Matchday 3 Bournemouth 1 Brockenhurst 0

12 August 2025

It’s been a tough start to the season for the Badgers; defeats against a team from the division above, and two of the stronger sides in the division who might well be challenging at the top end of the table by April.  And of course, it hasn’t been helped by the now-traditional injury crisis, exacerbated by holidays, which has left some parts of the squad looking pretty threadbare.  No matter: matchday 3, away at Bournemouth Poppies, the nearest Wessex League ground to my home and the only one I can walk to!  No team board in sight though; disappointing.

This felt like something of a reunion: four starters and one sub for the Poppies having played for Brock in recent memory.  Do you always score against a former club?  Well…

It wasn’t the greatest match ever witnessed in the Wessex and – perhaps because of the familiarity – it seemed remarkably tetchy, both on the pitch and in the dugouts.  Then again I don’t normally stand near the dugouts, maybe it’s always like that!  A very early alarm for Brock when a cross from the left within the first 30 seconds saw Valero have to palm away a ball that was probably heading into the net, but the game settled and the two teams were mostly pretty evenly matched.  That’s probably a kind way of saying that neither was quite hitting its straps; some poor decision-making on both sides when in good attacking positions, but also a lack of accuracy with the final pass.  Jake Adams, so recently a  Badger, beat a couple of players as he cut in from the right but the ball ran away from him… then he took a free kick wide on the left which went through a crowd before finally being cleared… at the other end, another former Badger Jonny Davis was having an excellent game at centre back for the Poppies, snuffing out any hint of danger… until on 28 minutes, the best Brock move of the game, excellent pass from Burgess, Rossi brought the ball down inside the box but was off-balance and his shot was off target.  Ten minutes later a sharp Poppies break, initiated by Meddah, out to Adams, but his cross was too deep and Simpson could only attempt an overhead kick: on target but lacking power, caught by Valero.  Neither side had really come close.  HT 0-0

A bright start to the second half from the Badgers, within 30 seconds Rossi got to the byline and putting in a dangerous cross which evaded everyone – and suddenly, the Poppies were ahead.  One long ball forward and Simpson, on the very edge of offside, ran through unchallenged before shooting over Valero into the far corner.  So yes, sometimes you score against your former club.  An excellent finish – would that he’d done that a bit more often for Brock last season! – and now the hosts had something to hold onto.  They’d also worked out that the long ball forward was a good tactic, which they employed a lot more often for the remainder of the game.  The closest Brock came to an equaliser was four minutes later when Brooks found space for a powerful cross-shot and Davis made an outstanding clearance right in front of goal; two minutes later, Gray matched it, somehow clearing a free kick behind for a corner, itself not comfortably dealt with… What remained, for 35 minutes, were half-chances and scrambles at both ends.  Crosses too high, passes when shots might have been a better option.  The kindest thing to say about the last ten minutes is that “the game got stretched”, with no real pattern or shape to it; Poppies were slowing the game down when they could, and who can blame them, and Brock were urgent but without the necessary calmness.  One good shot on target from Batley, playing as a makeshift striker, well hit but straight at Plunkett… into injury time, a good Poppies move between Roberts and Adams, shot well saved by Valero and the rebound blazed high and wide.  A final corner for the Badgers – not properly cleared – clipped over the bar, and that was that.  FT 1-0

There wasn’t really much between these teams but one team scored and one didn’t; that’s my summary.  Brock’s back four were excellent in the first half, ably assisted by Jamie Blackburn who had his best game so far in this stint at the club.  But – I have to say it – the Badgers looked pretty toothless.  Still no league goals, in three games, and that’s a worry.  Oscar McCulloch was very lively when he came on, Ryan Batley was a surprisingly good centre forward (!), but chances were few and far between.  Saturday’s game at Wincanton just took on greater significance…