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

Chidingfold United 0 - 12 Badgers U10 A (South Surrey League)

Rain hung in the air, the sky was grey but the football was good enough to warm the cockles…

Badgers were very, very lively at kick-off.  Ezra Charles dispossessed his opponents and ran straight at the defenders before hitting a shot just wide.  This was a taste of things to come.  Ezra combined well with George to set up an early goal spree.  Ezra had four before half-time and George had been instrumental in many of them.  Ezra would return the favour for George and Brockham's answer to Dalglish and Rush was born.

The forwards applied a lot of pressure to the defence which had Chidingfold pinned back in their own half for long periods.  This brought about more goals from Oliver Yeates and Morgan Hamilton.  These two boys put in fantastic performances once again.  They are exceptional boys.  They can pass, dribble and tackle and have the engines needed to propel Brockham on to bigger and better things.

Morgan was felled in the box after an excellent run and as Ezra took the ball he had his legs taken away…  That's strong three penalty shouts in their last three games.  Luck is against the Badgers at the moment.

Half-Time: Chidingfold United 0 Brockham Badgers 8

With a comfortable cushion manager Simon Lees switched the boys round to experience different positions.  Toby Evans was an absolute revelation in midfield.  Joe Allen was stroking the ball around like Glen Hoddle at a "show and tell" session.

Henry Lucas's ability to read the game saw him intercept time after time in the first half.  In the second he was taking on defenders from his midfield position, scoring goals and whipping balls into the box.  It was a versatile performance

Adam "Full Power" Bower slammed home after taking the ball to the side of the keeper.  It was a very nicely taken goal.

George Lees was a no-nonsense stopper, delivering quality balls out from the back.  Ezra Charles kept goal and was quick to release the ball back into play.

The game ended with a high goal tally.  Ezra: 4; Oliver Y: 2; Morgan: 2; George: 1; Adam: 1; Henry: 1; Toby: 1.

Full-Time: Chidingfold United 0 Brockham Badgers 12

Man of The Match: very close again but Henry Lucas gets the vote with his impersonation of Franz Beckenbauer (defence or midfield, this boy can do it all)

Squad:Adam Bower, Henry Lucas, Joe Allen, Oliver Yeates, Morgan Hamilton, Ezra Charles, George Lees, Toby Evans

Report by Jason Charles

Badgers U9 Barbarians 0 - 0 Cranleigh Casuals (Horsham & District Youth League)

On a pitch heavy with a clay slurry generated by heavy overnight rain, Brockham Badgers U9 Barbarians were this week presented with the challenge of improving on a one-goal defeat in the away fixture against a strong Cranleigh team. Meeting this objective would require a return to pre-Christmas form, having been somewhat lethargic in the last two matches.

It seemed during the early stages of the match that the Barbarians still lacked vitality. Their efforts to play a quick passing game were – however - stymied by the conditions; mud clinging to ball and boot causing passes to go astray and runs to be mistimed. A blessing therefore, that in Tom Ambrose, Jethro Burton and William Glenn the team possesses players with the knack of being in the right place at the right time to defend the forward thrusts of a Cranleigh team which came to terms with the conditions much sooner than the black and whites. Time and again these three came to the rescue with an assertive tackle or simply by forcing an error by getting goal-side.

With perseverance and determination, the Barbarians gradually pushed Cranleigh back and by the halfway point in the first half had gained parity in terms of possession and threat. Ben Mackenzie seemed to skate on the surface of the mud down the right and with Arun Watkins on the left using his quick-feet to maximum effect these two gave the Cranleigh full-backs plenty of cause to be cautious about getting forward. The pitch did not, however, cooperate by allowing the kind of through-ball on which striker Callum Holder thrives, and clear goal-scoring opportunities were few and far-between.

The second half saw a continuation of a very evenly-matched midfield contest. Captain Lily Turner – surely the best female player in this league – was immense in providing cover for players pulled out of position and making well-timed tackles followed by effective distribution of the ball. Chances began to come, and the Cranleigh keeper made good saves from the likes of Watkins and Holder, the latter also thwarted by the post following a run and shot. In the Barbarians’ goal Huw Morgan – following his absence last week – showed his worth by executing two or three excellent saves.

The final whistle came as a relief to both sides as late chances at both ends threatened to unbalance the result in a manner which would not have been fair on either team after a game of endeavour, commitment and much excitement.

Players of the Match: Lily Turner and Tom Ambrose.

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

Report by Frank Holder

Bedfont Eagles 5 - 0 Badgers U14A (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Make no mistake; this Bedfont team are a very good side.  New to the Surrey Youth League they came with a threatening record of 260 goals in a single season from the Middlesex League last year, and this weekend Brockham got a taste of their clinical finishing.

Bedfont play with some style and fluidity and their comfort on the ball is equally matched by their organisation when out of possession.  An impressive give and go style stretched the Badgers from the first minute and before the black and whites had time to switch into gear the Eagles had scored, their striker putting the ball through the eye of a needle to place it just inside Brockham’s far post despite the narrow angle.

Five minutes later Bedfont doubled their lead.  Quick interplay in midfield pulled Brockham’s defence one way and then the other.  The Eagles front man was switching from one marker’s shoulder to another waiting to strike.  A clever through ball put him in and he struck a sharp shot which was parried by James Rabbetts in goal but finished on the rebound.

The Brockham boys now decided to swap their pyjamas for their football kits and started to press play better and get back into the game.  Jordan Martin was away once or twice on the right and Simon Vakeva-Baird was starting to find space on the left.  The midfield trio of Lewis Wood, Sam Lloyd, and Oscar Cremmen showed a glimmer of last week’s heart but were getting caught too flat pushing forward for a reply, leaving space behind for any counter to hit the Badgers backline without challenge.  Two balls from this space between the lines put the Eagles number 15 in on goal and with deadly precision he finished both - four goals down at half-time and a mountain to climb for Brockham.

The second half was a totally different affair.  Brockham had the best possession and the best chances.  They played with confidence and industry and the breaks started to come.  Wood, Lloyd and Cremmen were first to every ball and Jack Coppin who had moved wide left delivered two dangerous balls that Joe Silver and Jordan Martin came close to making count.

The difference in finishing between the two teams was however very evident.  Martin shot wide, Coppin over the bar, Silver was blocked and Brockham even had a penalty saved.  Inevitably they were made to pay.  Oli Gout, Justin Tarrant, George Gomes, Vakeva-Baird, and Luc Jhugroo had performed superbly in defence for the second period and were well organised when a counter from Bedfont ran at them.  Jhugroo cleared well with his head from a cross but an Eagle collected and was not closed quickly enough on the right.  A quick look up and he placed it top right.

Brockham can take some comfort from their second half performance.  If only they’d turned up in the first.

Lad of the Match:  Sam Lloyd

Report by Jason Rabbetts

Albury Saxons 0 - 9 Badgers U10 A (South Surrey Boys League)

With traffic hampering some of the Badger's faithful from arriving on time we were 2-0 up before I got chance to take my place in the press box.  The news was that Morgan Hamilton and Oliver Quigley had been first to get their names on the score-sheet.

Albury were no pushovers though.  Morgan seemed to lying quite deep, breaking up attacks and then beginning the raids on the Albury goal.  He soon scored his second with a shot that smashed into the roof of the net.  Box-to-box Morgan is as good as you'll see.

Just before half-time Ezra dispossessed a defender and as the ball squirmed free Oliver Yeates applied the finishing touch.

Half-Time: Albury Saxons 0 Brockham Badgers 4

The second half started well as Brockham played their football.  Henry Lucas was a huge influence on the game.  His impeccable distribution set off Morgan and Oliver Yeates for their runs from midfield.  Oliver and Morgan were releasing the ball to the wings and the whole side were playing as a team.

Adam Bower showed a new side to his game.  Yes, he still found time for his trademark swivel and smash at the far post and we know the goals make the headlines but…  Adam was strong in the middle of the field.  He broke up Albury attacks and never stopped running down opponents when he didn't have the ball.  Adam also got his passes off quickly after taking his touch.  The coaching is definitely paying off.  Adam got two goals but is looking like a real team player.

Oliver Quigley was finding his passing range and setting up chances.  Every game now we are seeing a little bit extra from him.  It was another fine performance.

Ezra scored his trademark dribble from the left and drive into the goal.  When he tried the same thing a few minutes later he ghosted past three defenders but was pulled down by the fourth.  It was the second time in two weeks he didn't get the possible penalty.

George Lees found the going tough in the middle of the pitch but on the wings he was unstoppable.  With the ball out in front of him, George showed pace and power.  He drove past the defenders time and time and delivered some fantastic crosses into the box.  One was so accurate that it hit Ezra on the head and went in.  He didn't know much about it and I'm sure he'd agree George deserves the plaudits for the crosses he put in.

Morgan and Oliver continued to dominate.  Joe Allen didn't put a foot wrong and saw one of his right foot drives fizz past the post.  'Radar' Allen was excellent throughout.

There was time for Oliver to get his second.  The team-work between himself and Morgan, both in attack and defence, was very special.

Final Score: Albury Saxons 0 Brockham Badgers 9

Man of The Match: Oliver Yeates, a close call, but Oliver's passing was fantastic (Brockham's own Lionel Messi)

Squad: George Lees, Joe Allen, Henry Lucas, Oliver Quigley, Oliver Yeates, Morgan Hamilton, Adam Bower, Ezra Charles

Report by Jason Charles

Dorking U18 2 - 1 Leatherhead (Southern Youth League South Division)

Dorking's U18 side made it a great night for the club with this exciting win over local rivals Leatherhead on Wednesday, the result coming on the same day as the first team won comprehensively at Croydon 4-1.  


Dorking are affiliated to Brockham Badgers FC and Badgers are a feeder side for Dorking U18s who are managed by Brockham Badgers U15A manager, Simon Coffey, assisted by Gordon Walker, the Brockham Badgers Girls U16 manager and a previous manager of both the Dorking U18 side and Badgers boys side.

Dorking's U18s now sit in 4th place in the division, seven points behind league leaders Leatherhead, but with 4 games in hand, although to be fair Croydon Athletic look the team likely to power on and win the league as they have won all their games to date but only have played 6 league matches due to continued involvement in cup competitions.

The win was particularly sweet for Simon Coffey's team as they had suffered a rare heavy defeat to Leatherhead several weeks before when seemingly every shot Leatherhead hit sped into the net from distance giving the Dorking keeper no chance in what otherwise had been a fairly even game.

Yet again, this encounter proved a competitive, fairly even affair, this time Dorking shading the match to return to winning ways.  Dorking had a good start, James Baker sweeping Chicks in front early on after man of the match and captain Harry Lynn had put Baker in on goal.  Dorking spurned several chances in the next 15 minutes, and gradually Leatherhead came back into the game.  Just before half time, Dorking keeper Henry Warne was adjudged somewhat harshly to have fouled a Leatherhead striker in the box, but Warne made immediate amends by pulling off a great save from the spot kick to keep Dorking in front.

Leatherhead deservedly equalised early in the second period, but with 15 minutes to go sub Mitchell Ward was involved in a good move which saw James Back play the ball on to Will Davis who fire the ball home and put Dorking U18s back in front.  Both sides had chances to score in the final minutes, Lynn doing superbly well to keep Leatherhead's dangerous strikers in check, but neither side could add to the scoring leaving Chicks with revenge for their defeat several weeks ago in the away fixture.

Squad: Henry Warne, Marcus Legg, Ashley Smith, Harry Lynn (c), Ryan Butler, Lewis Armstrong (Will Davis), Tom Coffey, Jack Murrell, James Baker, Ryan Stewart (Mitchell Ward), Nathan Crosbie.
Unused subs: Connor Mitchell, Isaac Philpott

Report by Bryan Bletso

Badgers U14A 2 - 2 Ashford Town (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

As Mick McCarthy philosophically once said after a run of frustrating results “you lose some, you draw some”, and so it is proving to be for Brockham Badgers U14A when they again came away with only a point from a game they thoroughly deserved to win.

Brockham started superbly.  Within one minute they were ahead when a corner from Jordan Martin was met with power and timing by Justin Tarrant to head home.  They were seemingly in cruise control two minutes later when they grabbed their second.  A cross from the left found Joe Silver running at goal.  His first touch was an instinctive strike from just inside the 18 yard area and it volleyed off the top of his foot to double the lead.

For the remainder of the first half Brockham dominated.  They played a high tempo pressing game that become frustrating for the visitors who were limited to only a single shot on goal which James Rabbetts coped with superbly, coming a long way off his line to close the angle and diffuse.  There were even one or two opportunities for Brockham to take their third.

Ashford started the second half brighter and for ten minutes edged the possession advantage.  There were signs of them coming back into the gain but Tarrant and Tom Hampshire were demonstrating a master class in defensive organisation and Alex Flint was linking up play well from an advanced position creating all sorts of problems for the Ashford defence who were drawn to him in the centre and being stretched when he released balls into Martin and Simon Vakeva-Baird on the flanks.  It could easily have been a stale mate for the remainder of the game.

Three game changing calls, however, went against the black and whites.  A jinking run down the Ashford left forced Tarrant to make a decision.  His ball winning tackle was adjudged to have come through the player first and with his position just inside the area the referee awarded a penalty which was very well despatched by the Ashford captain.

Brockham were still brimming with confidence and shortly afterwards had the Ashford back line in a panic.  A cross from Vakeva-Baird, who had been outstanding all game, was hit goalwards by Flint and a deflection off the keeper saw the ball rebound off the post.  In the melee it was difficult to see who had the final strike that bellowed the net but the Brockham boys reeled away in celebration thinking they’d settled it only for the linesman to rule a no-goal for off-side.  With an Ashford player on the line the Brockham forward must have been judged to have been between keeper and last defence when the ball first came in.

Minutes later, with renewed hunger and a feeling of lady luck on their side, Ashford pushed forward again.  A lovely piece of trickery from Sam Kandalaft for Ashford turned his marker and fed the ball inside, his supporting player’s strike was disappointing and fell behind the line for Brockham to clear, but the clearance was poorly judged and fell to the feet of a poaching Ashford forward who hit it first time past Rabbetts to level the game.

The remaining ten minutes saw both sides go for broke and it was a very even game from then on with both managers relieved to hear the final whistle.  After last week’s great comeback against Ashford it was Brockham’s turn to be on the receiving end of a fight back.  The Badger boys can take great pride and belief from another excellent performance – something that will stand them in good stead for the rest of the season.

Lad of the Match:  Simon Vakeva-Baird

Report by Jason Rabbetts

Badgers U15A 0 - 0 Hampton and Richmond Borough (Surrey Youth League Premier Elite)

Brockham finally earned their first point of 2011, and what a hard-earned point it was. Just two weeks ago Badgers had capitulated in the away fixture, going down 5-1. This time there was a collective determination to do better, and build on the promise shown in last week's performance against Wycombe Wanderers.

The defence was strengthened by, the appearance of Tom Wells in goal, who looked comfortable and made a couple of very decent saves, and new left-back Connor Baker, who had a very composed debut and was eager to push forward. Will Bletso built on recent strong performances and was just about impassable at centre back, with one tackle after another timed to perfection. In central midfield Mike Richardson was a pugnacious driving force from start to finish, while Chris Brooks and Harry Ramsey frightened the Hampton defence with their pace on many occasions.

The visitors probably shaded possession over the 80 minutes, and spent more time in and around the box, but Brockham had the most regrets by the end for a series of break-away chances in the second period. Most fell to Brooks, who turned on the turbo-chargers several times to win balls he shouldn't have got near, but on the day couldn't quite find the target with the final shot. On another day he would have bagged a hat-trick and his day will come again.

This was an excellent team effort on a miserably cold, wet day, a rare clean sheet and at least Badgers have rediscovered some points-winning form to carry into next week's derby with Leatherhead.

Squad:  Tom Wells, Liam Ratcliffe, Matt Higgins (c), Will Bletso, Connor Baker, Will Mahoney, Josh Brown, Oli Winter, Mike Richardson, Harvey Mewis, Jack Wyllie, Harry Ramsey, Chris Brooks, Alex Nicholson, George Coffey, Frankie Routleffe



Report by Bryan Bletso