DAY TO FORGET FOR WOEFUL BADGERS

After two straight wins Broxbourne came back down to earth with a bump as they were soundly beaten 4-1 at Sudbury. It was Broxbourne's worst performance for some time and the scoreline could have be worse if not for some fine saves from keeper Paul Staples.

The visitors actually started reasonably well and enjoyed the lions share of possession in the opening few minutes. However as the game wore on Broxbourne became increasingly sloppy as the turnovers mounted. There were a series of factors that could be pointed to; a very sandy pitch, inclement weather, a physical and direct opponent. To use these as excuses would hide the simple truth, the Badgers came up short in all the fundamental areas of hockey. Marking continually broke down, inability to control the ball and passing the ball to the opposition at an alarming rate; it's hard to compete when these all happen once.

Sudbury look the lead in 15th minute, a long ball set up a counter attack which the home side efficiently converted to make it 1-0. Broxbourne soon levelled when right back Stan Mason found Adam Kitching down the line. The big forward picked out his strike partner Ben Scarrott who got the faintest of touches making it 1-1.

Just before the break Sudbury restored their lead. A forward was allowed to turn and shoot in the D and gave Staples no chance.

The second half started in a similar fashion, Broxbourne were again undone by a long ball and the score was 3-1. The Badgers briefly threatened a comeback winning a series of short corners however Scarrott hit the post twice and the keeper made a miraculous save to keep the lead at 3-1.

With the Badgers pushing forward in a desperate search for a goal Sudbury again struck on the counter attack to make the points safe. The game was then halted for 10 minutes when a Scarrott reverse stick shot which sailed over the bar and the outside fence and unfortunately struck a group a parents and children. A visibly shaken Scarrott sat out the remainder of the game perhaps thinking of a similar training ground incident a few weeks ago when he nearly broke the admittedly old and frail shin bone of one Andy Law.

The result continues a worrying trend for Broxbourne, brilliant at home and very poor on the road. A furious skipper Charlie Frederick could be heard giving his troops the dressing down they deserved in the changing room after the game. Witnesses said they heard cups being smashed and a hair dryer was definitely on. Frederick will demand an improvement next week at home against Old Southenians.