Brockenhurst 3 Bournemouth 3

13 August 2024

Games already coming thick and fast – fifth game of the season for the Badgers, at home to Poppies who visited at a similar stage last season and sneaked away with all three points thanks to two late goals in a game which Brock had dominated without capitalising.  Gray was missing for the Badgers, but Rhys Taylor returned, and the early-season line-up looked quite familiar.  For Poppies, three ex-Badgers on show: Davis and Stanley at the back, and Nixon on the bench.

Both sides will feel with some justification that they could, maybe should, have won this game; in all honesty a draw was probably the right result, even though the scores were barely level throughout the match after Poppies had taken the lead midway through the first half.  That goal came from a free kick out on the right which Spink bundled home from about 8 yards, under not nearly enough pressure from the home defence, but it wasn’t against the run of play: Brock started slowly and Poppies had threatened consistently from the off.  Wearden hit a swerving shot just wide in the 6th minute, livewire Bakary – causing all sorts of problems with his pace down the left – cut inside and Butler blocked his powerful shot behind for a corner.  Pearce-Eavis got his head onto that corner and the ball might have been heading into his own net before Butler punched it clear… It wasn’t quite one-way traffic but Brock weren’t offering much of a threat, too slow in possession and trying to play in tight triangles rather than using the space.  It nearly paid off on 28, but Simpson’s shot from a narrow angle was blocked behind by keeper Lewiarz; but Poppies looked more likely to extend the lead: Bakary’s fine run ending with a shot over the bar, Smith shooting too close to Butler, Fishlock clearing the bar, and on 38 a comedy of errors in the box which ultimately resulted in a goal kick for Brock. 

All of which made the equaliser on 39 minutes something of a surprise.  It came from nothing but persistence: a Brock corner, cleared to the edge of the box, Walker hitting a shot under pressure which didn’t look powerful enough but found the corner.  Lewiarz will feel he should have done better.  Buoyed by that, the Badgers suddenly found an extra yard, and within 5 minutes they had gone in front: excellent run down the right by man of the match Walker, perfect cross dispatched confidently by Adams.  A very fine goal, out of all context of what had gone before, and the Badgers had a half-time lead.  HT 2-1

There was almost a dramatic start to the second half: Brock’s kickoff was launched forward to nobody in particular, but Stanley’s pass to his defensive partner Davis was too casual and the ever-alert Walker sped in, intercepted the ball and put in a dangerous cross: cleared, out to Bakary racing down the left, his cross met by Smith, good save Butler.  Bakary then did have the ball in the net but was offside; Spink, wearing #3 but regularly turning up all over the pitch, created another chance for Bakary but his shot was weak, then Spink himself with one shot straight at Butler and another over the bar.  Brock looked more dangerous than in the first half but without really creating clear chances; and Poppies should surely have levelled on 73, I’d need a replay to understand how the Badgers escaped – a cross, panic in the back line, the ball bobbling around before being hooked clear to the edge of the box where the shot was blocked.  Brock were still seeking the killer goal and the press was working better: sub Moreno intercepted in a great position high up the pitch but his lob cleared the bar as well as Lewiarz.  And finally, on 83, the visitors’ pressure told: yet another cross from the left, headed home powerfully by Davis.  Not so fast: within a minute, Rhys Taylor picked up a loose ball 25 yards out and hit a searing shot, swerving all the way beyond Lewiarz and into the far corner of the net.  Outstanding strike, best goal of the game by a distance, and Brock were back in front.  Could they hold it this time?  It seemed so, as the game moved into injury time.  Poppies won a corner, Cheshire free at the near post but his header was wide; and that should have been that.  But one last, long hopeful ball from Poppies, three defenders missed it and watched as LeClercq, given the freedom of the penalty area, beat Butler for 3-3.  Cue bedlam from the visiting bench and subs; last kick of the game; honours even.  FT 3-3

As a Badgers fan, the ending was hugely dispiriting because three points were right there; and for the second home game in a row, a goal conceded with the last kick.  On reflection, Poppies should have been out of sight by half-time, and they deserved their point, although Rhys’ goal deserved to win any game.  That goal, and his all-round performance, might have earned him the mango, but the sponsors (yeah that includes me) went with Walker who was consistently lively, as well as getting a goal and an assist.  Better than Saturday, but still much to work on with so many games over the next couple of weeks… starting with Hamble Club… see you there.