BADGERS COME UP SHORT

Broxbourne fell to a frustrating 2-1 defeat away at Wapping 3’s in a sunny late afternoon tilt at the Olympic Park. However the Badgers can take plenty of encouragement from the game despite coming away with nothing to show for it; it was comfortably their best performance of the season.

The home side took the early initiative playing a very high forward line which pushed the Badgers deep in their own territory. They took a deserved lead in the 10th minute when following a goal mouth scramble the Wapping forward clinically finished with a reverse stick shot into the top corner.

The Badgers kept their composure and gradually got a foothold in the game driven by the relentless energy of midfielder Phil Bryans and the mesmerising dribbling of Mitch Chapman. The visitors were level in the 20th minute when Chapman reacted quickest to a broken down short corner and his reverse stick found the bottom corner which marked the first goal Wapping had conceded all season.

The equaliser stirred the home team into life and following a series of chances they regained the lead. A flick from a short corner found the gap between keeper Ryan Thomas’s pads to make it 2-1 and the scores stayed the way for the remainder of the first half.

The second half was one way traffic with the Badgers encamped in the Wapping half. Chance after chance, short corner after short corner were repelled by the immovable object otherwise known as the Wapping goal keeper. Chapman had a half dozen drag flicks either saved or denied by the wood work and Louis Scarrott, Russell Gilbert and Toby and Henry House all went close. With time running out the Badgers used a football tactic in a last desperate attempt to salvage a point; chuck the big man from the back up front and hope he can win something. Centre back Josh Chapman lumbered up the pitch and actually had two or three opportunities to score but like the rest of his team could not break down the brick wall in goal.

Next week the Badgers host Upminster and will be looking to repeat all the good things they did this week: defensive shape and discipline, keeping possession of the ball, work rate, avoiding dribbling into contact. They just need to add the most important and difficult part, putting the ball in the goal.