2 December 2025 So the weather duly beat the Badgers for the second Saturday running, and your intrepid reporter decided not to go watch a neutral game, but to stay home on the sofa and watch the racing… and I could write about that for hours too, but that would be a very different blog, mostly about seizing your opportunity when it comes along – take a bow, Golden Ace! But ten days without a game ahead of a visit to one of the leading teams in the division doesn’t seem idea

27 November 2025 So, a week has passed since Brock’s long unbeaten run came to an end against a very good Stoneham side in the Russell Cotes, and there were mitigations for that. Since then, a postponement against Sherborne… and I’m going to finish that thought right there because I don’t really need to relive my chaotic Saturday experience! Now for something completely different, and a cup tie against near neighbours New Milton Town. The visitors have had some difficult d

18 November 2025 OK so maybe I should start by tidying up the third goalscorer from Saturday… except, I can’t. Luke is officially in the record books as the scorer; apologies to him that none of us in the stands identified this but I’d need to see a replay to be able to do anything like “tidying up”. It was a goal, part of a 3-0 win, and that’s enough for me! So, tonight: 17 days ago, these two sides met in a pulsating league encounter which the Badgers won having fallen

15 November 2025 Storm Claudia did her worst, then – and for the New Forest, that wasn’t nearly as bad as the forecast. So, somewhat unexpectedly, a depleted Badgers squad up against Bournemouth Poppies. The pitch was always going to be heavy for this one, let’s be honest – quality, flowing football likely to be at a premium! Actually that comment is hugely unfair to Brock, who despite the conditions managed to play some very decent football on their way to a comfortab

8 November 2025 Did you know… Brock don’t have another midweek league game scheduled until we host East Cowes Vics in April? There are a few cup games ahead, of course, and no doubt there will be a couple of weekend postponements as we move through the winter, but the great advantage of playing so many games early in the season is that we’re ahead of the curve. And you certainly won’t find me complaining about fewer freezing Tuesdays (nor, indeed, about more cup games becau

4 November 2025 Matchday 16, already! And no time for Brock to rest on their laurels after the outstanding win against Stoneham on Saturday – straight back into action in the rearranged game against Laverstock & Ford. In all the excitement at the weekend I also forgot to mention the very welcome return of Tyler Wellman, supporters’ player of the season in 24/25 before breaking a bone in his foot and finally coming off the bench as we entered injury time to get his first min

1 November 2025 Nights drawing in, Hallowe’en behind us, into November – and a treat of a game to look forward to. Brock came into this in pretty good form and on the back of three straight league wins – three wins which had, on occasion, featured some outstanding football. And in the purple corner, AFC Stoneham – top of the table, title favourites, and with a run of nine successive league victories halted with a draw this week against HamRec. For the Badgers, this was a g

25 October 2025 Is it just me, or… there’s been an absolute epidemic of abandoned games for serious player injury this season, hasn’t there? In the last seven or eight years, since we’ve been proper regulars, there have been maybe one or two games a year which are called off, usually because of floodlight “failure” (remember that, Portchester?) – but this year there seems to be one a week, all for serious player injury. What’s happening? Of course, we all agree that the sa

18 October 2025 Many of you probably went to the charity match last night – Brock Legends v Saints Legends. A terrific evening with some surprisingly fine goals and a whole lot of laughter. 4 minutes 30 on the clock and we’d already had three goals (including a very early and very dodgy penalty), Mark ‘Sparky’ Barker getting one back for the Badgers after going 2-0 down. Saints, and in particular Shane Long, then turned it on to lead 4-1: personal view is that Long was far

14 October 2025 Back to the island, then, and back to Beatrice Avenue: scene of an August Vase defeat on penalties, we won’t dwell on that one. As usual with trips over the water, there were some absentees which resulted in a changed side but one which looked, on paper, reasonable enough despite an alarming lack of available first-choice centre backs! That team was more than reasonable enough, as it turned out – a hugely impressive away performance, three comfortable po

11 October 2025 Boy the nights are closing in now, aren’t they? Suddenly feels an awful lot like Autumn (d’oh there might be a reason...

7 October 2025 What is it about Totton & Eling? Third year in a row that they’ve been drawn away at Brock in a cup competition – only...

4 October 2025 Matchday ten, then – and the return fixture against Millbrook, already! At least this curiosity is explained by the fact...

30 September 2025 So then, second round of the Southampton Senior Cup, and a second match for Brockenhurst against a team from the...

27 September 2025 Matchday nine already! Almost a quarter of the league season done, and the visit of one of the islanders – who are...

20 September 2025 So, credit to the young Badgers – brave but ultimately defeated by Dorchester in the FA Youth Cup. Fantastic crowd of...

16 September 2025 Important to start this evening by saying a huge thank you to everyone for the kind words at the weekend – to Maxine,...

13 September 2025 Now, first up, I need to complete that story I started two weeks ago huh? That weekend ten years ago, Laura and I...

9 September 2025 Couple of years since the Badgers visited Fiveheads (now rebranded as the Kingsmere Group Stadium), and this was a tough...

6 September 2025 This week, for something a bit different, I took in the FA Youth Cup Preliminary Round tie between the Brock U-18s and...