WOEFUL WEATHER CAN’T DAMPEN BADGERS SPIRIT

After their 5-0 defeat to top of the league Sevenoaks the Badgers were determined to return to winning ways this week and not even torrential rain could subdue their spirits. Bolstered by the return of Laura Wills (out last week for medical support work at the New York Marathon) & Becky Watkins (international weight lifting competition) The Badgers were confident they could claim another 3 points.

The Badgers started the game aggressively, piling on the pressure on from the off. Coach Matt McDonnell was vocal on the sidelines, knowing that more than 3 points was at stake for him, Wapping being his former club, bragging rights were also up for grabs.

It was a fiery competition with hard challenges in all areas of the pitch, however the Badgers looked in control of the game, frustrating their opposition by monopolising possession. Chances came and went with Charlotte Skipp and Tor Stacey both coming close on several occasions.

The Badger’s intense penalty corner practice clearly paid off as Em Wilkins broke the deadlock after 15 minutes with Broxbourne’s first corner of the game. A flawless stick stop from Gemma Wilkinson set the ball up perfectly for Wilkins who fired the ball into the bottom corner.

Wapping did not look like threatening the Badger’s goal which allowed Broxbourne to push up centre back Watkins, adding another man into the attack. Broxbourne doubled their lead shortly afterwards with a deflected shot from Wilkins lobbing the goalkeeper to end up in the back of the net.

Tempers flared shortly before half time with the opposing number 14 squaring up to Watkins after a seemingly innocuous coming together. The umpires rushed to separate the pair as they squared up in a battle which looked like it was about to get interesting. A swift green card to Wapping separated them however as number 14 was banished to the sin bin.

With a 2-0 cushion the Badgers seem to lose their forward momentum in the second half and were content to maintain possession, looking good passing the ball around the back. Unfortunately Wapping were able to exploit this and threatened the Broxbourne goal on several occasions. Thankfully another excellent performance from Freya Green in goal managed to keep them at bay.

In the dying seconds a bizarre umpiring decision led to Broxbourne having to defend a Wapping penalty corner. Distracted by the decision, Broxbourne were unable to defend a straight strike which proved a consolation prize to the opposition, leaving the score at 2-1.

Another 3 points means Broxbourne currently look comfortable in 3rd place in East Div1S. Next week they return to Badger Field to take on Upminster who are nipping at their heels in 4th. A must win game for the badgers if they are to keep the pressure off. 3pm start.