On a cold, wet and miserable morning the Brantham Badgers team met an understrength Northam Celtic side. The poor weather conditions did not seem to worry the Badgers a great deal and they carried on their great winning league streak with an emphatic 11-0 win and to be honest it could have been more. This week for a change rather than go through each goal in detail there will be a somewhat potted look at the goalscorers and the people who made the chance for the goals.
ROSS CRACKNELL - 4 goals
Ross made light of the atrocious conditions to hit home four well taken goals. His first came after Jamie Carrington had run at the keeper and as the keeper came out Jamie slipped the ball across for Ross to run onto and put into the net without even breraking stride. Goal number 2 came when Craig Clarke nutmegged his marker and put the ball over for Ross to hit home at the far post. We had to wait for a while for goal three but it finally came when this time Jamie Carrington made ground down the flank and pushed the ball through for Ross to latch onto and slot home in style. Ross's last goal came at the very end of the game trhis time it was Justin "V-Man" Vince who played the ball wide for Ross to run onto and Ross came in and drew the keeper oput and as the keeper lay flat out, after slioppoing over I might add, in a pool of mud and water Ross casually ran the ball into the goal.
JAMIE CARRINGTON - 3 goals
Jamie had a hand in not only scoring goals but also made some for his team-mates. Jamie's first goal came after Craig Clarke and Sean Kearney had made ground down the flanks and Sean played the ball into the path of Jamie who hit it home at the far post. For Jamie's second goal it was Graham Stiff and Ross Cracknell who turned providers with Ross making the final pass and Jamie hitting it home at the second attempt. Alan Backhouse and Greg Ranson then combined to put Jamie through but his first strike beat the keeper only to hit the bar. The goal that gave Jamie his hat-trick came before half time when the ball was worked through the middle and Jamie latched onto the loose ball and beat the keeper who had committed himself.
SEAN KEARNEY - 2 goals.
Sean Kearney opened the scoring for the Badgers after only a few minutes when he ghosted in onto the end of a two man move started by Graham Stiff and Sean Kearney left his marker for dead and hit it home at the near post. We had to wait until the second half for Sean's second goal. This came from a shocking goal kick from the Northam custodian and Sean was the quickest man to react and he lobbed the oncoming keeper, who by that time had just had enough I have a feeling.
Craig Clarke - 1 goal
Although Craig only had one goal at the end of the match he made several telling passes and with any good luck could have had a hat-trick. Craig made several telling passes to his team mates and was involved in the build up to several of the goals.However, Craig's only goal of the game came to make it 7-0. Craig did all the hard work down the wing, worked his way inside and from an awkward angle sent a great shot into the goal. There was a hint of Guy Clubb getting a knick at the ball as it went in but Guy, the gentleman he is, and despite being covered from head to toe in mud, credited the goal to Craig.
Greg Ranson - 1 goal
Greg Ranson added goal number 9 and a well deserved and taken goal after Craig Clarke had made the opening for Greg to hit home. Greg had a solid game and is one of the players who just goes about his business,making telling tackles and pushing his fellow men forward with some precision passing.
The rain kept on coming down almost the entire match. Guy Clubb seemed to relish the conditions and after one effort went almost across the area on his backside. Ash Bowdler in goal made two important stops early on. The first when a forward wasd put through and he sent in a fierce shot that Ash somehow managed to tip over the bar.Minutes later the same man was through and Ash made a top class save to deny him. Ash stepped down after the break and to a great roar from the crowd ( well Alan Clarke, Adam and myself !) Paul "The Cat" Hammond was brought on. Paul soon got involved and towards the latter part of the game Paul made a good flying save to deny a lone Northam striker. I appreciate again that the goal scorers tend to hog the head lines, but I think that every single player on the pitch and the referee, played some good football despite the terrible monsoon like conditions, well done to each and every one of you. The Northam keeper had to go off with a nasty looking knee injury and I am sure that I speak on behalf of everybody when I say that we all hope he makes a quick recovery.
There is no game this coming Sunday and the Badgers are at home on December 13th to Skyline,, the team we beat at Eastwood Ho at the very start of the season. The week break will al least give me the chanvce to re-arrange my hair style after having got drenched at the game"!"!"!"
barry felgate
