Matchday 34 New Milton Town 1 Brockenhurst 1

4 April 2026

When these two teams met at the Meadens just after Christmas, one was in the playoff spots and the other in the bottom two.  Fast-forward to Easter; if the game had been played a week ago, the status quo would have prevailed, but then on Wednesday Lavvy won at Sherborne to nip past Brock and into 5^th.  Also on Tuesday – let’s give a bit of credit to Hythe and Dibden.  They were the worst-affected team through all the postponements and had a ridiculous number of games to play, and it looked as though exhaustion had caught up with them when they conceded seven goals in three games out of four… and then out of nowhere they beat playoff-chasing Downton 2-1 on Tuesday night.  Fair play to them!  And then on Thursday Wincanton continued their unlikely revival by beating Ham Rec, it’s probably come slightly too late for them but the flame of hope still flickers, at least. 

Anyway, back to Fawcett- no, apparently it’s now the MA Hart Stadium, which confused me because until recently that would have meant Christchurch.   The flickering flame for New Milton very much in the last chance saloon (something of a mixed metaphor, sorry); the Brickies came into the game knowing that anything but a win would see them relegated, regardless of results elsewhere.  Great crowd of 249, the vast majority of them supporting the hosts, as they sought the most unlikely of escapes – and they might have made the perfect start.  Rossi, back for Brock after his lengthy suspension, underhit a clearance and offered Jake Carswell a golden chance after just 25 seconds, brilliantly saved by Valero.  Two minutes later, Carswell found space on the right but overhit his cross… but the Badgers responded positively, and took the lead on 5 minutes when the home defence backed off Noel McCarthy-Gardiner 20 yards out who found the corner of the net (silencing a small group of fans behind the goal who had booed when he picked up the ball…!).  But New Milton weren’t going to go down without a fight, and there followed a litany of missed opportunities: 8 minutes, a cross from Coat, volleyed wide by Harry Smith.  12 minutes, Carswell beat two defenders, played a neat 1-2, good shot brilliantly tipped over by Valero.  20 minutes, the best chance of the lot – Drake judged to have fouled Broad (I think) in the box, Harry Smith blazed the spot-kick high and wide.  Justice done, perhaps.  31 minutes, Coat curled an effort towards the top corner, caught by Valero; 35 minutes, Carswell again, twisting and turning, pulled back to Smith ten yards out, lifted over the bar; 38 minutes, the ball broke to Smith in the box, brilliant save from Valero, rebound superbly blocked by MacFarlane.  That makes it sound like one-way traffic, and it was more even than that, but Brock were struggling to create clear chances despite some very promising positions.  One superb shot from Demira, turned away by keeper Thomas; and a neat combination between Walker and Beale, with Walker’s shot saved.   But the hosts finished the half strongly – Valero missed a corner and MacFarlane cleared off the line, then Dixon blasted over the bar, and right on the whistle Coat turned on a sixpence in the box and forced another fine save from Valero, tipping over.  HT 0-1

It will be obvious from the above that the Brickies were very definitely giving it a go, and they made another fast start in the second half – a quick break, deep cross but Coat couldn’t control at the back post.  Walker for Brock with a cross superbly blocked behind by Nixon, but it was a day when too many Brock crosses were hitting the first man or else being claimed comfortably by the keeper; and too many long balls forward were hopeful rather than accurate, and coming straight back at them.  53 minutes, a free kick: Lowes smashed it goalwards and it hit his own man Smith, and 5 minutes later another chance for Smith, a loose ball spinning in the box and his connection went just wide of the far post.  But finally, on 65, the Brickies found their equaliser, Louis Thomson finding the far corner from the edge of the box.  Hard to say it was undeserved… But what followed was a lot of huff and puff with limited quality in the final third from both sides.  72 minutes, Lowes tried his luck from about 40 yards, the ball went wide but it might have troubled Valero if it had been a yard or two to the right… and then twice, in injury time, Niall Dixon found himself with the freedom of the Brock half as the Badgers pushed for a winner, but he pulled one shot wide of the near post, and hit one wide of the far post, and that was that.  FT 1-1

A draw was the result nobody wanted, but in the end it didn’t matter for New Milton because Poppies beat Christchurch – their first win since 3 January! – so the flame would have been extinguished anyway.  And that result, together with Wincanton’s defeat at Portland, probably wraps up the relegation places.  Not so with the playoff spots – absolutely wide open, everyone down to at least Petersfield is definitely in with a shout.

For Brock, this was a really disappointing afternoon.  After taking an early lead, they simply weren’t able to take advantage of several promising positions, and far too often they were much to easy to play through in the midfield, for all Toby Bailey’s heroics.  But for Jordi, the outcome could have been far worse; but something’s not quite clicking and it feels as though the season is drifting away.  Badgers will need an improvement at Baffins on Tuesday.  As for the Brickies, they could well bounce back next season, and good luck to them. 

Final note – Stoneham duly booked their place at Wembley in the Vase against Cockfosters.  Huge congratulations to the Purps!