WESSEX LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
SATURDAY 28TH FEBRUARY 2015
BROCKENHURST 1 VERWOOD TOWN 5

The sick bug took its toll Saturday morning so it was a shuffled side that lined up for the kick off.

J Collins D Evans J Buck M McGilchrist L Donachy C Gajic R Dyer T Whelan J Fisk M Groves T Rutten .

The bench was thin with James Murray Carl Poore and C Lynch making up the numbers.

Brock attacked from the whistle. No frills just good use of the ball and with flank players staying wide stretching our back four.

4 minutes old and we gave away a corner. An inswinger caused concern but Evans put the ball out of play for another corner. Brock met it first and we breathed a sigh of relief as the ball sailed over the bar.

A break on the left was broken up by Evans. His line ball released Fisk. Groves took a cut back and spotting Rutten wide left slipped the ball between defenders. Rutten was inches short of making connection.

We pushed up gaining possession. Whelan and Groves linked to produce an opening for Gajic to try his luck but the ball sailed high and wide.

9 minutes gone and we were still pushing on. A long clearance caught us too far upfield spranging a counter attack. Collins came out quickly but the ball was slid past him to nestle in the bottom corner. 0-1.

A minute later Rutten broke free of his marker and was fouled on the edge of the box. A red card flourished and Brock went down to ten men.

Brock re grouped and despite intense pressure from Fisk Whelan and Gajic we couldn't break the barrier. Buck went closest with a cracking angled shot across the keeper but the ball went inches wide.

Two successive corners in the 20th minute resulted in Donachy heading the first one over the bar and then after a scramble in the box finished with Whelan's shot being clawed away from under the bar by an acrobatic keeper.

We pressed Brock into their third and several shots on target were either blocked or saved. It was like the Alamo until Fisk finally broke Brock's resistance with a great chip into the top corner 1-1.

Half Time 1-1

We continued where we left off and Groves almost had the ball in the net after 48 minutes. A punt upfield was collected by Donachy and a cross field ball found Rutten. A push and run cleared the full back and a deep cross was almost turned in by Gajic.

Brock then created a great opening with good football down their left. Cutting inside the flank player hammered a volley that Collins could only parry. Out it came and McGilchrist was first to the ball to relieve the pressure.

We looked a bit disjointed and Brock had the ball in the net but luckily for us it was judged offside. A free kick followed and a solid header was cleared off our line by Donachy. Brock was certainly putting in the effort despite being a man down.

Dyer and Gajic gradually got on top of midfield and it was a Dyer pass to Whelan that gave space for Whelan to make ground. Whelan then was confronted with a solid line of defenders. Spotting Rutten on the edge of the defenders line Whelan lifted the ball over the centre half . Rutten was quickly off the mark to go free and slip the ball past the advancing keeper. 2-1.

Whelan was now enjoying some space and with 61 minutes gone hit a volley inches over the bar. The dead ball kick was won by McGilchrist. Gajic rolled the ball on to Whelan who slipped two tackles, rounded the keeper and scored from a sharp angle 3-1.

66 minutes frustration was evident as a defender was judged to have made a two footed tackle and got a red. Brock was now down to nine men.

69 minutes and while Brock were still shuffling formation Evans went down the right and sent a curling ball over defenders finding Groves on the edge of the box. Groves unselfishly rolled the ball in the path of Whelan and a great volley whistled past the keeper to make it 4-1.

74 minutes and Fisk came off for Murray. Murray's first involvement was to gather a Buck through ball and send a delightful chip onto Whelan. A shot on the run went overt the angle of bar and post.

Donachy cleared a hopeful long ball into our third and found Gajic lurking just outside the Brock area. Gajic first touch was enough to turn a defender and then place a shot into the bottom corner. 5-1.

Buck and Murray had forged a good link on the left and with 10 minutes left Murray dropped back to let Buck off the leash. Buck rounded the full back and fired a shot for the near post. The keeper did exceptionally well to gather.

All credit to Brock for a great rally in the last minutes of the game with no heads dropping and trying hard to reduce arrears.

Result 5-1.