The boys lost their way early in the second half, inviting continuous Eagles pressure by losing the midfield battle. The re-introduction of Bangs in the Bergkamp/Cantona role (he was earlier replaced by Thomas in central defence) changed the game back in the boys’ favour. Bangs slowed the game down and made a string of intelligent passes from which the prolific Mackrell scored the decisive goals.

In the end the win was comfortable and well deserved.  Pizza all round!

The lads then faced the full winter sun in their eyes for the second half and the Badgers' keeper Morrison was called upon to save a number of times as Maidenbower piled on the pressure.  Maidenbower’s renewed vigour was rewarded by the equaliser after a spell of sustained effort. The Badgers manager made a substitution and super-sub Will Vinter was at the end of a rebound from the Maidenbower keeper, and colly slotted it into the back of the net.  A last minute save from the Badgers keeper ensured a well deserved win for Brockham.

Lad-of-the-match: William Vinter – winning goal scorer.

This second goal seemed to be a wake up call for Brockham. Michael Carty and Callum Tilling pushed forward from defence with some fine passing to midfielders Josh Caldwell and Harry Roberts. The Badgers' first real chance of the match fell to Otto Young who exchanged some fine passed with Daniel Hoad before shooting just over the bar from the edge of the box. MeanwhileJamie Davidson and Joe Stradling defended extremely well, forcing the Panthers' attackers wide.

Just before half-time, Brockham were thwarted when a shot from Ben Stokoe was expertly saved and Hoad struck the rebound from the edge of the box just wide of the post.

Brockham started the second half with sustained pressure on the St Pauls goal with Liam Doyle, George Duckworth and Nathan Acheson linking up well. At the other end, the Badgers' keeper Whetnall made two excellent saves and was only beaten when St Pauls caught out the Brockham defence on a break from midfield. 

Lad-of-the-Match: Liam Doyle

The Badgers started the game well and, with Oliver Curtis playing as sole striker, took the lead when Curtis' cross was met by Smith. Smith's shot was parried into the path of captain Thomas Bletso who put Badgers 1-0 up - the first time this season Lingfield had been behind.

With defenders Robbie Ventham and David Atkinson giving their all at the back, and sweeper Matthew Gill playing with authority, Brockham held Lingfield at bay for large chunks of the first half - but Lingfield equalised shortly before half time, when a sweeping move and cross was hit home from close range.

All square at half-time, but the Badgers were very much in this game with Sam Norkett and James Morgan outstanding at full back.  Brockham soaked up the pressure in the second half and, when Lingfield did find a way through, keeper George Corfield did well to keep his concentration and produced one stunning save to keep his side level.  As legs tired, the Badgers could have taken a shock late lead when Ruff put in Smith  - and then Curtis just failed to hit the target when through. But a minute from full time, a Lingfield free kick found its way through a maze of defenders and into the net. Then, to rub salt into the wounds, Lingfield added a third deep in injury time.

The late defeat could not hide a fantastic performance from the boys and they will look to get back to winning ways at Storrington next week.

The U10As were in good spirits for their away trip to Division 1 leaders Stoneleigh Athletic in the Epsom and Ewell League.

On a pitch resembling the fields of Flanders, Badgers used their wide players to great effect, avoiding the mud bath in the centre. After only five minutes, Bertie Edwards-Hedges lashed in a fierce shot from the left, which was parried by the Stoneleigh keeper - but William Mahoney latched onto the rebound with a crisp shot into the bottom left corner.

The first half continued with intense pressure from both sides and goalmouth incidents at both ends. Michael Ellis was busier than usual in the Brockham goal, and the defensive pairing of Alex Nicholson and Ross Bangs had to cope with the mud and a slippery Stoneleigh number 8. In the thick of the action, a hard working Oliver Winter slipped a pass out to Edwards-Hedges who won a corner. The lofted ball in was knocked back across goal by Mahoney for Edwards-Hedges to tap in - Brockham two-up. However, Stoneleigh found their way back into the match when a shot squirmed through the keeper's legs and they managed to find an equaliser before the interval.

The second half began with more Stoneleigh pressure which paid off when they scored a third and took the lead for the first time in the match. All the Badgers’ hard work looked to be in vain. But the tireless Coffey had other ideas, providing a great cross for Mahoney to grab his second and level the scores at 3-3.

Both sides were now desperate for the winner. Matthew Higgins kept the Stoneleigh number 8 in check and Harry Morland focussed on winning balls in the middle. The decider came against the run of play with a lob over the Badgers’ keeper giving Stoneleigh a 4-3 victory. Brockham could nevertheless be proud to have put in a gutsy performance under difficult conditions.

Brockham Lad-of-the-Match:  George Coffey - for dogged determination in the centre.

West Byfleet Scorpions   2 - 1   Brockham Badgers U10b

Stoneleigh   2 - 4   Brockham Badgers U10c

Report by Duncan Hanwell

When the final whistle blew, the U9 (Whites) came off the field not knowing how they had managed to lose a game they had completely dominated in attack, midfield and defence. But they failed to turn possession into goals and lost out to an unstoppable volley.

The match started promisingly enough with Brockham looking like they meant business. From the kick-off, Daniel Mahony dribbled through the entire Walton Warriors team and it was only a last ditch foot, stuck in by a defender as they shot was taken, that stopped the ball from hitting the target.

Having lost the home fixture 9-1, fielding a depleted side, the U10Cs raised their game to exact sweet revenge, by winning 4-2 at Stoneleigh.

A scrappy goal put Brockham behind midway through the first half, but they produced their gutsiest display of the season, scoring three terrific goals to turn the match around before half-time.

Axel Davies quickly equalised, outpacing the Stoneleigh defence to finish beautifully with his left foot. Brockham then forced a series of corners, and Alex Dean latched onto a loose clearance to slam the ball into the corner of the net from outside the box - his first goal for the club and an absolute gem. With their tails up, the Badgers went for more and the dependable Tim Hines got his captain’s goal - winning the ball in midfield and hitting it early from 25 yards, straight into the corner.

Stoneleigh exerted a lot of pressure at the start of the second hal, and got their reward to bring the score back to 3-2. But their heads went down when Michael Cooke managed to force the ball home from a Brockham corner - his first goal of the season. Well deserved.

With Simon Watson playing on in goal after a tough challenge, and Daniel Hall, Thomas Nokes and Jamie Hanwell all contributing, the Badgers held on for a comfortable win to move them back above Stoneleigh in the league.

Lad-of-the-Match:  Alex Dean - for strength, positioning and commitment.

So it was completely against the run of play when, five minutes before half-time, a clearance from defence dropped perfectly onto a Walton boot and the ball was returned with the most exquisite volley from fifteen yards. It dipped just under the crossbar and Walton had an unlikely half-time lead.

The second half was the same story – only more so. Daniel was everywhere. Archie Knight came on in midfield and supported wave-after-wave of Brockham attacks. Sam Lloyd was busy and strong on the right wing and twice found himself through on goal. The first shot was a first-time effort which went wide and the second was, unluckily, sliced. On any other day….

Brockham continued to press forward, with Tom making runs out of defence. A couple of holes began to appear at the back but Jamie Luckins was, as ever, “safe hands” in goal, and Oliver Vaughan (on at right back) made a timely late challenge. However, the Badgers failed to turn possession into goals, unable to score for the second successive match, and succumbed to another 1-0 defeat.

They may feel they didn’t create enough chances for all their dominance; there were just four clear-cut attempts despite more than a dozen corners. Often the ball was taken very wide up the wing, relying on a cross from the dead ball line, when playing an early pass through the middle would have split the defence – it is perhaps telling that Brockham’s two best chances came from angled passes along the ground and through the middle. Still, this is a team full of talent and commitment and, with a friendly match in which to take stock next week, they are sure to overcome the disappointment and push on in the second half of the season.