Despite Walsall Wood looking the brighter from the kick off, the first opportunity to score fell to Andy Harrison of Brocton after just 10 minutes. Andy Hume had picked up a loose ball in midfield and fed it smartly into Harrison’s forward run. It sat up nicely, albeit a little too far right of the goal to present a full target, but Harrison got his shot off across the keeper, who was relieved to see it beat the far post.

The keeper did well on 18 minutes as he beat out a goal bound free kick from Hume at the angle of post and bar, but the resulting corner was disappointing and the pressure went.

Wood looked bright when they broke out, with good width on either side of the pitch and a dart to the bye line on the left before a weak cross promised better to come. In fact the deadlock was broken after a good spell of pressure from the visitors seemed to have been weathered. Brocton’s midfield and defence had been called upon to defend deep and had forced the ball away to their opponent’s left near the half way line as a speculative cross was aimed at the near post. Matt Skinner arrived first to head away, but the pressure on him deflected his header toward goal, beating Mike Shelper with what turned out to be a beauty at the near post.

Steve Allen almost brought the home side level direct from a corner as the wind swung the high ball into the goal, but the keeper was alert and tipped it over at the last moment. Allen repeated the dose, but this time it drifted harmlessly over.

The second half was hardly started before Andy Hume was up ended right in front of goal, but his free kick sailed over the bar. Then Walsall Wood almost made good use of an early throw. With the whole of the goal to aim at, the final shot was placed wide of both keeper and post.

Lee Scott, on in the second period, was found well by Steve Allen and the visitor did well to force the ball out for a corner when Scott found a dangerous position on the right of the box.

Then Matt Skinner arrived from left back at the far post to meet the deep corner on the half volley, but hit it wide.

The visitors seemed to gain confidence from Brocton’s profligacy and manufactured a series of good openings down the left flank, but each time the cross either drifted too near to Mike Shelper in Brocton’s goal or behind the forwards hoping to meet it.

Brocton’s equaliser followed their best passing move of the match. The ball was worked right from the back, every pass went to feet and Gary Fife, another substitute, found room on the right of the box, received the final pass and hit his shot early. Wide of the goal.

Immediately following that effort, Andy Chandler collected the ball at the heart of the Brocton defence once again and worked the ball to his left to matt Skinner. Skinner found James Dyke and Dyke slipped the ball inside the left full back for Lee Scott to run in and score.

Walsall Wood then brought the save of the match out of Mike Shelper. With Brocton simply out paced only Shelper stood between them and the goal. He was sent the wrong way initially, but still managed to squirm round and push the ball round the post.

Almost immediately Brocton went up the other end of the field and a deep cross found Richard Miller on the edge of the box. He chested the ball down and placed it carefully to the keeper’s right, only to see his effort rebound from the inside of the post all across the goal to find a grateful keeper and the game finished with honours even.

Brocton 1 v 1 Walsall Wood

Meir’s probing looked to have got through the heart of Brocton’s defence until Tom Kent won the ball and immediately set Scott off on the right. Scott’s gamble paid off as he raced on when his marker, looking set to cut out the pass, slipped at the last moment. Scott’s shot was well blocked by the keeper but he was fortunate indeed that the rebound from Andy Harrison went wide of the post. Gary Fife, keeping the ball under close control caused nerves to jangle as he jinked his way through the centre, but he was tripped just as he approached the danger area. The subsequent free kick, hit low to Steve Bennett, was struck across a crowded goal mouth but could not be forced home.

It was not until the 35th minute that the deadlock was broken. Andy Harrison did well to win a corner and from the corner the ball simply could not be cleared. Three shots rained in and were half cleared before Lee Scott hit the decisive one low to the keeper’s left.

Brocton barely had time to celebrate though before Meir were back on terms. A pass out from the back was gifted to the visitors and the Brocton defence quickly set back on their heels. The gift seemed to have been spurned as a swift attempt at a forward pass was misplaced and Brocton looked favourite to clear. Another slip left David Coulston one on one with Mike Shelper and Coulston kept his composure to side step Shelper and pass the ball into an unguarded net.

Just as the half time whistle was about to go Brocton once again took the lead when Gary Fife produced another fine cross ball cutting out the defence and delivering into to Steve Allen’s path. Allen set himself and hit a volley low into the net for the goal of the night.

The second period continued with similar pace and endeavour without either side quite creating the chances of the first period. Brocton’s best move of that period involved substitute Richard Miller, linking first with Richard Jones from the back and then with Andy Harrison before hitting the side netting with the keeper at full stretch.

Meir battled on and could have pinched an equaliser almost on full time when a free kick drifted over Brocton’s back line and what looked like a free unmarked header right in front of goal was just inches too high and went harmlessly wide.

Brocton 2 v 1 Meir KA

Wednesday 27th February Brocton v Brereton Social

This game began at a furious pace, perhaps in an attempt to ward off the cold. It meant that possession was far from comfortable for either side and passes inevitably went astray. The game switched from end to end remarkably quickly and no sooner had one side snatched an attempt at goal than the other was pressing in return.

James Dyke took the eye in midfield for Brocton, with determined closing down and tackling, but also with the first real chance of the game. A Richard Reeves throw was only half cleared from Brereton’s box and Dyke was on to the loose ball, unleashing a fierce volley, which Adam Braddock did well to parry. Dyke won the ball in midfield moments later and set Gary Fife free to his left. Lee Northwood steamed past Fife down the left touchline and Fife used his run to find room inside. His cross found Lee Scott at the right hand edge of the box and Scott volleyed over.

Brereton immediately struck back with a defence turning ball over the Brocton back line and Richard Jones got in a saving tackle, only to see a snap shot from deep, which had to be watched carefully over the bar by Mike Shelper.

A long ball from the back saw Gary Fife race clear on the left and jink his way to the bye line, before crossing to the back post, where a powerful header brought a fine save from Braddock. Once again the response was swift, with mike Shelper having to field the result of a free header in his own box seconds later. The deadlock was broken just before half time when Fife once again broke through the back line. This time the loose ball was met by Fife and Braddock just outside the box and the ball broke kindly for the Brocton player from the tackle. He had to go wide left to chase it, but despite arriving defenders on the line, made no mistake with a cool left foot finish.

There was little change to the ebb and flow of the match in the second period and it was the second of two consecutive free kicks from James Dyke which helped to make the game safe. The first to the far post had Richard Reeves head back across goal and was well defended under pressure and the second was just slipped a yard to his right, from where Lee Scott struck Brocton’s second of the night.

Youngster Lee Northwood, making a comeback from injury and deputising at left back for one of Brocton’s most reliable players, Matt Skinner, was having a fine match already, but then produced a mini series of sharp tackles and pressure. The efforts were matched by his team mates and time and again Brereton attacks were turned and forced away from goal without there being a threat. A typical bout of this defensive pressure gave Richard Miller a chance late in the second half. He did all the hard work in maintaining his control of the ball together with his advantage in speed over the recovering defence, but went for power over placement and hit his shot wide of the target.

Kieran Newey came on for Social as a late substitute and his fresh legs lifted his team as the final whistle beckoned. He produced almost the last meaningful action of the game with a lifted shot causing Mike Shelper to back track and touch the ball over the bar.

Brocton 2 v 0 Brereton Social

Brocton keeper Mike Shelper then punted a long ball down the middle, Andy Harrison headed on and Lee Scott outpaced Jamie Fulford and headed over the advancing Steve Johnson to give the Badgers a 7^th minute lead.

In the 11^th minute a needless handball by Danny Hollywood gave James Dyke the chance to deliver a perfectly flighted free kick and Richard Reeves glanced it past the helpless Johnson to make it 2-0.

On 13 minutes Lee Scott lobbed the ball high over Johnson and looked set to make it 3-0 but the ball took too long to come down and was cleared for corner.

After 19 minutes Brocton lost Andy Harrison with damaged ankle ligaments and the attack looked less balanced without the big target man.

Substitute Richie Miller was soon in the thick of the action though and won the ball in midfield and fed James Dyke who played it forward to Lee Scott to run on to. Scott’s pace took him clear of the defence and with the equally quick Miller getting into box to support a goal looked likely until Johnson thwarted Scott with a fine block.

Dyke tried to engineer an opening early in the second half but Miller dragged his shot wide. Brocton had a scare on 63 minutes when Andy McMath was allowed a free header but Shelper brilliantly parried it away from point blank range. The windy conditions and the bumpy pitch took their toll and neither side looked like adding to score in the final quarter as the Badgers ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.

In the end this was a routine victory for Highgate and one in which, certainly for the first half, they did not need to be any where near the sort of form which must have taken them 12 points clear at the top of the division before this game. Brocton were doing the early probing and had chances on goal, which the home side seemed simply to ignore, such is their evident confidence. The best of the chances came down the left flank and a Steve Bennett cross eluded the Highgate keeper before also passing over both Andy Harrison’s and Gary Fife’s heads and safely clear.

That was the culmination of 10 minutes pressure, but Highgate broke out and moved the ball quickly up field to the right flank, from where a speculative cross caught Mike Shelper a little out of position, but still looking favourite to simply touch it over the bar. He got a hand to it, but the ball fell invitingly almost onto his goal line and was touched home by Tom Thacker.

The game continued in the same vein with Brocton probing and Highgate seemingly content to watch them do so. Andy Hume found Ben Harrison and Ben moved the ball on to the feet of brother Andy, who took on the shot, hitting it just wide. Then Steve Bennett looked to have jinked into the clear only to be caught by a stray foot and James Dyke found an unmarked Dave Langston beyond the far post. Langston low half volley found a well positioned keeper. Bennett repeated the dose, dribbling even nearer before being tripped and this time Gary Fife went directly for goal, but hit over.

Langston was then in action deep in his own half, winning the ball at the back before setting Gary Fife off on the right. Fife found Bennett and Bennett shot again over the bar.

Then a long clearance from Highgate and high bounce took the ball into Brocton’s area. A moments indecision between Shelper and Langston and this time it was Neil Kitching of the home side who gratefully accepted the gift. There was almost a repeat on 35 minutes as once again a lob into the box threatened to cause problems, but although an advancing Shelper was pipped to the ball, he managed to reach high and tip it over the bar for a corner. The corner though took a deflection as it reached the box and it flew all across the goal and the touch at the far post could only put it wide of the net.

The bets move of the game came from the home side just as half time approached and a sweeping move culminated in a fine strike from the right edge of the box by Liam O’Shea, putting the home side out of sight.

Strangely Highgate only really began to show their evident quality in the second half, already three goals to the good and it took some good defending and all round team work by Brocton to keep the score to that level. But on the hour mark, just as Brocton seemed to have weathered that period, a corner went once again high into the box and under pressure, Mike Shelper’s attempted punch could once again only drop the ball in the box where this time Adam Rogers was on hand to tap it home.

Brocton never capitulated, but Highgate always appeared to get plenty of bodies around any attempt at an attack, until finally almost on full time Richard Miller kept excellent composure in the box, beat the Highgate keeper’s attempted dive at his feet and gave the visitors a consolation.

Highgate United 4 v 1 Brocton

With a low sun directly behind one goal, it looked as though Continental Star’s fortune with a toss of a coin could be crucial as they chose to start with the sun at their backs. They began the better of the two sides and a free kick taken quickly on just 7 minutes was allowed to go across goal where Wesley Gray collected the ball and picked his spot.

Lee Scott manufactured an overhead kick in Star’s box minutes later when a corner was allowed to bounce in the box, but the effort found the well positioned Chris Sparrow in Star’s goal. Long throws by Richard Reece caused some concern at the heart of the visitor’s defence, but two in quick succession were scrambled away and Star struck back with a huge kick from their keeper. The sun played its part as Kirk Maragh got enough on the ball from an Andy Chandler attempted clearance to guide into the net for Continental Star’s second on 23 minutes.

The visitors had to defend deep at times, but did so in numbers and looked to have seen off Brocton’s pressure until another long throw found Andy Harrison in the box. Shielding the ball well, he was pulled down and the referee signalled for a penalty. Sparrow did his best to unnerve Lee Scott, but Scott put the ball low to his left and in for Brocton’s first on 37 minutes.

Scott was on hand again almost on the half time whistle as this time Dave Langston headed on a long throw and Scott turned it in to send the home side in on level terms.

By the beginning of the second half the sun was lower and perhaps even more difficult as no cap could keep out the glare. Brocton started with great purpose and firstly a fine passing move had James Dyke sweep the ball out to Lee Scott on the right edge of the box and his swift low cross was met and converted by Gary Fife. That was quickly followed with a similar move started this time by Steve Bennett. He found Dyke and this time Dyke’s pass to Scott was lofted over an advancing keeper and in off the far post to give Brocton a cushion.

Gary Fife made the last goal with a surging run from the half way line evading attempted tackles before slipping the ball right to Scott, who once again hit the ball across the keeper and in off the far post.

Continental star rallied in the last quarter of the match, but the Badgers defended in numbers and kept their three goal cushion to the end of an entertaining match.

Brocton 5 v 2 Continental Star