Brocton’s chance to take top spot in the Midland Combination Premier this week was foiled by a re-emerging Cadbury side who have made a marked improvement over their last few games.

Cadbury started the most lively and took the game to Brocton from the start, and were   testing the resilience of the home side, in fact Cadbury’s Cordell Jones was yellow carded for a two footed tackle on Richard Jones who used his skill to avoid serious injury. From this stoppage and several others in the early stages Brocton started to get their own game together albeit their cautious  approach left Scott and Miller short of support at crucial times. Brocton varied the play and it was Fife who caused panic in the Cadbury defence with a well struck shot just deflected over the cross bar but could have easily have finished in the net. Adam Ainge had the ball in the net for Cadbury but was well offside. Cadbury however were defending the Brocton attacks in numbers and were always prepared to break out with purpose, and it was from one of Cadbury’s forward runs that Chris Jones centred the ball for his oncoming forwards but the ball travelled  over keeper Mike Shelper and in off the post just 6 minutes before the break.

Brocton did not have much opportunity to make amends in the first half but it was Gary Fife who set the Badgers on their way early after the restart releasing Lee Scott who slotted the ball past the advancing keeper.

Brocton went close on 65 minutes as Fife lobbed the keeper and with the ball goal bound, Cadbury’s Greg Ellard cleared off the line and gave them an amazing escape.

Cadbury took the lead for the second time with Ainge following up a save by Shelper from Cordell Jones which he could only parry away but into the path of the advancing forward.

Brocton were now throwing everything at Cadbury and changed their formation to get more fire power in the forward line with Richard Hewitt coming on for defender Andy Chandler.

The game was now hotting up to a grand finale and it was the industrious Fife who saved the day for Brocton with an 84^th minute drive into the corner of the Cadbury net.

The game was now on a knife edge  with both teams going for that all important goal and both teams had chances to take all the spoils before referee Glover bought this entertaining game to an end.

Brocton must reflect on a missed opportunity with their league position but Cadbury provided stiff opposition and a draw was a fair result.

Thank goodness that football is not played on paper, because if so this game should have been a walk over, but Pershore Town played their full part in an entertaining and high quality match, played in excellent spirit.

Understandably Brocton began full of confidence and only exceptional goal keeping play from Melvin Watson in Pershore’s net kept them at bay in a vibrant first 20 minutes. Mike Shelper’s long kick from hand was flicked on by Sam Bell first for Richard Miller to beat his marker and fire a low left foot shot just wide. Then twice in succession the otherwise excellent Ben Smith found himself cut out of the action by perfect passes inside his line for Sam Bell to glide into the box and put across tempting low crosses. The first of these Gary Fife hit across  Watson only to see him tip it round the post at full length and the second Fife hit on the full and over the bar.

Rob Winstanley set up the next chance from midfield, giving Bell the chance to score himself, but his shot, arrowing for the inside of the far post, once again brought the best from Watson as he turned it round at full stretch. The resulting corner brought a similar save, but the keeper suffered from his effort and moments later Richard Reeves got ahead of him and headed in a pinpoint Fife corner to put the Badgers ahead. That was just before the half hour and Brocton were soon on the attack again as a quick free kick put Fife free in the box, but once again a fine save kept him out.

The respite was short lived though as Richard Jones took a pass from Richard Reeves and quickly sent it on to the willing Scott. Scott found Richard Miller and this time his left foot shot, hit before the keeper could set himself, squirmed in, but that advantage was only held to half time because of a last ditch tackle from Andy Chandler as Pershore threatened to drive through the heart of Brocton’s defence.

The lesson was not learned though, as Pershore took advantage of some casual work in Brocton’s midfield to mount a swift attack of their own, in which Nathan Jones raced ahead on the right and struck a fine shot beyond Shelper.

Pershore then had a period of fifteen minutes or so when, buoyed by their goal, they were at least the equal of Brocton and that period brought the best from the Brocton defence, but the Brocton midfield in particular settled once more and the fresh legs and mind of Richard Hewitt, on for Miller, put him first to react to a delicate forward pass into the box from Fife and coolly lift it over the advancing keeper.

Reward for a fine display of forward play came for Lee Scott as a Richard Reeves throw caused havoc at the heart of the Pershore defence and Scott was on hand to poke the ball home. He was then replaced by Mick Fox and although there were no more goals, Fox and his forward partner Hewitt not only created more chances but also had the experience to keep the play very much in the Pershore half of the pitch.

A nail biting finish was no more than this pulsating game deserved as each time Brocton scored, Knowle struck back immediately.

A bright opening form the home side, with a strong wind marginally in their favour, saw Mat Skinner strike the bar with a powerful header as early as the 5th minute after a Lee Scott flicked header from a Richard Reeves throw. Skinner’s follow up header skimmed the top of the bar and flew to safety.

Skinner very nearly went one better when he met a Gary Fife free kick at the far post and turned the ball across an advancing keeper only to see it drift past the far post.

Sam Bell was harshly adjudged to have hand balled an attempted cross which he did everything in his power to avoid, but the dangerous resulting free kick, was smuggled away and Brocton broke quickly. Richard Miller raced on to the ball and popped it into Gary Fife’s path. Fife’s cross beat the far post and the onrushing Skinner.

Miller almost converted the very next opportunity with a diving header at the left hand post, which keeper Shaun Edwards did well to parry. The loose ball was gathered by the alert keeper before Miller could recover from his full length dive.

An injury to captain Matt Skinner meant a reshuffle at the heart of Brocton’s defence with Andy Chandler moving to left back, Rob Winstanley to centre back and Charlie Woollatt coming on in midfield.

It was a Sam Bell tackle and forward move from right back which set up Brocton’s first as he skipped past one tackle near the centre line before releasing a tempting pass to Lee Scott. Scott slipped the ball into Gary Fife’s path and he powered a fine shot wide of the keeper. That was on the stroke of normal time, but in injury time Knowle struck back with a goal mouth melee finished off by Mykey Pryce.

It took another twelve minutes in the second half for Brocton to get back that lead when this time it was Dean Crowley who finished off a messy goal mouth melee. But once again the resilient Knowle struck back inside a minute when a high ball bounced outside Brocton’s box and whilst it was half cleared, Karl King hit a perfect volley to beat Mike Shelper in Brocton’s goal.

Mick Fox came on to replace the hard working Richard Miller and was soon holding the ball and slipping it into the path of Lee Scott on the edge of Knowle’s penalty area. Scott’s fierce low drive beat Edwards to give Brocton the lead yet again.

Knowle threw everything at the home side for the remaining minutes but Brocton this time held on for a hard fought win, taking them into fourth spot in a fascinating league.

After a poor first half performance Brocton bounced back to sweep Walsall Wood aside with a five goal salvo after the break.

The home side picked up a couple of early yellow cards before they took the lead on 20 minutes. There was a misunderstanding between Brocton goalie Mike Shelper and his defence and Ryan Allmark capitalised on the hesitation to nip in and net the loose ball.

Brocton tried to get back on terms and forced 3 successive corners but they came to nothing. Then in the 25^th minute Wood attacked and the Brocton defence left Ryan Allmark unmarked on the far post but Shelper did well and pushed his shot away.

Brocton then had the ball cleared off the line following a corner before Wood attacked and won a couple of corners of their own which Brocton successfully repelled. On 38 minutes another Wood corner was only half cleared and Rob Cadman met the clearance on the volley and Shelper again showed his mettle with a fine save at the foot of his left hand post at the expense of another corner. The resultant flag kick bobbled dangerously along the Badgers goal line and they had a narrow escape when the ball hit the post with Shelper beaten. Wood full back Rob Cadman was booked just before the players went off at half time with Brocton counting themselves lucky to be only one goal down.

Manager Dave Berks shuffled his team for the second half and sent them out with a flat back four instead of his usual preference for a wing back formation. The change paid dividends within seconds when Sam Bell beat his marker and passed inside to Richard Jones who slotted the ball home just inside the far post to equalise.

Brocton skipper Matt Skinner was then booked for a foul on the half way line.

On 50 minutes good work by Ben Harrison helped earn Brocton a right wing corner. The ball found its way to Lee Scott on the far post and he fired just inside the near post to give the Badgers the lead.

A few minutes later Mick Fox netted from a Richard Jones cross but he was offside. Then Wood attacked and created an opening albeit from 25 yards for Danny Owen but his effort was well wide.

Richie Miller replaced Mick Fox and then on 67 minutes Richard Hewitt replaced Gary Fife and scored within a minute. His first effort was parried but incredibly he netted the rebound whilst lying on the ground to put the Badgers 3-1 up

Tom Tonks replaced Lee Scott for the last 15 minutes and was soon in action crossing from the left to Sam Bell who laid it off to Charlie Woollatt but his shot was high & wide.

At the other end Ahmet Bilgimer won a corner but Richard Hewitt cleared and raced down the other end to get on the end of a cross from Tom Tonks. As he turned to shoot he appeared to be brought down but the referee dismissed Brocton’s penalty appeals.

The Badgers next attack ended with Sam Bell crossing to Richie Miller on the far post. Miller’s header was parried away but he collected the loose ball and as he turned past a defender there was a clear handball and Miller himself despatched the penalty to make it 4-1 on 88 minutes. As the game entered stoppage time Miller was brought down in the box and again netted from the spot to make it 5-1 but not before goal keeper Neil Reeves and defender Brett Larkins were shown red cards leaving Wood to play the last 3 minutes of stoppage time with 9 men.

Brocton got off to a flying start in this match with Sam Bell netting on just two minutes Richard Hewitt then tested Swifts keeper Niall Gibson who produced a good save.

Bolehall however got back on terms on 16 minutes when two Brocton defenders went to head the same ball allowing Paul Gozzardo the chance to equalise which he gratefully accepted.

The Badgers tried to get back in front but both Gary Fife and Matt Skinner missed chances whilst at the other end Mike Chetwynd could have put the visitors ahead but he miss kicked.

Bolehall went ahead on 31 minutes when a superb run saw Gozzardo cut through the Brocton defence and shoot against the post with Carpenter slotting in the rebound.

The game was then end to end but Bolehall’s forwards looked more threatening than Brocton’s and the Badgers had a let off when Mike Chetwynd hit the post at point blank range when it looked easier to score.

The second half got underway with an early booking for Charlie Woollatt then on 52  minutes Richard Hewitt was replaced by substitute Richie Miller who was soon involved in a 3 man move that Bolehall ended at the expense of a corner. Swifts then attacked and Gozzardo then set up a chance for Jamie Newbold but he dragged his effort wide.

On the hour a surging run by Sam Bell won a throw in near the corner flag. Tom Tonks threw it long and a flick on found Miller on far post but his volley was blocked by the defence.

Brocton continued to push for an equaliser and a good move down the left ended with Lee Scott firing in a shot which keeper Gibson parried away to safety. Another Tonks throw found Gary Fife and his floated cross was met by Rob Winstanley but Gibson comfortably gathered the header. At the other end Mike Shelper saved well to deny Newbold as Bolehall threated on the break.

The Badgers best chance came when Richie Miller was brought down by Mike Davies and referee Alan Sarginson pointed to the spot. Gary Fife stepped up to blast the spot kick but it was too close to Niall Gibson and he threw up an arm to turn it over the bar.

In the final stages Brocton won corner after corner but the flag kicks lacked variety so the visitors defence comfortably dealt with everything that was thrown at them and it was Swifts who looked the more likely to score on the break.