WLC R2 Brockenhurst (4) Yateley United (3) – match abandoned, serious injury

26 August 2025

D’you know, I don’t suppose that Brock have ever played Yateley before – certainly not in the last 20 years or so, and so not in its guise of Yateley United, formed in 2013.  They were promoted to Division One of the Combined Counties League for 2023/24 and have been moved across to the Wessex for this season.  So, in short – I know nothing about them at all.  I went to Yateley once, when I was about the age that most of our team are now, but that’s it. 

Second round of the League Cup and a third successive knockout game for the Badgers, who had drawn the previous two (winning one on penalties and losing the other)… and it was 83 minutes which never happened.  A see-saw, chaotic game – Brock are getting good at providing entertainment for the neutrals – but it will never enter the record books because on 83 minutes Yateley sub Oscar Junior, who had only been on the pitch for 4 minutes, went down in very obvious pain having clearly sustained a serious injury and, after consultation, referee Daniel Eziukwu abandoned the game with the score at 4-3. 

The visitors, playing in vibrant orange, had actually taken the lead in 7 minutes: Oli Turner the provider down the right, Harvey Seeman with the finish (and those two caused the Badgers grief all evening).  Back came Brock, Brooks with a fine cross for Sam Woodward to head home from close range on 9 minutes, and they might have been in front a minute later when Dylan Walker made yet another fine run, played the perfect incisive pass through to Brooks, but keeper Strong was out to block the shot.  The pattern repeated on 24, this time a pass from Gray into Brooks and Strong just managed to deflect it wide of the post.   Brock’s second came on 39, and rather out of nothing – a period of possession without particularly probing, but the ball came to Channell 20 yards out and his first time shot unerringly found the corner.  Again, the Badgers almost built on that straight away, Dylan Walker intercepting a pass and racing forward into the box but shooting at Strong while Woodward looked on despairingly, unmarked in the 6-yard box.  Yateley’s turn, Turner again the provider, Seeman again the target, this time hooking just wide from inside the box.  Back to Brock: super pass from Gray, excellent cross Brooks, brilliantly blocked by Oliphant.  If it sounds more like basketball… yeah… HT 2-1

The game was, undeniably, there to be won for both sides – Brock looked dangerous going forward but they were exposed too often, especially down the flanks, and they needed to put the game to bed.  Channell shot just wide on the angle on 49 minutes; and then a great move on 57, Walker to Rossi to Woodward who calmly made it 3-1.  Badgers fans could breathe a little easier… for 60 seconds.  Before the kick-off it was obvious that right-back Alex Bourne wanted to run into space, he did so, received the ball, skinned Torniainen, cut into the box and smashed a shot across Puelo into the far corner.  Terrific goal, I almost applauded.  So, 3-2, the visitors back in the game; and they levelled on 66 when a corner was only cleared to the edge of the box and Seeman volleyed over the ruck and in.  Not so fast: 70 minutes, a fierce cross deflected into his own net by Scott, and Brock were ahead again.  Both sides clearly had power to add – on 75, Oliphant was flagged for offside (and the whistle went) before he chipped superbly over Puleo and into the net from the angle.  81 minutes, the referee decided to get in on the action and took out Rossi when well placed (a comedy moment, obviously accidental) – and then came that horrible injury, and that was that.  A-A 4-3

You know, we’ve averaged over 50 games a season for the last four years.   In all that time, we’ve seen one abandoned game through floodlight failure, but none for serious injury.  And now we’ve seen two in a month.  Desperately sad for the lad, no idea what the injury was but I’m sure everyone at the club will join me in wishing him all the best for a speedy recovery.   And of course, the two sides will have to do it all again…