful header from their number eight which came back off the post to his feet for a second attempt.  His fierce shot was goal bound but Rabbetts got a foot to it and it rebounded once again off the upright but this time to safety. 

Brockham continued to put pressure onto the Wandgas back line and forced several corners but despite each being well attacked the opposition keeper was well positioned to collect.  Martin had three promising runs snuffed out by some excellent defensive pressure and try as they might nothing was rolling for the Big Field boys.

At the final whistle it was a disappointment that they got nothing from the game but once again they competed and on another day it could have been a different story.

Lad of the Match:  Simon Vakeva-Baird

Report by Jason Rabbetts

Badgers U15A 1 - 1 AFC Wimbledon (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Brockham Badgers U15A produced their best display of the season to deservedly draw against the current league title holders AFC Wimbledon.

Badgers were boosted by the debut of striker Eb Isiakpona, the ex AFC Wimbledon player doing very well in his first game for the team, holding the ball up well in his sole striker role, and constantly proving a thorn in the side of his former team mates.

The draw was built on a very solid performance from the Brockham defence, Will Bletso and fellow centre back Matt Higgins again faultless at the back, winning countless  crucial tackles. In the middle of the pitch, Josh Brown was a real midfielld dynamo, while Mike Richardson was back to his commanding self. Out wide, Harry Ramsey and Jack Wylie looked comfortable, while keeper Tom Wells commanded his area well as Badgers kept the dangerous Wimbledon team largely at bay.

The first half saw Badgers roll up their sleeves and match Wimbledon in all areas, only once did Badgers defence's concentration break, a Wimbledon striker squirming through several tackles which forced the striker wide, Wells blocking well at his near post.

As the first half neared its end, it was Brockham who  gained the upper hand, twice  going close from corners.

All square at the interval, and Brockham came out in the second half still battling away, with neither side creating any clear cut chances. The only time Wimbledon were able to break free, 20 minutes into the half, AFC showed their quality by snatching the lead, a cross from the AFC right being headed home.

It was rough luck on Brockham, in a season where the squad have not had the rub of the green, but to their credit, Brockham kept going. Subs Alex Nicholson, Frankie Routledge and Liam Ratcliffe injected fresh legs into the team, and with 12 minutes to go, Brockham got their reward, a corner seeing the ball fall loose in the penalty area, Will Mahoney reacting the quickest to power the ball home.

A save by Wells from a free kick kept Badgers ahead, and Brockham had several half chances of their own, but a draw was a fair result.

This was the first point Brockham have taken from AFC Wimbledon in the three years the two sides have played each other, and perhaps the game will give the side the boost to secure some much needed wins in their remaining games of the season.


Report by Bryan Bletso

Copthorne 1 - 2 Badgers U16A (Horsham and District B League)

Brockham U16s just had enough to overcome bottom club Copthorne on Saturday in a sluggish performance throughout the team.  The win keeps Badgers in 2^nd spot but 5 points behind leaders Dorkinians with only 2 games to go.

The game had started well for Brockham as Aaron Clark found Stephen Kehl with a through ball after just 2 minutes, Kehl’s shot just having enough power to steer the ball past the advancing keeper.  That should have been the signal for Badgers to push on and secure a comfortable win, the home side without a win this season, but for some reason the expected onslaught never came.  Indeed a quick break from Copthorne after 20 minutes caught Badgers short at the back, keeper Connor Mitchell doing well to push the initial shot away , but the Copthorne attack being quickest to the ball to slot the ball into an empty net for 1-1..

Copthorne were worth their equal status in the game at that point, and Badgers rather fortuitously retook the lead with what turned out to be the winner 5 minutes before the interval, Mike Carty’s long range shot bobbling just in front of the keeper, the ball rebounding off the keeper’s chest for Henry Hill to alertly push the ball across the box for Ollie Smith to score unmarked in the 6 yard box.

Brockham were slightly better in the second half and had several half chances to extend their lead, lad of the match Stephen Kehl doing well to constantly be a thorn in the side of the opposition’s defence,  but the third Brockham goal would not come, and Copthorne sensed a surprise result.  The final 5 minutes were tense for Brockham as Copthorne put pressure on the Brockham goal, but William Bletso made several well timed last ditch tackles to keep his team ahead, Brockham seeing the game out to claim the three points.

Scoop Lad of the Match: Stephen Kehl

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

Report by Bryan Bletso

Dorking U18s 1 - 3 Redhill (Southern Youth League, Southern Section)

Dorking U18s hosted Redhill U18s on Monday night, just 5 days after the corresponding fixture had resulted in a 2-2 draw at Kiln Brown.  Dorking had the chance to move into the top 3 with a win, but another slow start gave the team just too much to do, and although Dorking bossed the second period, the team had just given themselves too much to do to get anything from the game.

Manager Simon Coffey gave a debut to Brockham Badgers U16 keeper Connor Mitchell, Mitchell doing well in the step up to the higher level despite the defeat. Mitchell was unable to do anything about the sluggish Dorking start though, and a very poor team effort in the first period saw Doring 3-0 down at half time and with a mountain to climb.

A suitable half time team talk produced an instant response from the side, with Harry Lynn once more impressive at centre back, and Dorking came out a different team.  A Chris Thurgood goal made it 3-1 and really Dorking should have added to their tally as they created a series of chances which went begging, but Redhill held on to deny Dorking the comeback perhaps their second half display deserved.

Squad: Connor Mitchell, Ryan Butler, Nathan Crosbie, Harry Lynn, Ashley Smith, James Baker, Tom Coffey, Darryl Jeeves, Josh Clark, Mitchell Ward, Ryan Stewart
Subs: Jack Murrell, Chris Thurgood, Lewis Armstrong, Henry Warne


Report by Bryan Bletso

Worcester Park Colts 3 - 5 Badgers U9A (Epsom & Ewell League Premier Division)

This match was a crucial bottom of the table clash with both sides requiring 3 points to move closer to safety. 

The game kicked off and there was some excellent passing football by both teams with the play switching from end to end. Brockham won a free kick just inside the opposition half and Ed Russ struck a marvelous shot which dipped under the bar to give Brockham the lead. 

Worcester Park started playing some flowing football, whilst Brockham seemed to lose their concentration and they were soon punished by a brace of Worcester Park goals. Some excellent goal keeping by Will Timmons kept Brockham in the game and, just before half time, a long throw delivered into the Worcester Park penalty area fell to Jos Hunt who finished well to make it 2-2 at half time.

Brockham Manager, Jason Rabbetts, brought on Archie Routleff and Matthew Chapman for the second half and made some positional changes which seemed to have a positive impact from the kickoff. Brockham started to dominate the game and George Wryde sprinted down the left, delivering a perfect cross for Joe Rabbetts to finish and give the away side the advantage. 

A further 2 goals by Ed Russ gave him a hat-trick and capped a really strong performance. Brockham conceded a soft goal a minute from full time but it was too little too late for Worcester Park and Brockham came away with all 3 points. 

Man of the Match: Ed Russ 

Report by Rick Russ

Badgers U14A 0 - 3 Spelthorne Sports (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Brockham Badgers U14A lost 3-0 to Spelthorne Sports this weekend but can be pleased with the general progress they have made in the second half of the season.

The Badgers industry and inter-play matched their opposition and for spells they enjoyed the larger share of possession.  Unfortunately it was goal scoring opportunities that were lacking this week.  Whilst well organised and looking far more solid than earlier stages of the season, the black and whites struggled to create any real threat on goal.

In all honesty Spelthorne were not doing particularly better but when chances came they put them away.  James Rabbetts in the Brockham goal had two outstanding saves at full stretch for the cameras but the three goals from Spelthorne were unstoppable and the only other chances they had.

Luc Jhugroo had an outstanding game in the centre of defence – his positioning and decision making in a different class.  Justin Tarrant worked tirelessly and Simon Vakeva-Baird again continued to impress on the left.  Brockham can be pleased that they no longer look out of their depth.  Yes they go into most of their matches this season as underdogs but now the opposition have to work very much harder to break them down.

Lad of the Match:  Luc Jhugroo

Report by Jason Rabbetts

Cranleigh 1 - 5 Badgers U16A 5 (Horsham and District B League); Badgers U16B 3 - 1Horsham Tigers (Horsham and District D League)

Brockham U16A secured a good away win at Cranleigh maintaining for now their 2^nd place in the division, albeit having played more games than the clubs around them in the table.

It was a perfect start for Brockham, Aaron Clark latching on to a through ball to slot the ball home in the 2^nd minute.  But Cranleigh came back into the game, and slack marking from a corner gave the home side what was a deserved equaliser 20 minutes into the game.  Brockham though stepped up the tempo, and Clark again showed quick reactions to latch on to a loose ball in the box to make it 2-1 before good work from Will Bletso down the Cranliegh left saw him deliver a ball into the box which was coolly side footed home by Henry Hill.

Brockham looked more assured at the back in the second period, with lad of the match Henry Smith workmanlike at left back and Connor Mitchell commanding in goal, and Brockham were able to withstand the pressure Cranleigh tried to exert in the second half.   Brockham were also breaking quickly, Stephen Kehl forging a good attacking partnership with Clark while Mike Carty and Joe Parker were using the ball to good effect in midfield.   And when Clark grabbed his hattrick with 15 minutes to go, Brockham really were safe, the game definitely sealed in the final minutes with the best goal of the game seeing Charlie Holmes deliver a delightful ball into the box for Clark to meet on the half volley and make it 5-1

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

Meanwhile the U16Bs pulled off their best result of the season with a 3-1 home victory over 2^nd placed Horsham Tigers to move into 3^rd spot in their league.  Lad of the match and hat-trick hero was Dan Hoad whose three goals gave the side a great win.

Report by Bryan Bletso

Redhill 2 - 2 Dorking U18s (Southern Youth League Southern Section)

Dorking FC U18s (the youth team for Badgers' affiliated senior club) moved up to 4th in the Southern Youth League Southern section with a draw on Thursday night at Redhill's Kiln Brow ground.  With games in hand on most of the team's above Dorking in the league, manager Simon Coffey is hopeful his side can push into the top 3 spots in the league in coming weeks as the side have a lot of games to play before the end of the season due to previous postponements.

On a difficult surface, Dorking started slowly and defended poorly enabling Redhill to take a 2 goal lead into the interval.  However a tactical change saw Thomas Coffey moved from centre back to the heart of midfield, and with the team seeing more of the ball, and Harry Lynn playing superbly at centre back, Dorking started to dominate.
 

Dorking pulled it back to 2-1 when Josh Clarke scored from a corner.  Dorking then applied a fair bit of pressure, and got their reward when substitute Mitchell Ward used his pace to good effect to force a penalty with 5 minutes to go.  Captain Chris Thurgood took responsibility for the spot kick to score and equalise for the team, both sides having chances to win the match in the final stages, but a draw probably being the right result.

Dorking have an immediate chance to go one better against Redhill U18s when Redhill visit Meadowbank on Monday for the home league game, kick off 7.45pm.

Squad: Henry Warne, Ryan Butler, ,Ashley Smith, Harry Lynn, Tom Coffey, James Baker, Stephen Batchelor, Daryl Jeeves, Josh Clarke, Chris Thurgood, Ryan Stewart 
Subs :Jack Murrell, Nathan Crosbie, Mitchel Ward, Conner Mitchell


Report by Bryan Bletso

Badgers U14A 3 - 2 Leatherhead Youth (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

All the effort paid off this weekend when Brockham at last broke their duck in the Surrey Youth League with a win against local rivals Leatherhead.  The Badgers deserved the victory on balance but certainly put their coaching team and parents through the emotional mangle to achieve it.

Brockham more than matched Leatherhead through the early stages of the game.  Sam Lloyd and Justin Tarrant were breaking up play in midfield, winning the loose balls and feeding the creative Lewis Wood, and playing balls into wide areas to good effect.  It was from the right channel that Joe Silver opened his account with a stunning solo effort.  At speed he drove to the bye-line riding three challenges en route.  Just when everyone thought he’d gone too far he banged a cannon of a shot from a tight angle into the top corner.

Leatherhead’s frustration in midfield was evident but despite having little time on the ball to play there were signs of good link up play from their two front men that on two occasions tested James Rabbetts in the black and white’s goal.  Rabbetts was on form today though, coming off his line well, communicating to good effect, and gathering balls to quell danger when needed.

Brockham expected a response from Leatherhead in the second half and so it came.  A sustained period of pressure for fifteen minutes tested the Badgers but the back line and keeper met the challenge. 

Brockham wrestled back the advantage and went close with two fine efforts from Martin.  The first a fierce dipping shot that the Leatherhead keeper saved superbly at full stretch, the second a free kick that almost crept inside the far post unchallenged.  Then Brockham grabbed their second.  A ball from the left ran across the area where Martin picked it up wide on the right, he jinked past a challenge and passed the ball across goal for Silver to tap in for his brace.

The game ebbed and flowed.  Both teams had goals disallowed for offside and some hairy moments in the Brockham area saw the ball bobble, bounce, and ping around on three occasions – but for the assured hands of Rabbetts, the Tanners could have been level.

Leatherhead got their rewards however soon after.  Brockham switched off momentarily, allowing Leatherhead to press and run at goal.   A tidy one-two between their forwards saw them nick a goal back.  Everyone then thought the game had been levelled following a ball in from the Leatherhead left but the ball was adjudged to have breached the bye-line before the cross came in.

The Badgers then saw a second off-side decision cancel out a goal of their own when Silver, free on the left and running at pace, passed for Martin to stroke the ball past the keeper.  This was followed by a barnstorming run at goal by Lloyd.  With a simple touch left or right of the keeper he could have put Brockham out of sight but instead elected for power and blasted the ball over.  Martin had an identical opportunity two minutes later but shot directly at the Tanners keeper.  Almost immediately the Tanners responded with a goal to level the game five minutes from the end to send the opposition supporters into confident cheer and Brockham’s ruing their chances.

Silver had other plans though.  He was on a hat-trick and when Alex Flint neatly played a ball between the Leatherhead full back and centre half Silver grabbed his chance.  He shrugged off two challenges, put on the after burners and buried it.  A terrific result and a glimmer, just a glimmer of hope.

Lads of the Match:  James Rabbetts and Joe Silver

Report by Jason Rabbetts