Brockenhurst 1 Andover New Street 3

15 February 2025

Unusually for me, I’m going to start with a word about the opposition.  What a brilliant achievement to get to the quarter-finals of the Vase!  Brock fans don’t need long memories to remember getting to the fifth round, or equalising with the last kick of the game.  But winning the tie on penalties… that eluded us.  So, huge congratulations to Andover New Street, good luck against Heanor Town on 1 March – and who knows, if Portland gets waterlogged, a fair few of us might find ourselves joining the throng at the Foxcotte…

Anyway, back to today.  Strong opposition, evidently, riding high.  And some important absentees for the Badgers – captain Wellman, plus midfielders Taylor and Channell: none of them enforcers, exactly, but players who can bring some physicality… it felt like a big miss…

After a close first half, where neither team really hit the heights, the visitors ultimately ran out pretty comfortable winners.  Indeed they will probably go home wondering how they didn’t improve their goal difference further in the last 20 minutes.  For all that, it was Brock who opened the scoring inside six minutes with a clever move down the left, overlapping run from Drake and the cross bundled home at the near post by Harry Bunce for what was, remarkably, his first goal of the season.  That lead lasted six minutes: a Street corner came off the face of the crossbar, was recycled, and Griffiths rose highest to head in impressively off the far post.  It could have got worse for Brock almost immediately: on 14 minutes Valero rushed out from his box to meet a long ball, just got there before the striker but didn’t get enough distance on his clearance but Lock’s goalbound shot from 30 yards was cleared by Burns… and from the ensuring corner, Valero missed the ball and Lock missed from about a yard (not quite sure how!).  Andover were getting on top but the Badgers were menacing on the break, chasing defenders down and pressuring them into misplaced passes… but little goalmouth action for the rest of the half – Griffiths curled a shot wide, Herbert headed wide from a decent position, and six minutes before the break, the closest the visitors came: a deep cross hit Drake at the back post and almost rolled in, Valero just getting down to push it away.  Brock broke, Adams taken out late, nothing given – and Adams complained sufficiently to find his way into the sinbin.  HT 1-1

While Adams was actually off the pitch for twelve minutes, Street couldn’t take advantage of the extra man.  56 minutes, a cross pulled back to the edge of the box, sub Rawkins clearing bar, fence, buildings…  another clever Andover move, Williams with a cute pass but Valero just ahead of Lock.  The visitors were now dominating possession and territory, and the Badgers were struggling to gain any kind of foothold, but they might have snatched the lead on 64 when Walker chased down a long ball near the touchline, beat the keeper to the ball and managed to direct the ball goalwards, but a covering defender was back to clear.  Midway through the half, and Andover stepped it up.  Lewis Wiiliams, brilliant all afternoon, twisted and turned, sat Steel down and created space for himself ten yards out – firm low shot, excellently saved by Valero. Steel and Peel were then in a grappling match – defensive free kick given to Brock, possibly somewhat fortunate.  And within a minute, Webber and Peel in a grappling match – this time, penalty given, hammered down the centre by Sweeney.  If the keeper had stood still, it would have hit him, but he’d dived, 1-2.  And with eleven minutes to go, Williams was set free in acres of space down the left and just when it seemed obvious he would square it to Peel for a tap-in, he curled a shot into the far corner to extend the lead.  A goal he deserved, to be fair.   How Wiliiams didn’t add to his tally in the final ten minutes is more of a mystery as the Badgers seemed to tire.  First he hit the post – brilliant effort, this, no back-lift – the ball skewing across goal and Herbert unable to turn it home. Then a great header from a free kick which flew just over the bar; and then, three minutes to go, Drake slipped – almost his only error of the afternoon – Williams watched as Valero slipped also, and lobbed the ball wide of the near post.  But nothing much was going the other way, and Street saw it out comfortably.  FT 1-3

No arguments this afternoon; the better side won.  That bit bigger and stronger, a few more options on the ball, and after a pretty scrappy first half the visitors gave the ball away far less.  It looked a tough assignment for Brock to be fair, especially given the absentees, and they probably needed everything to come off – spotting the passes quickly and being brave enough to play them.  The sponsors made Corey man of the match, which was fine by me; I’d have gone with Rian but it was between those two.  Ben worked exceptionally hard up front, and nobody shirked their duties, but in the end I’ll hold my hands up and say that you can see why Andover New Street are play-off challengers.  And I was about to comment on us playing another team in green next week at Ham Rec, but then I remember the mid-season friendly, hopefully everyone can make it on Wednesday for the charity game for Jordan Chiedozie against near-neighbours New Milton Town…