PSF Brockenhurst 6 Abingdon United 1

27 July 2024

Final practice, then (sounds like a grand prix weekend!) – home to Abingdon United of the Hellenic League Division One.  (They get to play league games against the likes of Sporting Club Inkberrow, Tytherington Rocks and Cheltenham Saracens, and last season also Malmesbury Victoria.  Maybe you can spot a tinge of jealousy: since we lost our Harlequins, the Wessex League isn’t over-provided with splendid team names.) 

Still a few out injured, still a few on trial, but no unfamiliar faces for Brock today.  And from this observer’s perspective, it was almost the perfect afternoon – a comfortable win in the sunshine, regular outbreaks of good football, and a game played in a really good spirit, for which credit to the visitors as much as the hosts.  Almost perfect: we’ll come back to that…

From the off, the Badgers were playing a neat, precise passing game, on more than one occasion slicing through the defence like butter but without quite breaking the deadlock: one through-ball a few inches ahead of Burgess, a shot from the same player well saved by Cavanagh, a Pearce-Eavis interception setting up Atiako-Hall who shouldn’t have given Cavanagh the chance to make a fine save.  Trialist Tiago hit a powerful shot just tipped over; Atiako-Hall raced down the left, cut inside and saw his near-post shot well saved.  Abingdon were struggling to match the intensity and the intelligence of Brock’s play, and there was a brief period where their focus seemed to be on how often they could cuss in a single sentence.  It wasn’t quite one-way traffic though, what appeared to be a hopeful long ball forward from Abingdon wasn’t claimed by Butler, Cole flicked it past him and looked to be in on goal but Moore, as ever arriving from nowhere, blocked the attempt.  When Brock did take the lead, it came from nothing: the ball broke to Trialist Dylan 25 yards out and his shot didn’t appear to be powerful enough but it beat the keeper low to his left.  (The Shot-Shy Kids have learned their lesson!)  5 minutes later and the Badgers should have been further in front: a lovely move saw both Burgess and Atiako-Hall beyond the defence, the latter finally hit a shot which was saved but ran across goal, and Trialist Tiago couldn’t turn the loose ball in at the back post.  39 minutes, finally, the second, scored by Atiako-Hall from about three yards after a cross wasn’t properly cleared.  One minute later, a classy finish from Trialist Dylan, wrongfooting the keeper from 25 yards; and on 44 the best goal of the first half, a quality pass from Rhys Thomas, smashing run from Pearce-Eavis to beat the offside trap and quality lob over the onrushing Cavanagh from 20 yards out.  HT 4-0

As ever in a pre-season game, some substitutions at half-time which changed the intensity, shape, momentum… Brock also became a bit careless… and Abingdon worked out that the Brock centre backs weren’t overly blessed with pace but were playing quite high.  Cue a succession of long passes in behind Wellman, in particular, who got into several foot-races with speedier players.  He did pretty well but on 57 Highmoor cut inside, got into the box and got his shot away – excellently saved by Butler – but was judged to have been fouled by Wellman in the process.  Penalty taken by the same player, converted powerfully to Butler’s right.  Three minutes later it was Cole on the end of the same move, again fouled by Wellman, another penalty – but this time the shot crashed back off the right post and away.  A lucky escape; but it didn’t happen again, or not until the closing stages of the game.  That was one element of the not-quite-perfect; the other was an injury to Trialist Tiago which looked quite nasty, although he seemed to be walking much better by the end so hopefully it’s not too serious. 

The Badgers put the icing on a very presentable cake with a fifth from McCarthy-Gardiner after a lightning break, and then an outstanding drive into the top corner from 25 yards from Josh Taylor after some fine work from Simpson.  Like an arrow, that one; best goal of the lot. There were chances to add, not taken, and the game drifted to its conclusion.  FT 6-1  

Summary: this was Brock’s best performance of pre-season (certainly in the first half, before all the changes).  OK, the opposition weren’t of the standard of Poole Town or AFC Totton, but they were honest, disciplined (and fair) and it was a good workout.  There are a couple of things to work on before Tuesday, and a couple of knocks which we could have done without; but Brock moved the ball well, were confident in possession and organised out of it – a nice way to close the phoney war.  Because from Tuesday… it starts to matter…