Brocton are competing on several fronts for league and cup success and are utilising their full playing resource, with those players coming into the side from the reserve team living up to the challenge. Before this game got underway several senior players were unavailable due to injury and prior to the commencement manager Dave Berks had Mike Fox withdraw during pre match warm up.

Teams that visit Silkmore Lane this season show Brocton much more respect due to their league position. Castle Vale JKS were no exception and the game was a cagey affair with the visitors concentrating more on containment than attack. Brocton found it difficult to break them down until the later stages of the first half when the impressive Sam Bell worked an opening down the right hand side and the JKS keeper could only parry his shot. However, Steve Bennett who has returned to Brocton and has been receiving rave reviews for his efforts with the reserve side, was on hand to force home on 43 minutes. In the closing minutes of the half Richard Reeves went close to doubling the score, but his effort hit the outside of the post.

The second half started as the first had ended but JKS started to sense that Brocton’s reshuffled side, again due to another injury; this time to Rob Winstanley, meant that the home side had to be more cautious in their adventurous play but this gave JKS an incentive to put Brocton under pressure.

This they did to good effect and several sequences of play meant that more of the game was being played in the Brocton half with the home side being restricted to breakaways. Most of these came through Tom Tonks and Richard Jones, who were always willing to turn defence into attack and the latter went close on 70 minutes with the goal at his mercy.

The visitors however were gaining in confidence and mounted a series of attacks, most of which were through their mid fielder Lee Thorpe  and this period of play was troubling the Brocton defenders. However, experienced keeper Mike Shelper was on hand to repel the attacks and they weathered the storm to the final whistle.

Castle Vale JKS were left wondering what they needed to do take something from the game but the youth and experience now in the Brocton team are combining into an effective unit and this victory lifted them once again into 2^nd position in the Midland Combination Premier League.

Brocton eventually overcame a spirited Pelsall Villa side, but not before a very even first half an hour when neither side could exert their authority over the other. Brocton had moments during that time; first as early as the 5th minute when a Sam Bell cross from the right was headed clear only for Andy Chandler to pick up and recycle left to Matt Skinner. His cross field pass back to Sam bell opened up an inviting gap, but Bell could not quite get enough control to put in another cross.

It was Steve Bennett’s pass right to Richard Miller which gave Brocton the next opening, but whilst miller beat Karl Webster, he was quickly closed down by the alert Jon Vickers and the move broke down. Andy Chandler then found Rob Winstanley and his shot was deflected for a corner. Steve Bennett took the kick and Mick Fox got in a looping shot over keeper Ross Todd, but beat the bar.

Pelsall also had their moments and the best for them came on 25 minutes when Mick Griffiths could have capitalised on a rare slip from the steady Michael Hathaway, making his second appearance for the first team. Griffiths got his left foot on to the ball, but his shot spun wide.

A huge kick from Mike Shelper then almost put Miller in, when the ball was allowed to bounce and Miller nipped in to chip Todd, only to see his shot go wide of the post. Hathaway, having picked up an injury in his last match, was unable to continue and a reshuffle sent Chandler to the back and brought Tom Tonks into midfield where his presence had an almost immediate effect. His long throw reached the far post and finishing off a Sam Bell header, Mick Fox tapped in at the far post and heralded the halftime break.

Pelasll began well in the second period and pressed the Brocton side back, without quite threatening goal. In fact the first serious threat on goal came against the Villa when a  speculative long range shot from Tonks caused Todd to back pedal and tip over his bar at the expense of a nasty knock against the post. Tonks was influential once more on the hour when his cross from the right beat everyone in the Pelsall box and Richard Jones attacked the ball at the far post and turned it home.

Brocton needed that cushion in what had been a very even game, but then began to play with more assurance and with Bell finding space in abundance on the right, it was no surprise when the third goal arrived. The move began with a winning tackle deep on Brocton’s left, where Jones won the ball, strode forward and hit a cross field ball to Sam Bell on the right. Bell made ground and hit his cross to the far post, where Tonks was there to seal the win.

Les James Challenge Cup

Brocton go through 3 – 2 on penalties.

The only true winner in this game was the weather. Neither side could cope with a blustery wind which made accurate passing a rarity and judging headers difficult to say the least. As the ball spent most of it’s time in the air, this made possession hard to come by.

Up front for Brocton Richard Miller and Lee Scott worked extremely hard both in attack and defending deep when the ball was lost. They linked well minutes into the game and only good defending from the home side forced a corner as Miller tried to get a cross in from Scott’s neat flick on.

Richard Reeve’s long throws were as dangerous a part of Brocton’s attacking game as   anything and Miller produced a shot with his left foot on the turn after one such throw caused consternation in the home penalty area, but it went well over the bar.

Nearing half time Richard Jones headed clear at the back and Lee Scott collected, spun and was through the back line, being taken down as he got clear. Richard Reeves was on the end of the free kick, but could get no power on his shot.

Coton Green had breaks from the back as Brocton sent more bodies forward and almost at the stroke of half time a weak back pass from Matt Skinner to his keeper had Mike Shelper darting forward to turn the ball for a corner, which was cleared.

The second half had the home side with the wind at their backs and they produced more pressure on the Brocton goal with long kicks out from the back, but twice when in good positions in front of goal, the eventual shot was high and wide.

An injury meant that Charlie Woollatt had to give way to Richard Hewitt in the second half and soon Richard Miller and Ben Harrison came off for Dave Berks and Andy Chandler pushing Hewitt up front and leaving Berks and Chandler in midfield. Almost immediately Berks combined with Sam Bell on the right to give Bell the chance to get in one of his tempting low crosses. Lee Scott got in a shot, but it ricocheted wide.

Then it was Chandler and Berks who exchanged short passes on their way to the edge of Coton Green’s area, but the move was smothered before any serious threat came about.

Both sides looked heavy legged as the game went into extra time and the most frequent stoppages were for cramped legs. In the first of those periods, Hewitt produced an over head kick into the keeper’s grateful arms and then made a neat diagonal run across the keeper to get on to a Bell cross after a Chandler pass, but the keeper was down at his feet and a foul was awarded.

Coton Green had the final fifteen minutes with the wind advantage and pressed hard as Brocton had to fight to keep them at arms length, but in the end the stalemate was a just outcome.

Shelper made a spectacular low full length save to his right to keep out the first penalty and put Brocton in the driving seat and they kept that advantage until the weary Richard Hewitt hit his effort wide of the post. Shelper immediately made an equally good save to his left to get back that advantage and in the end the Badgers did not need their final                     penalty as the keeper beat away the last attempt.