Game 1: Brockenhurst 2.3 Highworth Town (Friendly) 10.07.10

With the final games of the World Cup taking place this weekend it seemed strange to be heading off to the first friendly match of the new season. To make the most of the good weather I decided on a revisit to Brockenhurst as I've only been there for an evening game and wanted to get some better pictures of the ground.

It turned out that the train fare to Lymington Pier was the same price as to Brockenhurst so I took a trip down to the seaside and back before the game. After strolling past some New Forest ponies taking shelter from the sun outside Lloyds Bank I arrived at the ground. There was a 4 page photocopied programme for the match which was included in the £2 admission.

Highworth Town play in the Hellenic League at Step 5, the same level as Brockenhurst so I was looking forward to seeing how the Wessex team would fare against 'foreign' opposition. As you might expect from a first game, both teams were a little rusty and to start with some of the passing wasn't finding the intended target.

Highworth took the lead in the 16th minute with a great individual move. The ball was played down the right wing and in a move Dutch superstar Arjen Robben would have been proud of, the recipient of the pass cut inside past a tackle before running across the area and hitting a shot past the keeper.

It had been a great finish for the first goal of the season but the second would been even more special. Throughout the World Cup the highly paid superstars have watched most of their freekicks fly harmlessly 20 feet over the crossbar. Brockenhurst's 10 showed them how it should be done in the 18th minute. He hit a superb freekick round the right side of the wall which flew past the keeper's diving hand into the bottom of the goal. I doubt I'll see a better hit freekick for a long time!

Brockenhurst now had the momentum and scored a second goal in the 24th minute. A Highworth player underhit a backpass which allowed a Brockenhurst player to run in to the area with the ball and chip the keeper. The ball curved to the right but remained on target and gave the home team a 2.1 half time lead.

Both teams made a number of substitutions at the start of the second half as the game started to stretch in the heat. Brockenhurst kept possession well and tried to play the ball through the Highworth defence. On several occasions this tactic broke down as the proposed recipient of the pass was offside when the ball was played to them. Highworth were attacking as a unit with the whole team pushing up when they had possession.

This tactic finally paid off in the 76th minute when a deep cross eluded the defence and found a Highworth player unmarked close to the goal. He placed a low shot on target that the Brockenhurst keeper couldn't quite get a hand to.

The game was really entertaining as both teams decided to press on and try and get a winner. Brockenhurst didn't commit players forward into the penalty area quickly enough which allowed the Highworth defence time to close players down. In the 78th minute a delicate chip was deflected just over the crossbar and from the resulting corner, Highworth almost scored when a free header was hit hard but over the bar.

It looked like the game would end in a tie but Highworth had other ideas. In the 89th minute the Brockenhurst keeper was just about able to keep the ball out from a flicked header. A minute later and another long, deep cross looked like it was hit in from my vantage point but it turned out to be an own goal by a home player. On the balance of play the visitors had edged it for me but it was a shame that the great freekick didn't contribute to a win.