Match Report Wednesday 23rd September
Sherborne Town FC 2 - 5 Brockenhurst
Wessex League
Sherborne Town 2 Brockenhurst 5
What appears on paper as a heavy defeat does not tell the whole story. The Zebras went toe-to-toe with a strong Brockenhurst side and it was only in the last 15 minutes or so that they ran out of steam. Two late breakaway goals by the Badgers gave the scoreline a distorted look.
For the hosts, Jake Graziano, who had picked up a knock four days earlier against Aldermaston, missed his first game of the season, but Josh Ansell, Henry Lawrence-Napier and Duncan McCabe all returned from the sidelines. There was a first senior start for the exciting up-and-comer Tommy Gaylard.
Attacking the Castle End, the Zebras started strongly. On five minutes Alex Murphy, chasing a long ball down the right from Ansell, shrugged off a challenge from Will Giles before driving a diagonal shot which soared over the angle of post and bar.
Two minutes later, a sweeping pass from Ant Herrin picked out Gaylard who proceeded to leave Giles in his wake. Although the final ball failed to reach a team-mate, it resulted in a corner from which the Zebras opened the scoring. Herrin's delivery found Murphy in a pocket of space at the back post and the target man's header powered into the net.
The Badgers were struggling to move the ball into their opponent's half and Giles, in particular, was having a torrid time dealing with the slippery Gaylard. A dangerous cross from the winger had to be hacked clear by Marcelo Rossi. Herrin then assisted in a half-chance for Aaron White but the ball bobbled and escaped from under the feet of the attacking full-back.
Brock equalised somewhat against the run of play in the 19th minute. A long throw from the right wasn't cleared properly and Toby Colmar pounced from somewhere near the penalty spot.
The hosts responded with a swift move up the right channel which saw Gaylard dribble the ball in and out of three defenders but his cut-back was intercepted by Elliot Chaffey.
Although the Badgers were back in the game it still came as a surprise when they took the lead on 24 minutes. It arrived courtesy of a penalty after McCabe had mistimed a tackle on Harry McGrath in the box. Home keeper Jack Marshall guessed correctly, diving to his right, but had no chance of keeping out Ashton Palmier's spot-kick which was buried in the bottom corner.
On 28 minutes McCabe tried to make amends with a 20-yard volley which cleared the cross-bar. No worries, a minute later the Zebras equalised. Nor surprisingly Gaylard was involved in the build-up, the ball eventually fed across the penalty area to Dec Cornish who rifled home from 15 yards into the bottom corner with visiting keeper Toby Stainer-Reid left stationary.
Matters then got a tad tetchy, not helped by some poor refereeing decisions. Toby Bailey was booked for hauling down Murphy, who soon after was cautioned himself - for no apparent reason! Herrin also saw yellow for no more than contesting a 50/50 ball, as did Ansell. Referee's name? Collier, as in the pits.
On the stroke of an entertaining first half, Gaylard went on a twisty-turny run before slipping the ball through to Cornish who had only the keeper to beat but was flagged offside.
Half-time 2-2.
Giles, given the runaround by Gaylard before the break, failed to emerge for the second half and was replaced by Dylan Walker.
Zebras immediately went on the offensive, Joe Crisp chipped forward to Lawrence-Napier on the overlap but the final cross just eluded Gaylard. Murphy and Cornish then combined to set up a half-chance for McCabe whose effort was blocked. On 49 minutes after Marshall had failed to grab a Brock free-kick Josh Williams was on hand to mop up the loose ball.
Gaylard was then nearly put through on goal but a last-ditch tackle saved the day for the visitors.
It was end-to-end stuff. In the 53trd minute Palmier's fierce angled shot was tipped over the top by Marshall. Back came the Zebras but Crisp's effort from the edge of the penalty area couldn't find a way through a forest of limbs.
White then made a barnstorming run down the right, ending with a low shot parried by Stainer-Reid. Luckily for Brock, Walker was able to shift the loose ball to safety.
McGrath tried his luck at the other end but got his toe under the ball sending the sphere spiralling into orbit before it dropped down on to the roof of the net. McGrath's finishing was to improve greatly later in the game.
On 68 minutes, after a hopeful penalty appeal from the home players had been turned down, Murphy had a shot deflected off a defender for a corner.
Twenty minutes remaining, still 2-2. But Brock don't do draws and in the 71st minute, after a soft free-kick had been awarded for Herrin's tackle on Chikanayo Ugwumba, the men from the New Forest took the lead. As a tired-looking Ugwumba left the field, the free-kick was played short to his replacement Dylan Andrews, who made an immediate impact on the game with his first touch, a 20-yard curler. Marshall couldn't gather the ball cleanly and McGrath was well-placed to knock home the rebound.
Zebras fought back. A superb long pass from Williams found Cornish, who in turn threaded the ball to Lawrence-Napier. As was often the case the cross swung over failed to find a team-mate.
On 77 minutes Gaylard, who had played a match only two days earlier for the Under-18s, was withdrawn. He made way for Liam Nardiello who himself only 24 hours earlier had turned in a man-of-the-match display for Yeovil in the Francis Hillier Premier Cup. These youngsters can probably play every day of the week if asked.
Sadly for the Zebras, as they pushed aggressively for an equaliser, barren spaces appeared at the back and late in the night the Badgers struck with two goals in two minutes. Firstly on 82, Marshall rushed off his line for a 50/50 challenge, the ball spinning free and falling nicely for McGrath to slot home a simple tap-in. Then on 84 a hopeful punt down the middle was met on the volley by McGrath who steered the ball into the corner for a sumptuous fifth goal and his hat-trick. A diving Marshall got a glove on it but to no avail.
In stoppage time Brock substitute Kenny Gatera ballooned a shot over the bar, over the wall and into the woods. Guess what? Collier awarded a corner!
Team: Marshall, White, Lawrence-Napier, Ansell, Williams, McCabe, Gaylard (Nardiello 77), J Crisp, Murphy, Herrin (O Crisp 88), Cornish. Subs not used: C Calway, Mullins, Bryce.
Goals: Murphy (7), Cornish (29).
Booked: Murphy, Herrin, Ansell.
Attendance: 101.