SSC3 Brockenhurst 4 Totton & Eling 1

26 November 2024

At the start of the season, Brock were in six cups.  Six!  And Pep complains about the Carabao!  Anyway, first there was Bemerton, then Bridport, then a disqualification and then Stoneham and then Portchester and now there’s just the one left standing.  But not a bad one, the Southampton Senior Cup, final potentially at St Mary’s… up next, Totton & Eling…

You remember when we played these guys in this competition last season?  No, nor does anyone else, because the visitors failed to visit – withdrawing from the tie, gifting a walkover, but not until after some loyal fans were already on their way to the ground on a bitter January evening.  So maybe the team didn’t feel like it had a score to settle, but some of the fans certainly did. 

It was a pretty filthy evening, the rain starting shortly before kick-off and continuing throughout the game, not always heavy but more than enough for the pitch to start cutting up quite badly and make playing conditions testing.  Having said which, the game was effectively over as a contest as early as the third minute.  90 seconds on the clock when a loose pass in their own defensive third saw the Millers lose the ball, picked up by Simpson, played in to Burgess who scored calmly.  One minute later, a clearance was charged down, and Simpson smashed the ball into the roof of the net from 16 yards to give the Badgers a control which they never looked like relinquishing.  Anyone hoping for a cricket score, however, was to be disappointed; after that quick-fire double, Brock settled into a more measured performance, calm in possession and organised out of it, as we have come to expect.  They mostly held the visitors at arm’s length, Valero untroubled by long shots from Smith and Gange.  Totton might have reduced the deficit midway through the half when Wellman for once missed his defensive header, but he got back to prevent Dennett getting a shot away… a Brock attack, Burgess with a cross blocked in the box but Moreno reacting quickest but his shot hitting a defender and going wide.  But on the half-hour, the game was done – one brilliant pass from Gray, Adams beat the offside trap and saw his shot saved but Simpson converted the rebound from an angle for 3-0.  There could have been more: excellent defensive blocks to shots from Simpson and Adams, and then possibly the best move of the half ending with the impressive Gray playing Burgess in on the right, but keeper Widger spotted the danger, came out to close the angle and made a good save.  HT 3-0

In truth the second half was quite routine for Brock.  The pitch was now heavy and quite tricky, and neither side fashioned many clear openings throughout.  One exception on 51 minutes, Simpson played through on the left, the shot seemed optimistic – lobbed the keeper and came back off the bar before being gratefully gathered in.  Totton & Eling weren’t the worst side we’ve seen this season, but – apart from making the worst start – they didn’t quite have enough test Valero.  A couple of times the ball didn’t break for them in the box, but when they did score it was an own goal – credit to Golding for tireless effort all evening, and on 68 he got to the byline and put in a dangerous cross which deflected in off Drake.  Not much he could have done about it, but there were no red shirts nearby waiting to finish it off.  Brock rang the changes: great to see a couple of U-18s getting the call, and even better to see Atiako-Hall back on the pitch after his injury-plagued start to the season.  The visitors didn’t quit, which also left spaces which Brock sought to exploit, but the match was drifting towards its inevitable conclusion, 5 minutes into overtime, when the Badgers won a corner, played their way across the pitch, Gray found Josh Taylor… he’d already had three speculative long-range shots but just when we were expecting a fourth, he chipped a beautifully cute pass to the back post where Atiako-Hall raced in and hammered home.  That must be four goals in about 90 playing minutes so far this season for him – not a bad return!  FT 4-1

88 braved the conditions, and they were well rewarded.  A very pleasing evening, solid performance – still no clean sheet, but let’s not dwell on that right now.  There were several contenders for man of the match: first half I would have said Jamie-Jay, by the end it was a more difficult decision and I think the sponsors probably got it right with Luke.  And the prospect of AFC Shirley and a certain Alex Haynes in the quarter-finals: something to look forward to!  Meantime, let’s hope the rain relents in time for Millbrook on Saturday.