Brockham Badgers U15A saw a 2-0 lead slip away on Saturday as they failed to make their dominance count and take all three points

The early exchanges saw Roffey hit the post, but otherwise it was mainly Brockham and it was no real surprise when Ollie Legg neatly slotted the ball past the keeper to put Brockham ahead on twenty minutes. Stephen Kehl almost extended the lead just before the interval, but Badgers looked well placed at half time.

The second half was an eventful affair, Liam Doyle scoring a good goal just five minutes into the second period,  after an exchange of passes with Henry Hill.

Roffey then missed a penalty before two goals in quick succession midway through the half brought the Robins right back into the game.

Badgers responded well, and could have wrapped up the win in the final ten minutes as they created a succession of chances, including seeing a penalty saved in a frantic period of play. But Roffey hung on to take a share of the points leaving Brockham still sitting in second spot with only one defeat so far this season.

Scoop Lad of the Match: Jamie Salmon

Squad: Connor Mitchell, Joe Parker, Tim Hopkins, Henry Smith, Tom Bletso, Jack Hunt, Liam Doyle, Stephen Kehl, Ollie Legg, Mike Carty, Ollie Smith,Henry Hill, Jamie Salmon

A superb Chris Brooks hatrick secured the first double of the season for the U14As over Barnes Eagles Colts on a compact pitch in South-West London.

This was a very satisfying performance from the whole team, Badgers slowly taking a grip on the match and opening the scoring on twenty minutes when Ross Bangs slipped a good pass through to Brooks, whose speed and strength took him past the defender and round the keeper.

Just eight minutes later it was a similar story, with good work from Harvey Mewis again finding Brooks, who still needed to work an opening before finishing well.

Barnes pulled a goal back just before the break with a clever shot from the angle of the area, but Brockham went into the break feeling quite comfortable.

With good reason too, as just minutes into the second half Brooks received a short corner from Jack Wyllie and played a teasing high cross into the area, where Mike Richardson pounced with a powerful header for 3-1. Shortly afterwards, Richardson was tripped in the area but Oli Winter saw his penalty well saved by the brilliant and brave Barnes keeper, whose personal dual with Chris Brooks kept his team in the game on many occasions.

Barnes took heart from this and reduced the arrears again with a smart headed goal and, for a ten minute spell, the home side looked capable of drawing level. Unfortunately their purple patch ended with a defensive mix-up that gifted Badgers the softest of own goals, and then Brooks wrapped up the points with his third - yet another burst of blistering pace taking him past the defender before finishing sweetly into the corner.

There was just time for Dennis Rapson to bring off a fine save in the Brockham goal in an otherwise quiet match for him. Not surprisingly Chris Brooks was named joint Lad of the Match, sharing the spoils with Jack Wyllie whose link up play on the right with Brooks in particular, and keenness to receive the ball, were exemplary.
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Squad: Dennis Rapson, Will Mahoney, Matt Higgins, Alex Nicholson, Ross Bangs, William Bletso, Josh Brown, Oli Winter, Liam Ratcliffe, Harvey Mewis, Jack Wyllie, Mike Richardson, George Coffey, Chris Brooks.

Brockham Badgers went down to their first home defeat in the league against the unlikely opposition of Queens Park.

After totally dominating a first half in which the away team rarely crossed the half-way line, Badgers failed to take their chances and ended the match without reward.

The match started with Badgers taking immediate control, and the football was pleasing on the eye as Brockham passed the ball around the pitch. With Angus Hodge and Ollie Kong driving forward through the middle, and Jamie Hanwell and Fynn Symister both attacking effectively from the flanks, it seemed only a matter of time before the Badgers scored.  

In fact, they did have the ball in the net twice in the first half only to have both efforts disallowed by the linesman’s flag. The second was a excellent team move which was finished by Jack Heaselwood after a fine cross from Hanwell on the left. Rory Gale then came close with a drive from outside the box which whistled wide.  Symister put in a couple of dangerous crosses, and Heaslewood came close with a free kick.

Queens Park started the second half with a more positive attitude, and managed to match the Badgers who were running out of stamina as the game progressed. So it was no real surprise when Queens Park scored after twenty minutes with an excellent strike from outside the box, which even Tom Wells could not keep out.

Brockham’s response was immediate and a chance was made and not taken within seconds of the re-start. However, as the game wore on, there were to be no last minute reprieves for the Badgers who finished with a few bursts of energy, but without the decisive finish of previous matches.

It was unfortunate that one of the Queens Park lads got his marching orders in the last few moments for handing out verbal abuse to the referee because, despite this, it was an enjoyable match.

Lad of the Match: Fynn Symister for a very impactful first half performance.

The Surrey FA County Cup second round saw Brockham Badgers pitched against Orpington Rovers – peculiarly from Kent!  Nobody would be drawn on predicting the result before the start, given the opposition were completely unknown, but there needn’t have been any reservations as this turned out to be a convincing win for the Badgers, taking them to the third round for the first time.

The tempo of the match was set pretty much from the start.  Lewis Wood, Sam Lloyd and Oscar Cremmen dominated midfield from start to finish, and balls out to Luke Brightman and Simon Vakeva-Baird on either flank were producing threatening attacks from the very first minute.  Brightman, Lloyd, and Vakeva-Baird all went close in the opening forays and Alex Flint even had the ball in the net but was adjudged to be off-side.

On eight minutes Cremmen got Brockham off the mark.  Lloyd had won the ball in midfield and fed the pacey Brightman on the right.  Brightman’s cross was dangerous and could only be diverted to the edge of the area by the Orpington defence.  Cremmen was lurking with intent and blasted a left footed shot into the bottom corner to give the Badgers the lead.

Next, Cremmen became provider.  Receiving the ball in midfield from Wood, he put the ball into space for the resurgent Vakeva-Baird to advance onto from the left.  Vakeva-Baird took his marker on and won the pace and strength battle before despatching an arcing shot above the retreating Orpington keeper.

Brockham smelt blood and from then on it was all much of a one-sided affair with goals coming in a blur of attacking waves.  Vakeva-Baird bagged a second from close range and Brightman’s incisive running was rewarded with a well placed shot that he passed into the net beyond the reach of the keeper after the Orpington defence had failed to clear.

Orpington did go into half time hanging on to a thread of hope by grabbing what proved to be a consolation goal shortly before the break.  Their persistence at putting the ball through the middle was rewarded when one such move beat the off-side trap and left their strong and skilful striker one-on-one with James Rabbetts in the Brockham goal.  Rabbetts came off his line quickly and met the Orpington striker on the edge of the area.  The ball was nipped around him though and the Rovers marksman passed the ball into the net from ten yards.

 A few changes at half-time brought some added spice to Brockham’s intentions, with all three substitutes, Jordan Martin, Ollie Gout, and Alistair Masson feeling they could help put the game out of sight.  Martin wasted no time by scoring Brockham’s fifth and sixth in quick succession.  His second being the best – a thunderous shot that nearly took the net off the goal.

Martin then contributed to Vakeva-Baird’s hatrick.  He whipped a fabulous corner onto the head of Vakeva-Baird, who used his height advantage to great effect, placing the ball with power and accuracy.  It was a great set-piece that the manager wished he could claim was straight off the training ground!

Brightman nabbed a second for himself with a determined run into the box before receiving neatly and finishing calmly, taking the score to 8-1.  Luc Jhugroo, having scored only once in the previous two seasons, scored his second of this campaign getting onto the end of another great corner from Martin and finishing confidently from short range.

Neither Martin nor Brightman were to be outdone by Vakeva-Baird and, following his substitution, took their chances to grab a hatrick each to add to his triple score.  Both were one-on-ones with the keeper and both were finished with aplomb after rounding Orpington’s last man.

Lad of the Match:  Simon Vakeva-Baird

Brockham started brilliantly when some great movement from Andy Kensit, opened a gap for Kehl to slide him through to open the scoring. Then another through ball ended in Sam Campbell scoring a brilliantly finished goal. Shortly after Kehl sent in a scuffed corner which ended up in the net after some defenders missed the ball. Then Brockham fell asleep and Maidenbower cashed in and scored just before half time. 

After half time, Brockham gave away some free kicks in dangerous areas but Maidenbower failed to take advantage.

Then some good play on the right by Will Hearn finished up with Louis Clark scoring from close range. Then Kehl had a shot that went narrowly wide.

Some good play from Maidenbower got them a deserved second. Kehl then put in a cross that was superbly headed in by James Quinn. Maidenbower then got another in a goal mouth scramble. But then Clark finished a one-on-one to make it 6-3.

Maidenbower scored a late goal which made the score 6-4 at the final whistle.

Whilst this was a good result for Badgers there is plenty of room for improvement if we want to win the League this season.

Brockham ran at this game from the kick off and continued with the same pace and determination for the rest of the match.

Turner’s sprinting runs forward and close control gave the visitors a fright within seconds and he came very close to opening the scoring with a great shot in the seventh minute.

Tiley, playing like a forward possesed, also went close just six minutes later, when his shot was well saved. The packed formations in midfield were beginning to open up, with some attractive passing team play.

At the other end, a ball that was slotted through to a galloping Ockley attacker was met by an alert Warne, the Brockham keeper. The Badgers’ forwards were having an easy time of it but their defence and midfield showed equal amounts of resolve and an assured touch.

On twenty minutes, some inspired Brockham play almost paid off, when Purcell and Potts interlinked passes and touched on to Tiley, whose shot clipped the post. Tiley was at it again seconds later, but his attempt went wide. He made no mistake on 23 minutes though, when Potts surged his way past all on-comers and delivered an accurate cross for Tiley to thud in the opener.

Brockham pressure continued and in the half’s last minute Turner sprinted out of defence with the ball at his feet. He nudged the ball to Dogansoy, who turned and passed forward for Tiley to chase. It was one-on-one and Tiley kept his head to make it 2-0 at half-time.

After the break, the Ockley side were hit by a footballing juggernaut and never quite recovered as the Badgers stamped their authority all over the park. After just two minutes Tiley was again in the thick of the action when his shot cannoned of a hapless defender en-route to the net and his hatrick.

The away side were still adjusting when another incisive pass found Teague on the edge of he area. The Brockham player showed a touch of class with a long range tip over the advancing keeper for 4-0.

The hosts now dominated all areas of the game and looked only to increase their tally. The inevitable happened on eleven minutes when Dogansoy split the Acorn’s defence with a well timed ball to Tiley, whose neat control took him past one defender and he then outsmarted the keeper to knock in his fourth and Brockham's fifth.

The clock was running down when a beautifully weighted pass from Watson unleashed Teague to chase and catch before the keeper arrived. He calmly and intelligently chipped over the goalie to grab the sixth and last goal of the day.

Man of the Match: Wilbur Tiley

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

A slow start by the young Badgers against a strong Wolves team suggested we were in for a tight battle.  The Wolves were quicker out of the blocks and several visits to the Badgers goalmouth saw a couple of shots go wide of the goal.  The Badgers were rather half hearted and sloppy in their tackling – puzzling for a team with so much talent! 

It wasn’t until midway through the first half that the Badgers finally kicked into action with Max Austin spurting up the right hand side, taking the ball up to the goal line before unleashing a shot in towards goal.  The goalkeeper did well to push the ball away.  Unfortunately it fell to the feet of the Badgers' Aidan Torpey who was quick to poke the ball into the rear of the Wolves net. 

Early after half time Thomas Hemming emerged from deep within the Wolves half to power into the penalty area and provide the final pass for Wolves to square the match at 1–1. 

Badgers' Justin Hurst clearly took exception to this and, receiving the ball from Torpey at the restart, he promptly dribbled past all the Wolves players in his way, into the penalty area before launching the ball high into the roof of the net.  He then turned  provider for the next goal, as he delivered a cross to the left hand side for Austin to score and give the Badgers a 3- 1 lead. 

The  Badgers then kept the pressure up with numerous attacks.  Man of the Match Hurst received an excellent pass from Torpey on the edge of the penalty area.  He curled the ball around the goalkeeper to squeeze it just inside the right hand post and seal a 4-1 victory.

Man of the Match: Justin Hurst

Brockham: Fergus McGoogan, Aidan Torpey, Justin Hurst, Max Austin, Jed Simister, Joseph Issberner, Matthew Ford, Harry Fairley  

A good performance today.

A lapse of concentration midway through first half saw Hearts score their goals, but the Badgers got stronger as the game went on. 

Brockham kept tight in the second half and had a good few chances themselves. 

Well done to Matthew Parisi for taking over in goal, to Man of the Match Luke Morris - and to all the boys.  Let's build on the second half performance for next week's game!

Squad:  Alex White, Jacob Evans, James Brown, Jed Simister, Luke Morris, Luke Pock, Matthew Parisi, Paddy Doyle, Will Ingram.