RCC R1 Brockenhurst 3 Broughton 1

1 October 2026

Only one place to start today – 360 Player Club of the Month for September!  The day I honestly thought would never come, I don’t believe we’ve ever won it in the 11 years since I first became aware of Brockenhurst Football Club – not even in months where we really might have.  Super-proud of this achievement, all credit to Devs and his management team plus all the players who have made their contribution.  Ultimately, this is a squad achievement and – well, I’m in Dreamland.  Now if we could just repeat that in October… and November…

It would be harsh to say that tonight’s was an unwanted game, but Sat-Tues-Thurs-Sat is a tough gig in anyone’s book.  Inevitable that there would be a lot changes for this, with the chance for serious game time for those who don’t start regularly –only Ashton Palmier and Toby Stainer-Reid started both the midweek fixtures.  Visitors Broughton are from the Hampshire League – not made a great start to the season, 6 points from 9 games, although they have an impressive roster of players listed! 

This was quite an enjoyable game to watch – never really any jeopardy for Brock, who dominated possession throughout (I have no stats of course but there were long stretches where a visiting player barely touched the ball), but the visitors tried to play the right way and never gave up.  They also had keeper Chris Redshaw to thank for keeping the scoreline respectable, he made some fine saves and while sometimes the luck went his way, he deserved that.  I’m not going to list all the chances Brock created and spurned in the opening stages, and they might have benefited occasionally from going a bit more direct and not, as someone near me put it, “pussyfooting about”.  Couple of decent saves from Redshaw, a block almost on the line from Briggs, but the inevitable breakthrough came on 19 when Ashton Palmier burst through the middle, took the ball almost to the keeper and then squared it for Aaron Batista to have a tap-in.  Those chances kept coming – shots and crosses being blocked, deflected, spinning around in the box and not falling to a Brock player… Sam Quinn had the first shot for the visitors on 27, straight at Stainer-Reid, but Batista should have added to his tally on 34, doing brilliantly to hold off his defender but having done the hard part, cleared the bar with his shot.  And then the Badgers then got – well, not just a bit careless, quite a lot careless, and allowed both Payne and Pompey to get shots away… but just before the interval, Palmier with another run down the left, his shot only parried and Aaron Batista had a second tap-in.  Two goals from probably a combined three yards, but they all count!  HT  2-0

The second half didn’t quite live up to the enjoyment of the first – balance and patterns disrupted by substitutions but also Brock were comfortable and they knew it, and there was no sting in the game.  All the more so after 51 minutes, free kick to Brock 22 yards out, superbly hit by Ashton Palmier and in off the underside of the bar for 3-0.  The visitors also started to tire but credit to them, they never stopped and Pompey in particular deserves a mention for chasing down every lost cause.  Indeed he thought he had been rewarded on 54: a Broughton player (wearing a number not listed on their teamsheet!) robbed Farrar and saw his shot well saved by Stainer-Reid, and Pompey found the net on the rebound but was offside.  Elliot Wells was lively for Brock but without the final ball, Dylan Andrews took a corner which was going in until superbly tipped over by keeper Redshaw, but Brock were often guilty of trying to walk the ball in, a venture deemed “doomed to failure” by those in the stands.  And so it proved, because no more Badgers goals followed, and a minute from time Broughton got a reward for perseverance when a corner wasn’t well cleared and was smashed home through the ruck from the edge of the box, I think the scorer was Sam Payne but correct me if I’m wrong.  FT 3-1

OK, comfortable enough, this was all about winning and progressing, job done.  Fantastic to see so many of the first team in attendance – which was otherwise very disappointing, although perhaps not too surprising.  I can’t really name a man of the match because it really wasn’t that kind of game; but take the win and move on… and back to the Meadens on Saturday against East Cowes Vics… see you there!