After an uneven first half, Brockham Badgers U11A showed commitment and composure to pull away from Epsom and Ewell Colts and win 2-1.

From the start both sides struggled to stamp any authority on the game.  Epsom and Ewell edged territory and possession but rarely threatened the Brockham goal – their first shot on target came after fifteen minutes.  Brockham needed a further ten minutes to register their first good chance from an Ashley Marshall shot.

Brockham looked a different side in the second half after some tactical changes by manager Jason Rabbetts. Player of the week, Lewis Wood, and Ashley Marshall took control of the midfield and, together with a sound defence, denied Epsom and Ewell time and space.  Chris Walton calmly closed off Epsom and Ewell’s right and launched effective counter-attacks through William Pereira. Luke Brightman made a series of rampaging runs down the right.

Results came quickly.  Wood threaded an elegant ball through to Marshall who found Sam Lloyd in space in front of goal.  Lloyd finished with great composure.  Luke Brightman’s diagonal shot from the right was deflected in to make the score 2-0.  Only the bravery of the Epsom and Ewell keeper denied James Rabbetts.

Until just before the end Brockham looked comfortable, but some loose defending gave Epsom and Ewell a last chance.  From a corner they managed to loop a shot over Jamie Luckins in goal, and not even the despairing effort by George Gomes managed to keep the ball out.

It has taken Brockham a few games to become accustomed to the 11-a-side game against Premier Division opposition in the Epsom and Ewell league.  But now they can look forward to a good season, pushing the leaders.

Player of the week: Lewis Wood.

Team: Jamie Luckins, George Gomes, Alistair Masson, Luc Jhugroo, Chris Walton, Tom Charman, Luke Brightman, Ashley Marshall (c), James Rabbetts, Lewis Wood, William Pereira, Sam Lloyd, Cameron Boychuk, Alex Flint

The same fixture last season saw 5 goals in a fiercely fought contest and this game produced another spectacle.

From the kick off the pace was quick and at times frantic.  Despite the battles for control of the midfield, the play did not get stuck in the middle ground; we saw a true end-to-end flow of good passing and attacking football.

The Badgers team, three players down on their usual line up, recruited Donegan who made his defensive qualities known in the first few minutes, with his sweeping and well judged reading of the game.

On nine minutes, the stalemate was almost broken when a Walton surge produced a scramble, a matter of feet away from the Badgers' goal. It had keeper Warne bravely making a double save, one from floor level, to stop the home team from opening their account.

Turner, Killick and Donegan marshalled the center of the field effectively for long periods but Walton were always dangerous on the break. Some over-zealous tackling almost marred an entertaining encouter.

Five minutes of the half remained when a cross was met and controlled skillfully by Morland, who then finished with a very well struck shot to put Brockham one-up. The lead lasted for all of a minute as Warriors struck back with the ball bouncing unpredictably across the Badgers line.

With only two minutes left the home side attacked again. A cracking shot by a Walton forward would have flown in had it not been met by a brilliant save from Warne. The half finished up with more pressure from both sides but neither could produce goals from some fine playmaking.

With it all square, Walton kicked off for the second half and launched a determined assault, bringing another commendable stop from the Brockham keeper. Eventually though the pressure told and the Warriors shot into the lead after a neat turn near the area in only the second minute.

The play swung back and forth and the control was even-stevens, with little room for errors. In the fourth minute Brockham pushed up and Watson collected the ball at the corner edge of the area and, taking his time, shot perfectly through the crowded Walton defence and into the net. The Badgers were back level at 2-2..

The Warriors response was to attack again in waves, occasionally breaking past the tenacious presence of Teague, Turner and Donegan. The pace was at times lightning quick and the competition remained intense.

With six minutes to go before the final whistle, a messy Brockham clearance gave Walton the opportunity to rifle the ball back towards an open goal and regain the lead.

The game saw out its last few moments with runs, strikes, breaks and more ding-dong action. There were seconds left on the clock when Morland whacked in a long range shot, which looked goal bound until deflected over the bar by the head of a defender.

A shame that any team loses after a game of such spirit, vitality and ability but an otherwise encouraging performance from Brockham.

Team: Daniel Killick, Joe Teague, Zak Morland, Oliver Turner, Rufus Watson, George Warne, Jamie Donegan

The U8 Blacks managed to field an excellent line up in spite of several ‘regulars’ missing, due to holidays.

With navigation systems being blamed for a few late arrivals, the usual warm up session was cut short.  Brockham kicked off and started a little slowly. The players seemed to find it difficult to keep to their positions initially.  It wasn’t until their first goal that the team settled down into the routine they had enjoyed in their last match.

Max Austin took the initiative to surge through the Albury defence, placing the ball neatly between the goalkeeper and defender into the back of the net. The pressure from Brockham then increased, with both Austin and Justin Hurst flashing shots just outside left hand post.  Albury then had a surge themselves, but Brockham’s Paddy Doyle and Jed Simister were resolute in defence.  

Simister took the opportunity to push forward from deep, attempting a cheeky lob over the goalkeeper, which just scraped over the bar.  Joseph Issberner then put a number of useful runs together up the right hand side, passing several players on the way.  It was noticeable that the youngsters weren’t giving their team mates passing options, as often the numerous impressive attacks fizzled to nothing.  Oliver Kail worked tirelessly in the mid field both tackling well and bringing the ball forward.

In the second half Hurst took over in goal and promptly hoofed one up the pitch.  Austin picked it up and hit a speculative long distance attempt at goal, which was well parried by the goalkeeper.  Austin showed good instinct to follow up and promptly tapped the ball into the back of the net to double Brockham’s advantage.  Following more pressure from Brockham, the Albury goalkeeper cleared, but only as far as Aiden Torpey who brought it neatly under control before passing a couple of players and drilling the ball into the net (3-0).  

Albury promptly launched a counter attack taking Brockham by surprise, with a quick shot whizzing just past the outside of the left post.  They kept coming forward, but Kail and Simister continued to cut out their attacks.  

Hurst then exchanged the keeping jumper with Austin.  The Brockham pressure continued and a misunderstanding between an Albury defender and goalkeeper saw Hurst pounce, driving the ball into the back of the net for the Badgers’ fourth goal. 

The scoring was completed when Torpey, on another break, was chopped down just outside the box.  He quickly recovered to take the free kick and placed a screaming shot into the top right hand corner. Towards the end of the game there were good runs into space by Torpey and Hurst (even if it was the same space at times!)  With more of those runs and into separate spaces, opposition defences are going to have their work cut out in future matches!

The Half-Term Holidays took their toll on the U8 Whites squad, and they took to the field missing five regulars.

They faced a strong Albury Griffins team and eventually lost 4-1, but they can take heart from some good performances and the goal scored by Jack Sherwood.

Man of the Match: Chris Drew

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