Bracknell 4 Marine 2

Pitching In Southern League Premier South | Tuesday 22nd October 2024

Posted by Keith Yeomans on December 24th 2023

Match Report from Pete Crockett

BRACKNELL SCORE FOUR TO BEAT MARINE

It transpired to be a dismal October evening for Marine’s travelling support with the visitors being decisively beaten by Bracknell Town.

The hosts opened the scoring when a defensive mix up allowed Gabriel George to cut inside from the left flank. The Bracknell Town player launched a high driven ball across goal. Dan Brabham parried the cross out of the six-yard box. However, the ball fell invitingly into the path of Sam Ashton who headed into the top corner.

The second Bracknell goal on 19 minutes was a well finished effort. Liam Tack collected the ball some thirty yards out and embarked on a mazy run through Marine’s central midfield leaving players in his wake as if they were training ground dummies. Then from sixteen yards out he launched a blistering finish into the top corner of the net.

Two nil down and things were not looking good. However, Marine on 21 minutes got themselves back into the game. Ioan Richards hit a long ball from defence over the host’s press. Michael Fernandes ran onto it and left defenders in his wake as he rampaged purposefully down the right flank. Approaching the dead ball line he whipped the perfect driven cross to the back post where Harry Williams converted to make it three goals in three games.

Marine started to grow into the game and played with a greater assurance. However, clear cut chances during this phase of the match were few and far between. On 45 minutes the host’s Max Herbert fired a well struck shot at goal, but Dan Brabham did well to gather. Then Marine had a chance to equalise, but Dave Sims-Burgess’s header went wide of goal.

The second half ebbed and flowed. On 52 minutes a Bracknell break away saw Gabriel George force a good save from Dan Brabham in the Marine goal. From the resultant corner Marine counterattacked swiftly and Harry Williams advanced in a one on one with the keeper. He was thwarted by a top class save from the host’s Michael Eacott. The keeper’s up stretched arm pushing the ball wide as the striker tried to dink the ball over his dive. For me more of a top quality save than a flawed finish. Six inches either side of the hand and it would have been 2-2.

On 61 minutes the host’s extended their lead. A back post cross from Max Herbert found Joe Rollinson unmarked and he guided the ball into the back of the net with what was, to all intent and purpose, a tap in. He will have been a happy man to have been granted so much space so close to goal.

Nine minutes later things could have been even worse for the visitors with a well struck shot from Joe Rollinson thudding off the post. However, he did not have to wait long for his brace. Marine lost possession on the host’s left wing 35 yards from goal. The Robin’s Jahiem Dotse drove forward and whipped a ball across the penalty area and into the path of Joe Rollinson who made it 4-1.

Marine reduced the deficit in the 75th minute when a good ball into the box was well finished by Gabe Reivers to make the scoreline 4-2. On 78 minutes Joe Rollinson dribbled past three Marine players and his shot deflected into the path of Max Herbert but his effort was well saved by Dan Brabham in the Marine goal. Ten minutes later Marine forced the hosts keeper into a double save. Had they converted Marine might have had the opportunity of a final rally to sneak a point, but it was not to be.

Credit to Bracknell as the scoreline fairly reflects their dominance. They created more chances, finished their opportunities well, and but for several good stops by Dan Brabham could have scored more than four. A number of their players caught the eye. Their keeper Michael Eacott made several good saves, Max Herbert bossed the midfield seeming to enjoy operating from the centre of the Marine midfield diamond, and Joel Rollinson coming off the bench scored a brace.

For Marine the positives were that Dan Brabham made several good saves to keep the score down; Harry Williams yet again looked a real threat up front; and Gabe Reviers has proved a bit of a “super sub” scoring his third goal this season after coming off the bench.

Marine supporters who have travelled to the last three away matches will feel they have watched a repeat loop. In all three games the team has scored two goals and looked impressively threatening going forward. However, in this trio of away fixtures Marine have also far too readily conceded sloppy goals. The harsh reality is that they have done this through a combination of (a) too easily surrendering possession in the defensive third of the field and (b) a lack of tenacity that means working the ball into the danger zones where Marine can be hurt is, in all honesty, far too easy.

Looking at the form table Marine’s home performances sees them sit in 11th place. Their away form standing is a far less impressive lowly 18th. That travelling form also needs to be looked at in context - Marine have thus far only played two of the top ten away from home.

The team’s poorer away form is not a new phenomenon. In 2023/24 Marine were 20th on away form and 14th on home form. In the successful 2022/23 season Marine were 3rd in home form and 7th in away form. Whilst in 2021/22 the team was 9th on home form and 14th on away.

Maybe these last three games are the prompt to think on whether better results might be secured away from home by doing some things differently? That is certainly a thought that will have crossed the mind of several of the travelling Marine faithful on their journey home through the swirling cheerless repressive fog of Royal Berkshire.

And finally, sometimes the away day blues are about mentality, as the poet Walter Wintle once wrote – “Success begins with a fellow’s will. It’s all in the state of mind. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can.”

Come on Marine!

Bracknell Star Man: Max Herbet
Marine Star Man: Harry Williams
Attendance: 225

Line Ups

`Line Ups`

BRACKNELL TOWN
Colours: All Red
Manager: Jon Underwood
Line-up: 1. Simon Grant 2. Etahan Burden 17. Gabriel George 4. George Night 5. Max Herbert 7. Jahlem Dotse (10. Ben Purcell 75’) 11. Antony Cheshire 15. James Dobson 16. Jack Matton 17. Gabriel George (2. Elliott Legg 86’) 18. Sam Ashton (20. Jack Scrimshaw 70’) 19. Liam Tack (14. Joel Rollinson 46’)
Subs Not Used: 6. Darryll Harrison
Goalscorers: Sam Ashton 16’ , Liam Tack 19’ , Joel Rolinson 61’, 65’
Cards:
James Dobson 40’, Elliott Legg 90’ Yellow Card
None Red Card
None Yellow & Red Card