Badgers Bring in New Year with a Bang!

WCFC U14s The Badgers started 2022 with a dominant victory over Warminster Highbury at a sunny and crisp Northbrook Stadium yesterday. Following defeat in the last game, The Badgers made a tactical change moving from their usual 3-4-3 formation to a 3-4-1-2 with Archie slotting into the No 10 position behind strikers Jack and Teddy, to try and give more possession in the final third. The Badgers made a perfect start scoring in the first minute. Korey launched the ball forward and with Ashton leading the high press, the ball broke to Man of the Match Teddy who chipped the ball into the net from the edge of the box. The Badgers were already producing some of their best attacking football of the season, pushing Highbury back repeatedly, with some of the fluent passing seen in training being brought into the game. On 6 minutes, Archie fired a fierce shot over the bar from outside the box. The lead was extended after 12 minutes when the ball broke again on the edge of the box and this time it was Eddie who hit a looping shot high into Highbury net for his second goal of the season. The Badgers had chances to extend their lead further with Korey, Jack, Archie and Ashton all going close. All that was missing was greater composure with the final finish. With Sonny and Korey utterly dominating the centre of the park winning tackles and Ashton and Eddie linking well with Teddy and Jack respectively down the flanks and Archie through the centre, the Badgers were looking impressive going forward, the high press working well. At the other end, the regular back 3 of skipper Oli, Bayley and Theo restricted Highbury to scraps, repeatedly winning first ball and 50:50s. On the odd occasion Warminster tried to go over the top, keeper William was reassured and confident in sweeping up. The 3rd goal came on 28 minutes when a penetrating through ball from Korey put Teddy through down the left and his low hard shot went in off the near post. Teddy almost completed a perfect first half and his hat-trick just before the break but shot just wide from close in to leave it 3-0 at half time.

The second half saw a change in personal with Harvey, Jenson and Nathan all introduced but no let off for Highbury, with the Badgers continuing their dominance. On 40 minutes Nathan round the keeper from a Jenson through ball only to see his shot hacked off the line by a Warminster defender. However, his goal did come 10 minutes later when Jack played in Ashton who saw his shot saved by the excellent Highbury keeper only for the ball to rebound to Nathan who calmly slotted it home for 4-0. The Badgers were now attacking with confidence with Highbury restricted to the odd long punt forward which William and the defence dealt with easily with Harvey using his pace to good effect to snuff out any threat. Oli was now marauding in midfield and Baylie was now able to attack more down the left and, following a great interchange with Theo, he lashed the ball across the goal into the top corner of the net for a long overdue first goal of the season to make it 5-0. The scoring was complete when Jack rounded off another move down the left to coolly lift the ball over the advancing keeper for 6-0. So The Badgers completed a stylish win, with the strong defensive performance which prevented a hard-working and combative Warminster team from creating a single meaningful chance just as pleasing as the attractive attacking moves creating the goals. The win keeps The Badgers in second, just one point behind Westbury but having played 3 games more. Next up, what promises to be a more difficult home game against the in-form 3rd placed Castle Coombe Colts.