Tuesday 24th September
Midland Football League Cup 1st Round
AFC Bridgnorth 2 Brocton 1
Brocton faced Step 6 opposition for the second time in four days with a trip to Division 1 AFC Bridgnorth. Not surprisingly, Alex Curtis shuffled the pack to give much needed minutes for a number of players, with Reg Smith, Ben Haddaway, Lucas Green-Birch, and Curtis himself all on the bench. Bridgnorth had made a poor start to the season with just three draws from their opening twelve games. Those positive results however had come after a change in management and an influx of new players, and their previous game was a draw at Division1 league leaders Smethwick.
Bridgnorth won the toss and decided to kick down the significant Crown Meadow slope for the first half. That decision was soon rewarded as they took the lead in the 5th minute. A corner from the Bridgnorth left was played into the packed penalty but no Brocton player challenged for the ball and Joel Westwood had a free header in off the bar to gift Bridgnorth the lead. Bridgnorth continued to use the slope to their advantage running the makeshift Brocton back line ragged. In the 8th minute, a superb, curled effort from Mitch Bradford forced a fingertip save from Tony Allsopp. Brocton were struggling to get into the game with misplaced passes a feature as Bridgnorth hassled and harried. In the 17th minute, Ethan Jarrett was sent through on goal to be denied by a last gasp interception from Adam Weldon. Bridgnorth kept up the pressure and Westwood again broke through with Josh Simcox on hand with a vital challenge. The inevitable second goal followed in the 23rd minute. A shot from Bradford was blocked by Ben Hackett. The ball was fed to Damari Evans who skipped past Dan Evans, got to the byline, and pulled the ball back to Reagan Wardle who side footed home. Up to this point very little had been seen in an attacking sense from Brocton and it was the 27th minute before there was a shot on goal, Hackett hitting the side netting from a good position. A minute later, Bridgnorth should have made it three. Bradford finding acres of space on the right and his cross to the far post should have been converted by Westwood but somehow, he put it wide. Brocton were awarded a free kick in a decent position in the 35th minute but symptomatic of the first half performance, Will Whieldon’s effort was way over the bar. Brocton were having a better spell, and Jude King saw a goal bound effort deflected for a corner. Young King then connected with a cross from Whieldon, but his flick was easily gathered by Josh Lewis, the Bridgnorth keeper. In the final minute of the half, Christian Blanchette hit the side netting and would have been disappointed not to have hit the target.
Half-time: AFC Bridgnorth 2 Brocton 0
It was no surprise to see Brocton make three substitutions at half-time with Haddaway, Green-Birch and Reg Smith being sent on to attempt to repair the damage of a poor first half. The response was pretty much instantaneous. Whieldon’s free-kick was met by Green-Birch and the ball looped into the corner of the net. The partisan home supporters were already sensing a comeback. In the 55th minute, a shot on the turn from Reg Smith was straight at Lewis. Bridgnorth went straight down the other end and a shot on the turn from Jarrett was inches wide. Bridgnorth were still matching Brocton and Westwood curled a shot over the bar on the hour mark. A minute later, a great run by Wardle, beating Charlie King, ended with a shot just over the bar. The better chances were being created by the home side. A ball over the top of the Brocton defence saw Jarrett outpace Haddaway but his shot was straight at Allsopp. Brocton thought they had levelled in the 66th minute. Haddaway found the corner from a tight angle, but the linesman flag ruled it out for offside. Brocton were finally in the ascendancy. Toby Smith sent Blanchette clear, but his effort was off target. In the 74th minute, Green-Birch picked out Blanchette who turned his defender, and with the goal at his mercy, screwed his effort wide. Brocton had two mire chances in the 80th minute. Reg Smith played the ball into the path of Green-Birch, With only Lewis to beat, the Bridgnorth keeper made a fine save. The ball fell to Toby Smith and his volley was over the bar. Reg Smith was trying everything he could to get Brocton back into the game. In the 86th minute, he reached the ball ahead of Lewis, used his strength to create an opening and his shot was hacked off the line by the impressive Matt Gritton. Deep into stoppage time, Brocton were awarded a free kick, but Blanchette’s shot cannoned off the wall to safety.
Full-Time: AFC Bridgnorth 2 Brocton 1 Attendance:47
AFC Bridgnorth: Josh Lewis, Damari Evans (Max Morris 67), Josh Smith, Matt Gritton, Brett Taylor, Kwabena Adjei, Reagan Wardle (Ellis Griffith 87), Mitch Bradford, Ethan Jarrett, Cody White, Joel Westwood. Subs (Not Used): Adam Zerhouni, Colins Kilunda, Craig Gregg
Brocton: Tony Allsopp, Charlie Marshall (Ben Haddaway 45), Dan Evans, Adam Weldon (Reg Smith 45), Josh Simcox (Alex Curtis 71), Ben Hackett (Lucas Green-Birch 45), Will Whieldon, Jake Thomas, Jude King (Toby Smith 68), Charlie King, Christian Blanchette
Yellow cards: White, Westwood (Bridgnorth); Thomas, Charlie King (Brocton)
Comments