JW Hunt Cup Round 1
Wednesfield 0 Brocton 3
It was back to a ground synonymous with the charity JW Hunt Cup as the Badgers sought to mount a cup run which could end in a game at the Molineux at the end of the season.
Amos Lane remains nothing if not consistent over the years, but the management team showed their intent for this cup with a strong side named. Playing towards the club end in the first half, Badgers took the game to Wednesfield with Blanchette on the left side, continually driving at the back line. On 11minutes, he broke through the hosts defence, only to be slightly off balance with the shot which grazed the side netting. In the 16th minute, who else but Reg Smith, put the Badgers in charge. A man of the match performance from Jake Thomas, saw a wonderful ball through to Connor Haddaway, a quick look and cross to the near post and glancing header from Smith at the near post for 1-0. A few minutes later Ben Haddaway saw a long shot just over the bar as the badgers asserted their dominance. Within a few minutes, Brocton doubled the lead through Whieldon. A flowing move which involved Blanchette, a dummy from Connor Haddaway, a shot from Smith which bounced back off the post, but Whieldon made no mistake from 10 yards out.
The Bagders continued to press for a third. Charlie King with a shot just over, a 1 on 1 for Smith with an uncharacteristic easy save for the keeper and a very cheeky lob from Connor Haddaway. Just inside the centre circle, he saw the keeper off the line but the lob was eventually saved by the keeper. On 40 mins, the hosts saw their best chance of the half just go wide. A cross into the box met by the no 9 and the header crept past Allsopp’s left hand post. With half time approaching, the Badgers scored their third and what would be the last goal of the game. Vaughan channelling his inner John Stones and pinged a 45 yard ball in front of Whieldon, one bounce, and Will lashes it on the volley past the keeper from just outside the box.
The second half saw a more even game as Wednesfield looked to put the Badger back line under pressure, but Brocton were just too assured and wily at the back to allow significant chances. Simcox certainly wanted a piece of shot action and hit a rasping drive from 35 yards, and Thomas continued his Xavi role in the middle, pulling the strings to provide Smith, Haddaway, Whieldon and Blanchette with the opportunities but no significant effort required from the Wednesfield keeper. A flurry of substitutions saw Devoir, Evans, Osbourne, Curtis and Jude King all enter the
fray. In fact, the combination of the latter two subs almost created the fourth goal. Curtis laid the ball into Jude King, who drove into the box, hit a low shot under the keeper who just got enough on it to squash the power of the shot and save. A last word to our poster player for the evening, Adam Weldon, who had an excellent match at right back. Wednesfield created a fantastic opportunity for their impressive captain, but Weldon took the ball of the edge of this toes to deny a certain shot on Allsopp’s goal. A clean sheet for the defence again.
A thoroughly professional attitude and result from the Badgers on what could have been a very tricky away tie in this illustrious competition.
Team
Allsopp, Weldon, Simcox, Vaughan, B Haddaway, Thomas, Whieldon, C King, Smith, C Haddaway,
Blanchette.
Subs Used – Devoir, Evans, Osbourne, Curtis, J King
Goals – Whieldon (2), Smith.
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