The Badgers narrowly miss out on Round 2 via the penalty lottery after a very close game with higher league opposition.
Brocton 1 Wolverhampton Casuals 1 (3-4 pens)
FA Vase Round 1
After our annual preseason game with visitors Wolverhampton Casuals, the match was always going to be a tight affair as the game would prove to be. The Badgers certainly started the brighter of the two sides with Jake Thomas with a long range shot Hart in the Cassie’s goal had to tip over and a flicked header from a cross which gave the keeper something to think about. As the half progressed, Badgers kept the pressure on with Reg Smith forcing a save after good play from Connor Haddaway on the left and Morgan Payne with Ben Haddaway running the midfield. The visitors did threaten on the counter-attack with Waddison and Harrison providing the most threat forward with good interplay and running but without laving too much of a glove on Tony Allsopps goal. The half ended with Ben Haddaway trying his Ronaldo step-over, then a low cross which Jake Thomas tried to stretch and connect with but no-on could break the deadlock.
The visitors started the second half with a quicker tempo and approach with again Waddison showing quality with a couple of long range efforts and a crosses into the forward line causing the Badgers defence to work hard. On 55 it was Waddison who broke the deadlock to give the visitors the lead. A cross from the left hand side, with offside complaints waived away, saw Waddison turn in the box and hit low past the out stretched hand of Tony. The Badgers picked up the pace after the goal with a freekick from Connor Haddaway, flicked on by Christian Blanchette and a close range volley from Reg Smith just over the bar, shortly after Jake Thomas struck a low shot in the box only to see the keeper save it. A long clearance from Tony Allsopp, was chased down by Morgan Payne right to the byline. A neat turn past the defender saw a rash challenge taking Morgan’s standing leg was a stonewall penalty and Connor Haddaway made no mistake from 12 yards, which proved to be the first of 10 penalties in the tie. The visitors came back into the match and forced probably the save of the season from Tony in the Badgers goal as Hearsey volleyed from close range and instinctively Tony palmed it onto the bar! This set the pattern for the last ten with Cassies throwing everything at the Badgers but the defence marshalled by Tom Vaughan and Tony standing firm stopped a second goal. In fact, it was the Badgers who had the chance to clinch the match in injury time with a sight of goal but the shot was wide. Then into penalties. Taken at the non-clubhouse end, the lottery which is penalties saw Tony get a hand on two of the Cassies pens, but they made no mistakes from 12 yards and took the tie in the end, leaving the Badgers ruing missed chances through the match.
Team
Allsopp, Weldon, Triggs, Bostock, Vaughan, B Haddaway, Payne, Thomas, Smith, C Haddaway©, Finlay.
Subs Used: L Haddaway, King, Blanchette.
Goal: C Haddaway (55)
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