BADGERS FIGHT BACK FOR TOUGH DRAW AT TUNBRIDGE

It was a tough weekend for The Badgers this week as they travelled to Tunbridge Wells, a ground at which tradition dictates they tend to come unstuck.

It seemed history was going to repeat itself as only 2 minutes from the start the Tunbridge centre forward found herself unmarked in the D and had no difficulty finding the net.

The Badger's heads could have dropped but their determination shone through as they settled into the game and started to put the Tunbridge defence under significant pressure. The score was equalised a few minutes later with a great baseline run by Charlotte Skipp finding Jess Iszatt unmarked on the penalty slot who converted with ease.

Broxbourne increasingly came into the match as midfielders Kay Finch and Gemma Wilkinson showed that recent fitness training was paying off and managed to persistently get to the long ball in front of their opposite numbers.

Unfortunately Broxbourne were unable to build on this progress as they went another goal down minutes later. Novice centre back Laura Wills made a catastrophic across D pass which was pounced upon by the looming Tunbridge centre forward. There was nothing goalkeeper Freya Green could do to stop the shot, taking the score to 2:1.

Broxbourne continued to pile on the pressure, winning a succession of penalty corners but unfortunately they were unable to convert.
Fortunately persistence paid off and after one of these corners broke down the Badgers managed to claw back the deficit. Finch found herself with the ball on the left side of the D and fooled the keeper with an excellent disguised push which found the bottom corner meaning the Badgers sent into the break with the score at 2:2.

The second half was a scrappy affair and the hockey became increasingly ugly to watch as passing became lax and tackles flew in from all sides. The cards started to come out and Wilkinson took one for the team after Wills was brutally fouled in the centre of the pitch. Wilkinson had only been back on the pitch for a few seconds when she picked up another card minutes later after she questioned an umpiring decision using some choice phrases that she must have overheard in the school yard. Wilkinson apologised to her fans after the game but the action is already rife as the bookies place odds on the number of cards the passionate player will pick up next week.

Broxbourne battled on with 10 men and continued to look dangerous with Em Wilkins coming close on a few occasions.
Tunbridge exploited the one man advantage and looked dangerous in the counter attack however captain Lisa Banahan remained calm at the back and managed to prevent them taking the lead.

Although Broxbourne will feel they have missed out on two points this weekend, on reflection, a hard earned draw was a good result against a team who traditionally manage to utilise their home advantage to beat the travelling Badgers.
Next week Broxbourne face top of the league Sevenoaks in what is surely to be a thriller. Lets hope The Badgers can pick up their game and gain some extra points to keep the pressure on Canterbury, their rivals for that coveted second promotion slot.