If Nuneaton Griff came with any intention of keeping the game tight at the start then all thoughts of that were blown away inside a reported 12 seconds of the kick off. The ball was quickly fed to Lee Scott, who darted through the centre of the visitors defence and was only held by weight of numbers within striking distance of the goal. He managed to occupy three defenders whilst slipping the ball to the onrushing Tom Tonks, who passed the ball calmly into the net.

But for a sharp save moments later things could have been worse for Griff as Scott flicked a header on to Mick Fox in the box and his left foot shot was well saved.

At the other end, it was smart work from Brocton’s keeper Mike Shelper which kept the home side in front as he showed great awareness of possibilities to smother a Griff chance before the forward even knew he had one.

A bout of midfield head tennis followed and finished with Scott heading on to Fox, who found Gary Fife. Only a superbly timed tackle as Fife drew a bead on the goal, prevented a further score. Still Griff continued to press and Brocton’s rearguard were worked to their limit to keep out wave after wave of well constructed, but direct, attacks.

With the visitors attracted to the possibility of an equaliser and a free kick to help their cause, it was a smart drop on the ball and quick release from Shelper which had them at sea. Fife collected the clearance, put the ball invitingly into the box and Matt Skinner arrived to head firmly on goal. Keeper Andy Needham blocked the shot, but Dean Crowley was on hand to prod it into the net.

That was on 19 minutes and three minutes later Brocton mad it 3  -  0. A Shelper kick was flicked on by Scott and Fife collected. With Brocton pouring forward he had almost too many options and was tackled before finding his intended target, but the half clearance only found Fox and with a shrug of his shoulders he made space for a perfect shot across the keeper to score.

Looking sharp and decisive in attack, but outnumbered in defence, Griff could still have kept the game within reach but for continued good work at the back by Shelper and  Richard Reeves in particular and the very next break from Brocton added insult to injury with a further goal. This time an innocuous throw left Fife with time and space to pick a pass to Scott inside the box and whilst Needham saved his attempted lob, Scott put away the rebound as it fell to his feet.

Brocton made several changes in the second period with newcomer Craig Hulme on from the start for Rob Winstanley and marking his debut with a fine 25 yard shot against the underside of the bar with Needham beaten. Richard Hewitt soon followed him, replacing Scott and youngster Aaron Gough replaced Dean Crowley. Griff simply refused to be beaten and after pounding Brocton’s last third for most of the second period, a point blank save by Shelper was quickly followed up by a two man block on the line of the returned loose ball.

Any spectator could easily deduce that this was simply Brocton’s day, but a corner was then converted by Blythe to give the visitors a lift, the ball was lazily given away and a second goal conceded to Peake and then a high foot in the box led to a heated debate over the indirectness of the resulting free kick. It led to nothing and the end of the game was seen out.

Despite Lee Scott being at his scintillating best, strike partner Mick Fox being not far behind and the pair combining after a sweet surge on the right from Tom Tonks, Brocton could not quite hold on to this battle between two very attack minded sides.

It was just 8 minutes in when Tonks made that run down the right and his ball in to Fox’s feet was slipped skilfully into the path of Scott, who dinked it over an advancing keeper to put the visitors ahead.

Even before that moment a heavily reshuffled rear guard for Brocton had shown signs of nerves as Massey Ferguson threw everything into attack on a slick pitch under heavy rain. With Matt Skinner suspended, Sam Bell injured and Dean Crowley lost on route to the ground, it was hardly surprising that the back line needed a little time to adjust to each other’s play.

Massey played some good approach play, but looked at their most threatening from corners, particularly those swung to or beyond the far post, but the back line held firm and clearly gained in confidence as the game wore on.

Meanwhile, at every opportunity the dynamic Scott and the wily Fox repeatedly made dangerous inroads into the Massey defences. On the half hour it was Steve Bennett who won the ball near the centre spot and who quickly gave to to Rob Winstanley who found Scott on one of his darts across goal. Scott was eventually crowded out by a combination of keeper and defender.

Then a throw deep in Massey territory was won after Richard Jones had found Fox helping out wide left. The throw to Winstanley was followed by a superbly weighted pass inside the full back for Tonks to run on to. His shot was well fielded at the near post.

With the referee trying to make allowances for both sides because of the slippery nature of the pitch, it was a rare free kick on the edge of Brocton’s box which brought the home side their next chance. The kick was dealt with but, as it ran loose, hesitancy between Mick Hathaway and his keeper Mike Shelper almost let in the home side. It was a rare blip in what was becoming a steady performance.

Brocton began the second period benefiting from the wind now at their backs, but were unable to extend their lead. Massey put Shelper under pressure from a corner, but he punched out well and Scott darted through from just inside his own half to get beyond the high line of Massey’s defence. It took a foul to stop him.

Then it was Brocton’s turn to lose the ball in the middle of the pitch and the final ball played into the area and deflected on its way had to be stabbed out to safety by Andy Chandler’s fully stretched left leg.

Just into the last fifteen minutes of this entertaining match the home side finally found their way to the net as Marvin Robinson headed down in the area from a free kick for his strike partner Manoochehri to slide the ball wide of Shelper and inside the far post.

Brocton looked as though they would hold on for a draw, but in the final moments of additional time another free kick was floated into the area and the nippy Gunter took advantage of hesitancy from Brocton’s defence and glanced his header past Shelper.

Staffs FA Vase Round 2

Mercifully the threatened torrential rain and gale force winds stayed away and only began to affect the match later in the second half. The players of both sides, however  made the most of a slippery surface due to earlier rain and turned this into a game for attacking play. A spectator summed it up perfectly at half time by saying that the score could easily be 6—4. In the first period though, Brocton were irresistible. Their  finishing was the difference in the end between the two teams, but their approach play was a pleasure to watch.

As early as the second minute Richard Jones found himself with a clear run along the right flank and he put in a dangerous cross to the far post that Lee Scott was inches away from turning in. The fact that it took almost another quarter hour for the first goal to come via a Gary Fife left foot drive at the far post and an unfortunate, but unavoidable deflection from a defender into the net, was difficult to believe. In those first fifteen minutes either side could have scored twice each at least.

Casuals immediately broke down the left and won a throw close to the Brocton bye line. The throw and subsequent cross should have brought better than the header wide of the post. Tom Tonks then repeated the action for the home side and forced a  desperate defender to twice head almost vertically in an attempt to clear his lines. It was Gary Fife who eventually got his foot to the ball with a volley which was cleared off the line.

Hand ball gave Fife his next chance and his free kick was beaten out and Tonks was narrowly beaten to the rebound. Fife was involved again moments later as his attempt to pass was shinned and Casuals swept into attack. The dangerous Tony Onokah nipped in and strode towards goal, only to fluff his final shot. Then a sublime pass into Mick Fox just inside the box gave him the chance to get the ball out of his feet and beat the keeper.

It was a left footed cross from Fox which found fife in the box and a clinical shot to the keeper’s left gave the keeper no chance despite a fine dive and hand on the ball.

Scott rounded off Brocton’s scoring in the half with a simple touch in after an excellent run and a pin point cross to the far post from Jones.

With the increasing wind at their backs and an urge to get back some pride from the match, it was Casuals who dominated most of the second period and on 70 minutes they finally got the goal which their play had deserved, but this was Brocton’s day and that was the end of the scoring.

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.