Battle Baptist Football Club

News

Sun 31/01/2006

FEBRUARY FIXTURES

Please note that Saturday's game against Travaux is at Bexhill Road, Bulverhythe (Harley Shute End)...NOT at Tilekiln as previously stated.

These are our fixtures for February

4th Travaux - AWAY
11th Victoria Baptists - should be AWAY but may possibly change.
18th Benbow - HOME - Semi final of the Cup
25th St. Helens - HOME

At the risk of competing with statto Steve, January was the most successful month in our history. In a full month of games we won 3 and drew 1.
Let's pray that the LORD enables us to carry this form through February as well.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sun 29/01/2006

SQUAD TO PLAY TRAVAUX - Sat 4th Feb. 2006. - AWAY - 2pm KO

Venue: Bexhill Road, Bulverhythe, Pitch 6 (Harley Shute end)

Simon Cutler, Owen Davies, Gary Williams, Gary Wenham, Doug Morris, Paul Ford, Darrell Hartley, Adrian Gaylon, Mike Gould, Loksan Harley, Pete Cooper, Gary Walsh, Dominic Fowler, Steve Mumford, Ian Nunn, Richard Ahsam, Ollie Jeffs.

The final squad will be posted by Thursday night, following training on Wednesday.

Having already beaten Travaux 5-2 in the first fixture of 2006 we'll be favourites to win the return. However, there are a few key changes to the team this week and this will test the depth of our squad.

One very pleasing aspect of Saturday's 3-1 win over Victoria was the influencial part that the subs played in the win. Both Chris and Luke came on to make vital contributions at a time when players were tired. This not only revitalises our team but it also gives opportunities for these fresh-legged players to take advantage of the weary opposition as Chris did to full extent.

Last time, Travaux came back from 3-0 down to 3-2 and we mustn't underestimate them in attack. They were able to beat Punnetts Town 2-0 and they will be eager to revenge their previous defeat.

However, if we stick in there and maintain our attitude over the 90 minutes, we can be confident that our better quality and team spirit will come through for another three points that may even take us into 2nd, if Red Lion slip up.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sat 28/01/2006

BBFC Site Update

Well done everyone for our victory over our rivals Victoria Baptists.
Everything is now updated, with the relevant stats, reports, pictures and player profiles.

Follow the link or go through the pictures section to see pictures from today's game. Click Here.

Not wishing to further enhance my reputation as a Statto, but a couple of club records can occur next week against Travaux. Having gone five games unbeaten we can equal our best ever run of six by avoiding defeat, and as we scored in our 13 successive game today, we can break our record by registering next week. Click Here to view the Club Records.

Posted by: Steve Mumford

Sat 21/01/06

It's a God Given Day!!

At 11:25am this morning I said to Gary Wenham after we'd decided that the Battle Rec pitch was unplayable, "to be honest Gary, I wouldn't mind if we diidn't play today".

After hastily reorganising everything so that we played at Victoria Baptist's pitch, I was suddenly re-invigorated and up for the match. This is what has happened.

Firstly, and most importantly we played a closer match but emerged 3-1 winners with goals from Dom Fowler, Owen Davies (a magnificent free kick) and Chris Mammone(a stonking left foot strike).

This win takes us past Victoria Baptists in the League, still with 4 games in hand and a superior goal difference.

There was only one other game in Division 4 today, also at Eastbourne and this went in our favour as well, with St Helens beating home team Red Lion 5-3.

Then I looked at Benbow, our opponents in the semifinal of the cup odn the 18th Feb, and saw that they lost to Seddlescombe 2-1 in Division 5, giving us an indication that they are definitely beatable.

And low and behold if Robertsbridge, the other semi-final favourites also lost 6-1 to Icklesham, the team that we beat in our quater-fianl 2 weeks ago.

It's been a very encouraging day for Battle Baptist Football Club.
Well done for everyone's effort in making this a truely wonderful day.
Praise our Lord and Saviour.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Thur 26/01/06

Team To Play VICTORIA BAPTISTS - Sat 28th Jan. - Home - KO 2pm
MEET at the Rec at 1pm

1.Simon Cutler

2.Owen Davies, 5.Gary Wenham, 4.Doug Morris, 3.Darrell Hartley

11.Dave Mills, 6.Mike Gould, 7.Andy Mills(c), 8.Paul Ford,

9.Gary Walsh, 10.Dominic Fowler

Subs: 12.Chris Mammone, 13.Richard Ahsam, 14.Steve Mumford, 15.Gary Williams, 16.Luke Graham.

There are 3 changes to the team that drew with Punnetts Town last week. Simon returns in goal after work commitments stopped him from playing last week. Owen takes back the right defensive spot, although Paul's performance there last week meant that this wasn't an foregone conclusion. Pete's unavailability however, opens a space on the left side that Paul is well-epuipped to fill.
(STOP PRESS!! Gary Wenham in for Gary Williams)

Victoria are a similar team to Punnetts Town in that their strength is in attack. They score 2.3 goals per game but concede 2.8 and have a goal difference of minus 8, surprisingly low for their position in the League.

When we played Victoria in early November we had to come back from 3-1 down to win in extra time. To avoid the need for a similar escape act this time, we need to defend well. Last Saturday we recognised what was necessary to defend against good attackers and there'll be a reminder before this week's game.

At the other end of the pitch, we'll be praying that we can continue to create the same number of chances. With Dominic looking fit and in such good form, goals are sure to come so long as we continue to give early supply. The most important aspect is to keep the ball high up the pitch where our opponents are pressed back and can't hurt us.

We're at the half way point now, having played exactly 11 of our 22 league games. We've only lost 2 games (including one against the run-away leaders) and we're unbeaten away from home. We've got 21 points having beaten Hastings Rangers, and we're 4th in the league (although there's only one team who's record looks better than ours). We're also in the semi-final of the Cup.
I'd say these are magnificent achievements and I'd encourage everyone in the Club to pinch yourself and enjoy a great season.

It feels like we're a bit like Wigan, an unfassionable team whose bubble of success is unexpected and promises to burst at any minute. But although we're a young Club, we are learning and improving with every minute.
Another 21 points in the second half of the season and we'll be very close to the promotion spot. This is the target now.

Of course, anything can happen in 11 games and success in football is always fragile. We must rejoice in what the Lord has blessed us with and pray with thankful hearts for it to continue.

It remains to be seen whether Battle Baptists are a top 4 team or a miidle 6 team. But let's enjoy our current situation, work hard to improve it and put our future faithfully in the hands of the one who has the power to shape it.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sun 15/01/2006

SQUAD TO PLAY VICTORIA BAPTISTS - Sat 28th Jan 2006. - HOME - 2pm KO

Venue: Battle Recreational Ground

Simon Cutler, Owen Davies, Gary Williams, Gary Wenham, Doug Morris, Paul Ford, Darrell Hartley, Andy Mills, Dave Mills, Loksan Harley, Gary Walsh, Dominic Fowler, Chris Mammone, Steve Mumford, Ian Nunn, Richard Ahsam, Mike Gould, Luke Graham, Ollie Jeffs.

The final squad will be posted by Thursday night, following training on Wednesday.

Punnetts Town played with 2 quick and skillful attackers on Saturday and we came to terms with them better in the second half when we realised that very tight marking produces better results.

Victoria Baptists are another team who have good forwards and we need to treat them with the same close attention, guidng them away from our goal when they receive the ball to feet.
Like Punnetts Town, victoria score lots but concede lots too. Our target is to defend well to keep them from scoring and to keep the ball high up the field so that mistakes are made in our opponents half.

We are still in the worst part of the season as far as pitch conditions go. January and February are always difficult months for weather. In March the ground will start to firm up again and we will be more able to play neat football. Until then we must continue to avoid conceding unnecessary goals by employing our John Smith attitude to defending.

Saturday's game is an intriguing one. Having won the cup tie away, we have the psychological advantage and a good start will emphasise this. However, I was mega-impressed with the way we came back from 2 goals down on Saturday to put oursevelves into a winning position.

What also makes this game interesting is that 3 points will take us ahead of Victoria Baptists, without using up any of our games in hand. I for one am fed up of sitting in the number four spot.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sun 22/01/06

BBFC Night Out at Motspur

Just a reminder that if you have booked to go to the Fulham Reseves vs Spurs Reserves game on Tuesday night here are the arrangements.

Meet at my house in Battle (just up from Battle Baptist Church) at 4:15pm so that we can leave at 4:40pm sharp.

We will travel in 3 cars - drivers are Darrell, Steve C and Gary We.
Steve Mumford will meet Tom in London and travel to the match seperately, as will Simon Cutler.
Steve M will travel back with us to Battle.

I've put together a list of names and numbers which I will hand to you with your ticket. If for whatever reason you get separated from the group, you will be able to phone one of the party...bring your mobile.

If you're inclined to, please wear a Battle Baptist jacket.
If you don't have one, I can lend one to you for the night...please ask.

Traffic permitting, we will arrive at Motspur Park (near Chessington) in time to have a relaxing drink before we go to the match. KO is 7pm.
We will probably buy a burger or something at the ground.
We have built in a little time in case we get delayed.

If you think it all sounds a bit too organised, that's probably because I'm keen for us all to enjoy the night together and I don't want any mishaps if they can be prevented.

I have no idea what to expect of the game or the quality of play but I would encourage you NOT to watch the ball all the time. Follow the player who is playing YOUR position and be a critic. Decide what he does well or badly, and how he contributes to the tactics of his team.

Hopefully we will see some great players who maybe are on the fringe of the first team hoping to break through, or perhaps coming back from injury and trying to impress.

From a personal perspective, however much I appreciate good defending, I hope we see loads of goals!!!

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sat 21/01/06

Punnetts Town 3-3 BBFC

We can count ourselves a little hard done by today. Having fallen behind to 2 first half goals we worked our way back to lead 3-2 with three of the best goals of the season.

Punnetts Town fielded a very strong attacking side and I wasn't surprised that they scored against us. They will be rueing giving away a 2 goal lead and may argue that it was they who were hard done by. Their attackers didn't make the most of a couple of good opportunities but look out for their results because they will take goals away from most of their games.

We created more clear chances to score than they did. Dominic worked industriously all afternoon, and he was my Man of the Match, selflessly creating 2 of our goals. There's no doubt that his pace and energy will trouble most defences in our Division. Well played Dominic.

What an entrance Chris Mammone made, busting the net with his first touch after coming on in the first half for Dave Mills. Coming immediately after Town had scored their second, this was a critical goal, not allowing the opposition to settle on their lead and giving us great encouragement for the second half.

Bring on Victoria Baptists next week. We are 3 points behaind them and a win will overtake them in the League.

Just a final word of encouragement, we're still unbeaten away from home this season! This is a record we should strive to extend!

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Thur 19/01/06

Team To Play PUNNETTS TOWN - Sat 14th Jan. - Away- KO 2pm
MEET at the Church at 12:45pm
(or tell me if you're going straight there for 1pm)

1.Jamie Pooley

2.Paul Ford, 5.Gary Williams, 4.Doug Morris, 3.Darrell Hartley

11.Dave Mills, 6.Mike Gould, 7.Andy Mills(c), 8.Pete Cooper

9.Gary Walsh, 10.Dominic Fowler

Subs: 12.Chris Mammone, 13.Gary Wenham, 14.Loksan Hartley, 15.Luke Graham, 16.Richard Ahsam.

The team above shows the 11 players who will start the game and the positions they are likely to start in. However, there is lots of flexibility in this side and I may switch certain players to suit the situation.

It's great to see Jamie back in the team. What a replacement to have!!
Mike also returns in place of Adrian whose injuries are still niggling him. He'll have a couple of weeks rest before we need him for the vital games in February.
Adam has work commitments but is aiming to be available for the next round of the cup. This gives Dominic a chance of a well deserved place in the starting lineup.

There has been a lot of rain again this week and the ground conditions are certain to be mushy again. Substitutions will play a critical part in the game and I have selected 5 players who offer the best flexibility for Richard to choose from. Steve Mumford is slightly unlucky not to make the squad but I felt that with his toe recovering from the trauma of last week, he was the one least likely to make an appearance from the bench.

Punnetts Town will be no pushovers. They narrowly lost 4-3 last week to Division 1 team Hooe, having led the game with 20 mins to go.
They seem to have no trouble scoring, boasting 2 quick attackers. The challenge for us then is to keep a clean sheet.

However, I risk stating the blindingly obvious when I say that we don't need to keep a clean sheet to win the game - we just need to score more goals than our opponents...see - it's easy this manager lark!!

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Mon 09/01/2006

SQUAD TO PLAY ICKLESHAM II - Sat 14th Jan 2006. - HOME KO 1:30pm

Simon Cutler, Owen Davies, Gary Williams, Doug Morris, Steve Chapman, Paul Ford, Darrell Hartley, Pete Cooper, Adrian Gaylon, Andy Mills, Dave Mills, Loksan Harley, Adam Johnson, Gary Walsh, Tom Frere-Smith, Dominic Fowler, Chris Mammone, Steve Mumford.

The final squad will be posted by Thursday night, following training on Wednesday.

This is the Lower Divisions Cup, our last remaining cup competition of the season and we're playing for a place in the semi-final.
Our visitors are in a similar situation and will offer strong opposition. They'll be equally determined to win.
Icklesham II play in Division 5 and are mid-table with a record of won 4, drawn 3, lost 5.

We need to prepare ourselves mentally for a stiff game because I'm certain that if we hit the form shown in last week's 5-2 beating of Travaux, there'll be no stopping us.
We are fielding another great squad, with Gary Williams available and hoping to return to an already strong defensive lineup. Adam Johnson will also be recovered and will be pressing for a place either in attack or midfield.
Whatever the team, we can be certain of having a superb set of subs again and as much support as in our last 2 brilliant victories over Hastings Rangers and Travaux.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sun 15/01/2006

SQUAD TO PLAY PUNNETTS TOWN - Sat 21st Jan 2006. - AWAY - 2pm KO

Venue: Punnetts Town Recreational Ground

Dale Scowen, Owen Davies, Gary Williams, Doug Morris, Paul Ford, Darrell Hartley, Pete Cooper, Adrian Gaylon, Andy Mills, Dave Mills, Loksan Harley, Adam Johnson, Gary Walsh, Dominic Fowler, Chris Mammone, Steve Mumford, Gary Wenham, Ian Nunn, Richard Ahsam, Mike Gould, Luke Graham, Iain Henning, Ollie Jeffs.

The final squad will be posted by Thursday night, following training on Wednesday.

Following our superb result against Icklesham on Saturday when we won through to the semi-final of the Divisonal Cup, next Saturday sees us return to League action as we visit Punnetts Town.

We have several players who have played for Punnetts Town in the past and many old friendships will be revived. Although we know a good number of the 'Town team, they appear to be re-developing their lineup and have several new young players.

Last year we played home and away on consecutive Saturdays and shared the points, winning at home 3-1 then losing the following weekend to a much improved eleven. 'Towns form this year again suggests they are equally capable of indifferent performances.

Punnetts Town play with two exceptionally talented young men in their attack. Sal and Joe each have good pace and skill and on their day will score a hatfull of goals. Our excellent defenders will have opportunity again to show why we have the best defensive record in the Division.

In the second encounter last year Ian Long made a huge difference in central midfield and this department is certain to be crutial in Saturday's game too.

Richard has been devising some even more enoyable and entertaining activities for training so I'm looking forward again to Wednesday night!!!

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sat 14/01/2006

BBFC Site Update

Well done everyone for our cup 1/4 Final win.

Follow the link or go through the pictures section to see pictures from today's game. Click Here.

I have also uploaded all the player pictures taken today and will look to add to the player profiles section soon. I have also given Adam Johnson his own slot, having been inluded in the 'Others' section up to now.

We will face Benbow in the semis after their thumping 6-0 win over Orington. In the same competition, Beulah won 5-3 away at Old Centmodians, while Hastings Rangers surprisingly fell to a 4-0 defeat at Robertsbridge.

Posted by: Steve Mumford

Sat 14/01/06

BBFC 2-1 Icklesham

Congratulations!!!!! We've reached the semi-final of the Lower Divisions Cup thanks to 2 fantastic goals from Pete Cooper and Adam Johnson this afternoon.

The pitch conditions were very heavy but 2 goals in the first 30 minutes saw us through. Our defence were sublime and Icklesham hardly ever broke through, despite enjoying the greater percentage of play in the second half.

The final whistle was a massive relief for us and I can't wait until the results to come through this evening to see if it's Orington or Benbow that we play in the semi-final on 18th February.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Thur 12/01/06

FULHAM VS SPURS - Book Your Ticket

TUES 24TH JANUARY - leaving Battle at 4:30pm
Cost �5 (contribution towards fuel)

There were more players interested in going to this match than we have tickets for.
Book your place immediately by giving your money (�5) to Gary Walsh and a ticket will be reserved together with a seat in one of the cars.

For more information, please check here.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Wed 11/01/06

Team To Play ICKLESHAM - Sat 7th Jan. - Home - KO 1:30pm
MEET at the Rec at 12:30pm

1.Simon Cutler

2.Owen Davies, 5.Gary Williams, 4.Doug Morris, 3.Paul Ford

11.Dave Mills, 6.Adrian Gaylon, 7.Andy Mills(c), 8.Pete Cooper

9.Gary Walsh, 10.Adam Johnson

Subs: 12.Chris Mammone, 13.Dominic Fowler, 14.Darrell Hartley, 15.Steve Mumford, 16.Steve Chapman.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Mon 09/01/2006

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sun 08/01/06

FULHAM VS SPURS

Just to confirm that the game that Steve Mumford has tickets for is on
TUES 24TH JANUARY
Cost �5 (contribution towards fuel)
Details are to be confirmed but it looks like we'll have to set off somewhere between 4:30 to 5pm, due to a kick off time of 7.00pm.
The venue is Motspur Park, which is near Chessington.
Please rsvp asap that you still want to go!!!!
For more information, please check here.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Sun 08/01/06

BBFC Site Update

All the latest stats and info from yesterday's match have been uploaded.
I am also in the process of updating the personal pages for all the players, so if any of you have some information you can give me to put in 'your space' then please email it to me.
Also, just to confirm the Fulham v Spurs Reserve clash is on Tuesday the 24th January at Motspur Park, which is near Chessington.

Posted by: Steve Mumford

Sat 07/01/2006

GREAT START TO THE NEW YEAR

It was a fantastic start to the New Year today as we beat Travaux convincingly 5 goals to 2.

2 apiece from Tom Frere-Smith and the unlikely Doug Morris plus a first kick goal from Dom Fowler did the damage.

I said to the team before the game that all teams are capable of raising their game against the League leaders as we did against Hastings Rangers before Christamas, but what defines a good team is the way they can raise their game against lower teams.
Today we did this. We played some of our very best football of the season in the first 20 minutes when we totally outplayed and dominated our opposition. The game was effectively won in this part of the match and it was always going to be difficult for Travaux to recover.

Travaux have scored in every game this season so it was always going to be hard to keep them goalless, especially considering the soggy surface which favoured attackers. They have some very good players and are sure to take points off other teams.

We let it slip a bit at the end of the first half and the start of the second. But this is all relative to the wonderful way we started. We should always strive for perfection but it would be almost impossible to keep up the high standards of effort and endeavour throughout the whole game.
Teams are unlikely to dominate every stage of a game and during our period of good play we scored 3 goals, enough to win most games.

I was also impressed today at the way we kept the ball when under the cosh. We still need to get better at playing the ball to feet in these situations (not into space) but I pray that we don't forget this important lesson.

Another feature of today was the strength in depth we have. Our substitutes play a big part in our success, not just in their play, but also in the encouragement and support they give from off the pitch. We were able to put on 3 excellent players today who all contribulted as well as the players they replaced.
Please don't ever take this for granted. We are truly blessed to have so many great players who want to see the club do well and are prepared to come knowing there's a chance they won't even play. Be thankful for these people.

Elsewhere in East Sussex today, if St Helen's had equalised against Hastings Rangers, this would have been the perfect Saturday for us. Hastings won 4-3 and I can't see many teams left to take points off them.
However, I'm not giving up on it and once we beat Icklesham in the cup next week, we have a chance of picking up 6 points as we play Punnetts Town away and then Victoria Baptists at the end of the month in a real promotion contest on our home pitch.

Bodiam pulled off a surprising 3-1 win away at Red Lion. Whether this is a resurgent Bodiam or an under par Red Lion, only time will tell but it was a good result for us.
No play was possible at Punnetts Town where Old Cents were due to play, and the other result predictably saw Victoria Baptists win 2-0 at Northiam.

Posted by: bbfcmanager

Thur 15/12/2005

Team To Play TRAVAUX - Sat 7th Jan. - Home - KO 2pm
MEET at the Rec at 1pm

1.Simon Cutler

2.Owen Davies, 5.Steve Chapman, 4.Doug Morris, 3.Paul Ford

11.Dave Mills, 6.Adrian Gaylon, 7.Andy Mills(c), 8.Pete Cooper

9.Gary Walsh, 10.Tom Frere-Smith

Subs: 12.Chris Mammone, 13.Dominic Fowler, 14.Darrell Hartley, 15.Adam Johnson, 16.Pat Mammone.

I'm forced into making just one change from the team that beat Hastings Rangers. Gary Wenham is not yet recovered sufficiently from his ham string injury and Gary Williams returns from his winter break too late to play on Saturday.
Steve Chapman is a worthy replacement at centre half, having played a tremendous game against Tom and Bryn in the Inter Club game.

The subs bench is looking particularly strong this week. Darrell also played well in central defence in the Club game on New Year's Eve. He will provide excellent cover for any further injury to defensive players.

I can't help but look ahead to Icklesham the following week when we will be without Tom and Pat. I also need to be aware of the game at Punnetts Town when we need a right back to cover for the suspended Owen, who has been ever-present in the defence for 14 months.

Our attitude to Saturday's game is all important. We must begin to improve the way we keep possession of the ball. During pressure periods when our opposition puts us under the cosh, we have a tendency to give the ball away cheaply when we finally get it. In these situations we need to show composure and play percentages so that we take the heat out of the game.

We can look to the example of our opponents in previous games. Peche Hill and Herstmonceux for example both employed the tactic of pushing the ball to the feet of their attackers, who just held the ball there until support came. They were then content to play the ball backwards into midfield or defence and then the ball would go into the attckars feet once again.
You can also see this happening when you watch professional football on TV, especially live games when you see more than just the highlights.
Saturday's game will give us a great opportunity to practice improvements in this area.

Travaux must not be underestimated. They started the season with two consecutive 7-1 defeats and looked like they would be the whipping boys of the division. Since then have strung together some great results and are not too far behind us.
Like all the teams we come up against in Div 4, they are certain to have some good players. They are a long-established club and always provide physically tough opposition. Just like at Hastings Rangers, we need to match this.
If we are to improve our position in the table it's important that we win against the teams below us. Travaux is a team that we ought to beat but our spirit and frame of mind need to be as strong in this match, as it was in our last outing before Christmas.

The Hastings Rangers defence will be severely tested again this week away to St Helens. Then, they have 3 consecutive cup fixtures and don't play in the league. I've looked at the fixtures for January and calculated that if we win our 3 league games in January, then by the start of Feb we could be just 1 point behind them having played the same number of games. That's certainly something to encourage us on Saturday!!!

Posted by: bbfcmanager

03/01/2006

Inter-Club Match Report

BBFC 1st XI 7 - 3 BBFC 2nd XI

Upon arriving at the Recreation ground it was decided that the pitch was too waterlogged to play, so to ensure a match went ahead, a temporary pitch was marked out on the top pitch which had just about dried out enough thanks to its considerable slope.

The teams lined up as follows:

1st Team

1.Simon Cutler

2.Owen Davies, 6.Steve Chapman, 5.Darrell Hartley, 3.Paul Ford

11.Dave Mills, 4.Pat Mammone, 7.Andy Mills(c), 8.Loksan Harley

9.Gary Walsh, 10.Dom Fowler

2nd Team

8. Adam Johnson 9. Tom Frere-Smith, 3. Bryn Frere-Smith

11. Jack Johnson, 7. Matt Lee, 10. Iain Henning

5. Gordon Lee, 6. Chris Mammone, 4. Samson Harper, 2. Ian Nunn (c)

1. Tim Nunn

Subs used: Ben Garlick, Lu Hi, Harry and Steve Mumford.

The game started at a fast pace, with Bryn having a goal ruled out for offside before he slotted the 2nds ahead early on. The firsts hit back and forced a series of corners, then hit two quickfire goals from Dave and Dom.
The seconds tried to get back in the game, with Bryn missing a 1-on-1 with Simon, before the firsts got two more goals just before half time from Dave and an unfortunate own goal from Lu Hi.
The second half was a very even affair, with the score staying at 4-1 until the 75th minute. Dom then added two more for his hattrick, including a superb overhead kick from a mis-hit shot from Pat. Sandwiched between these was a goal from Tom, before Chris pulled another goal back to make it 6-3. Pat scored with 5 minutes to go to put the game beyond the seconds.
Despite the testing conditions, great entertainment was put on by both Battle Baptist sides and although the first team ran out comfortable winners, the seconds can take heart from their battling performance in their first ever game.

Match pictures from the encounter are available here.

Posted by: Steve Mumford

* * * H A P P Y * * * N E W * * * Y E A R * * *

Mon 02/01/2006

SQUAD TO PLAY TRAVAUX - Sat 7th Jan 2006. - HOME KO 2pm

Simon Cutler, Owen Davies, Gary Williams, Doug Morris, Steve Chapman, Paul Ford, Darrell Hartley, Pete Cooper, Adrian Gaylon, Andy Mills, Dave Mills, Loksan Harley, Pat Mammone, Adam Johnson, Gary Walsh, Tom Frere-Smith, Dominic Fowler, Chris Mammone.

The final squad will be posted by Thursday night, following training on Wednesday.

Posted by: bbfcmanager