Matchday 30 Hythe & Dibden 0 Brockenhurst 7 (seven)

19 March 2026

Before I start today, a small whinge.  I know, not like me… Some of you will have noticed that New Milton Town lost 9-0 at Stoneham at the weekend (credit to the Purps here, two 9-0 wins in a season!).  Anyway the Brickies have six games left – and they are all at home.  All six.  Yes, fixture planning is tough, but there are still five Saturdays to go and surely at least one of those five should feature an away game?  I get all the arguments about the weather, and that in the end you play everyone home and away, but this does seem to give New Milton a degree of advantage which isn’t quite fair.  Whether they can make anything of it is probably a different matter, but it does grate a little, especially as Brock’s final four Saturdays are all away.  Just – not very good. 

Moving on.  It’s been a difficult time for the Badgers: three defeats in six days, one goal scored and seven conceded, not terrible performances but just a bit below their best and that’s been enough.  And then they were due to go back to the Hythe Garage Stadium – already a soggy mess on Thursday evening – for a league game against & Dibden… postponed because of that soggy mess… but rearranged for this Thursday instead.   Meanwhile, a whole bunch of games on Saturday and another whole bunch on Tuesday have really seen the playoff battle tighten up.  Every team down at least Ham Rec in 11^th will know that a strong finish to the season should see them into the top five.  OK, Badgers, over to you!  Tonight, up against a Hythe team who are now up to 17^th, 12 points above the drop-zone and still with games in hand.  And, the time of the season being what it is, the hosts had already played at home on Tuesday, so a degree of rotation or exhaustion (or both) was to be expected. 

This was a Brock team decimated by suspensions, and featuring returns from the start – and for the full 90 minutes – for Tyler Wellman and Rian Drake, both returning from long-term injuries.  It was also a Brock team which put in its most compelling and complete performance of the calendar year, probably since Bemerton were beaten by the same scoreline in December.  Razor-sharp up front, dominant in midfield, solid in defence and with an outstanding goalkeeping performance, the Badgers raced into an early lead and never looked back.  Five minutes, free kick 25 yards out, curled into the top corner by Ashton Palmier for his first Brock goal.  One minute and 26 seconds later, he added his second: sublime slide-rule pass from Toby Colmer to set him clear, and Palmier comfortably beat keeper Parnham.  More could swiftly have followed – a powerful shot from Toms blocked behind for a corner; a loose ball in the box hammered goalwards by Demira, outstanding save from Parnham.  Hythe were struggling to get into the game, epitomised when Hewson held the ball up skilfully but his teammate – wearing 14 but starting the game – couldn’t control it when he had a chance to get clear down the flank.  22 minutes, a beautiful flowing Brock move, Brooks to Beale, cross to Palmier for the hat-trick, another excellent save – but within 30 seconds the keeper was left helpless when Demira held possession on the left and found Drake, who lobbed the ball over him into the top corner.  Did he mean it?  well, he said so, and who am I to argue?  Hythe did then have a couple of moments – Sexton shot powerfully from 20 yards just over the bar; a dangerous free kick into the box superbly headed away by Bailey – back came Brock, another free kick, Crooks attempting a clearance and just deflecting it over his own bar, a feat repeated by Batt with a defensive header which went just over.  The corner bounced loose to Demira, Parnham to the rescue again (what might the score have been without him?) – but then in overtime, a break from the hosts, Josh Crittenden clean though, superb save from Jordi Valero.  HT 0-3

The balance didn’t change in the second half; Badgers on fire.  Palmier hit the outside of the post within five minutes from a tight angle, Parnham made another good save at his near post to deny Colmer… the fourth goal duly came along on 57 minutes, Freddie Beale doing Freddie Beale things, cutting in from the right wing and swerving a shot into the far corner.  We were pretty much right behind this, and the movement on the ball obviously confused Parnham.  To their credit, the men in green didn’t quit, and they really should have pulled one back when Hewson was left alone in the box, ten yards out – superb save from Valero, making himself big and blocking the shot.  But then on 64, a moment Parnham won’t want to see again, Beale again darting in off the right wing but his shot went right through the keeper to make it 5-0.  Brock now rang the changes, bringing on youngsters Elliot Wells and Will Giles, both of whom looked completely at home, Wells putting in one deep cross which Beale at the back post headed just wide.  15 minutes to go, a nasty moment – sub Speechley-Price chased a long ball, Parnham came out, and the two collided heavily and both required treatment.  Fortunately both able to continue, there was nothing malicious and both were clearly going for the ball, but – oof!  8 to go… another Brock cross, half-cleared to the edge of the box, Toby Colmer with a fine clean strike into the corner, going in from the moment he hit it.  87 minutes, Crittenden again for Hythe, clean through with only Valero to beat – again, Valero the winner in the one-on-one battle, three outstanding saves for the evening.  Then Brock put the icing on it just into overtime, a wonderful run from Giles from left back, searing into the opposition half… box… hitting a powerful cross-shot which Parnham could only parry and Speechley-Price tucked the loose ball home from a couple of yards.  And still time for a shot from Sexton for Hythe, blocked over the bar by Burgess to preserve the clean sheet and round off a pretty much perfect evening for the Badgers.  FT 0-7

OK so I started with a moan.  I’m closing with a smile.  Superb performance from the whole team tonight, starters and subs.  Some amazing saves from Jordi, 90 very good minutes from Rian and Tyler, another commanding midfield performance from Toby (and from Toby, too), Freddie being Freddie, Ash with two excellent goals to open his Brock account –I could go on, and in fact I will because Will Giles deserves to be highlighted for a very accomplished performance when he came on for the last half-hour.  But everyone can, and will, be proud.  Just the kickstart Brock needed after a disappointing run of form; now the test is to take this forward to Christchurch on Saturday… yeah, less than 48 hours… see you then!