Matchday 15 Brockenhurst 3 AFC Stoneham 2

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 great chance to test themselves against the best out there.  For me as a spectator – well, I was just looking forward to it, no particular expectation but anticipating a really enjoyable game of football. 

And indeed, this was truly an outstanding advert for the Wessex League – two quality teams, both trying to play football albeit with different styles, plenty of goals… as I’ll come on to shortly.   Excellent crowd too of 194, including quite a few visitors which made for a really good atmosphere. 

A bright, open start to the game – two teams testing each other out, the first shot on 9 minutes from Luke Holmes, swirling but caught comfortably by Lee.  Up the other end – Martins with a cross, Sampson the header, tipped over by Valero.  Gradually, the Purps upped their game and started to dominate possession and territory, the Brock back four having a proper workout and standing up well.  Free kicks, corners, crosses… one deep cross punched away by Valero but insufficient distance, straight to Martins – Valero raced out to make an excellent block.  It felt inevitable that the visitors would find a breakthrough – not from Martins, free header wide from a corner – not from Martins again when he couldn’t quite stretch enough at the back post to turn in Miller’s flick-on.  Not from Jenkins either, another fine save from Valero… but then the goal came in the cruellest fashion, a shot from Ryan Cluett heading wide of the far post (we were right in line with it) but it struck Rossi and was diverted in for an own goal.  That was on 32 minutes – and within four, Brock could, maybe should have been level, a brilliant run from Holmes sending Bent in on goal and his shot beat Lee but came back off the post and away.  Small margins… HT 0-1

Hard to argue with the half-time score in all honesty, Stoneham had just about been the better side but no reason for Badgers fans to be despondent.  Within four minutes of the restart, Holmes had slalomed his way past four defenders before shooting just wide from the edge of the box.  Another spell of Stoneham pressure – a shot deflected and curling just wide, a corner punched by Valero straight onto a Purps head but bouncing wide – and then one of those avoidable moments, Valero with a careless clearance straight to Martins, excellent block from Macfarlane but the ball rolled loose to Sampson and he finished into the roof of the net, 0-2.  Someone close to me muttered, “I can’t see us coming back from this now”, but that someone had clearly not been watching Brock closely enough in the last few weeks – excellent fitness levels and never give up.  64 minutes, livewire Freddie Beale with another super run down the right, pulled back to Bent, shot blocked but turned home by Holmes at the back post to give the Badgers a lifeline.  Three minutes later, another great Beale cross, volleyed by sub Walker but an excellent block… but now the Purps – in mint green – were playing on the break and taking their time whenever possible, and Brock had the conch.  12 minutes from time, star man Luke Holmes, the ball sticking to his foot like a magnet, knocked over in a tackle but getting up and going again, chipping a cross to the back post, Dylan Walker rising like – well, yes, like a salmon – perfect header back across goal and in to level things up.  Bedlam… Valero gave the visitors a chance to retake the lead when he cleared straight to Sampson, but Rossi made an excellent interception – and from the resulting corner, Dyer headed goalwards but caught by Valero just under the bar.  Time now running out… three minutes to go… another Brock attack, the ball blocked, half-cleared towards the edge of the area, returned on the volley with interest by Walker, smashing home his second and Brock’s third.  Cue pandemonium on the pitch and in the stands!  Now, were the Badgers going to be able to hold on?  Somehow, yes: right on 90 minutes, a Stoneham free kick caused mayhem in the area, Miller couldn’t quite get a touch, ball recycled from the byline and to be honest I’m not quite sure how it ended up in Valero’s grateful arms, so many bodies and so many legs swinging at it five yards out.  Even then, time for a free kick from Owen Fee, brilliantly turned away by Valero, the last meaningful action of a highly entertaining, breathless match.  FT 3-2

Magnificent, guys, just magnificent.  Luke Holmes justifiably named man of the match, the centre of most of the good things Brock did – which he couldn’t have done without a pair of Tobys putting out fires, and in which he was ably supported by Freddie firing down the right.  Jamie and Henry were very reliable full-backs; Liam and Marce were superb in the centre of defence against a very good team.  Jordi made some top saves.  Dylan came on, scored two, and barely gets a mention (haha).  Completely unfair to everyone else, because this is a team game, and it was a team win: resilient, keep going to the end, find a way.  Did you know that Brock last completed four straight league wins in December 2023?  (You thought it was longer too, huh?)  I haven’t yet looked for 5 – not tempting fate – but maybe that glorious Autumn of 2021… and there are signs, now, that this team isn’t so very far off that level.  Results elsewhere may mean that nothing much changes in the table, but this was a statement performance and a statement win from the Badgers, and it sent the fans – this fan at least – home very happy indeed.  Look out above: we’re on our way.