Brockenhurst 0 US Portsmouth 2

31 August 2024

I was thinking this week about my season preview, when I said I was slightly nervous about where the goals would come from.  Six away at Hythe in the Vase, six away at Cowes in the league – top scorers in the Premier Division, although teams have played very different numbers of games.  Against that, second most conceded – and there was me thinking that we looked pretty solid defensively.  All of which proves conclusively, not for the first time, that the manager and Director of Football know an awful lot more about the game than I do, which is a good thing for Brock…

Next up, home to US Portsmouth, who haven’t had a great start to the season and arrived without a point from their first three matches (and out of three cup competitions also).  One change for Brock, with Jake Adams away and replaced by Lyle Simpson.

This was a thoroughly frustrating and dispiriting after for the Badgers, who never came close to matching the quality they had shown in their last two games.  The visitors were physical – not unfairly so – disciplined and organised: excellent off the ball and showing real energy and determination.  Brock, for all their possession, spent most of the game playing in front of US Portsmouth, sometimes pretty but never effective.  The single best moment of quality came on 15 minutes, when the ball was sprayed out to the left and appeared to be running out of play but Drepo put on the afterburners, reached it before Burns, and crossed to the penalty spot where Quirke arrived to smash the ball home.  An excellent goal.  They could have added a second five minutes later, but Quirke wasn’t quite able to squeeze the pass back to Drepo who would have been clean through… Brock kept plugging away but the passing was too slow and laboured, and ironically the closest they came was when keeper O’Donnell missed his kick and the ball deflected fortuitously to a defender rather than Simpson.  Just before the break, Brock’s best move of the whole match: excellent long pass to Moreno down the left, cross into the box, Pearce-Eavis twisting in the air and his header coming back off the bar.  HT 0-1

The pattern didn’t change in the second half: Drepo created a chance for Clements, whose shot was weak; and another fine counter from the visitors which Drake got back to intercept in the nick of time.  But nothing much was coming the other way: Brock needed a spark, someone with that bit of magic or creativity, and nobody ever looked likely to provide it.  McCarthy-Gardiner came off the bench, and his pace did finally begin to stretch the defence without generating a clear scoring chance… and then for the final few minutes Burns went up top, which did generate more of a threat but ultimately allowed the US Portsmouth subs their time in the sun.  Three seconds from full time, an outstanding run from Holgate, his deflected cross was probably going in but Walters bundled it home right on the line.  And there was still time for Jones to shank his shot horribly when all alone in front of goal; and for Holgate’s next cross to be behind the onrushing Ayre.  FT 0-2

We love sport for its unpredictability, right?  Sometimes.  A really deflating afternoon for Brock, ironically validating the concerns I’d had pre-season but which had been largely dispelled.  What went wrong?  US Portsmouth were more defensively-minded than the last two opponents and very well organised with it.  They were stronger and more physical.  The pitch wasn’t great.  None of those remotely constitute excuses for a performance which was lethargic and strangely uninspired.  It happens, and I’m sure the players are even frustrated than the fans were.  I was surprised Danny didn’t try to change it sooner but he’ll have had his reasons, and he knows a lot more than me (see above).  Anyway, two games this week to put it right, starting at The Nest on Tuesday…