Badgers Warm Up in Style!

WCFC U!4s The Badgers warmed up for the new season with a comfortable win over local rivals Devizes Town Avengers at a sunbaked Green Lane last Sunday. The earlier exchanges were even, with both teams sizing each other up as they threw off the summer cobwebs, but it was the Badgers that started to exert themselves. In a move to be repeated numerous times, a penetrating through ball from Bailey put Archie in but he shot narrowly wide. A Badgers' corner led to a desperate scramble and the ball being hacked off the line . Jack thought he'd opened his scoring account on 5 minutes running through to slot the ball in calmly, only to be given narrowly offside. The Avengers started to get into the game, looking dangerous attacking down their right, which was where the opening goal came from. A long ball found their winger free in the box and his cross was swept effectively into the net by the Avengers striker past a helpless William G in the Badgers' goal to put Devizes 1-0 up. The Badgers nearly equalised when a shot from central midfielder Sonny from outside the box fizzed narrowly over the bar. From another great through ball from skipper Oli, William D cut in from the left to fire just wide. Picking up from last season, Bailey was delivering sumptuous corners causing havoc and from one he nearly scored, when picking up a half cleared ball, his shot across the goal came back off the far post into the arms of the stunned Avengers' keeper. A tactical change saw Ashton come on and close down the Avengers threat on the right putting the Badgers now firmly in control playing some fluent attacking football. The deserved equaliser finally came 5 minutes before the break when Toby's through ball put Jack clear on the right who thumped the ball across goal into the corner of the Devizes net with aplomb, picking up where he left off last season. The Badger's nearly went into the break ahead when Teddy headed just over from a corner.

The second half saw the Badgers push Devizes back right from the outset. William D was pulled down just outside the box, and from the resultant free kick, Bailey drew an excellent top bins save from the Devizes keeper. The Badgers took the lead 7 mins in when Toby and Jack again combined and the striker coolly rounded the keeper for his second of the game. The Badgers were now dominant in all areas. Theo, playing on the right of the back three, and Jenson in midfield were combining well, restricting Devizes to speculative long balls which keeper William swept up easily, his only action of the half. The only question was whether the Badgers could turn the dominance into more goals. Following a high press from the hardworking Nathan, Archie had a shot from just outside the box narrowly wide, both Jack and Teddy had shots hit the crossbar and the Avengers' keeper made two excellent saves from efforts from William D and Toby. In the final minutes Devizes won a free kick which was blocked by a strong Badgers wall, so ensuring that the Badgers came away with the win they richly deserved against a honest, hardworking Avengers team in an entertaining game, their first Derby win for quite a few seasons and one that bodes well for the season to come.