Velocity Wessex Premier football: Brockenhurst in seventh heaven with United Services Portsmouth pounding

Velocity Wessex Premier

Brockenhurst FC 7

United Services Portsmouth FC 0

Brockenhurst dominated from the opening whistle, earning their most impressive win of the season with a seven-goal drubbing of United Services Portsmouth.

Marcelo Rossi opened the scoring, with the others coming from James Shorey and doubles for Mitchell Speechley-Price and Noel McCarthy-Gardiner.

Player of the match McCarthy-Gardiner continued his impressive form, grabbing two and forcing an own goal after an impressive 45-minute debut for the England Fire Services side.

He entered the fray for England with the match with the RAF tied 2-2, playing a pivotal role, creating two goals in an eventual 6-2 victory.

The performance earned McCarthy-Gardiner a second call-up when he will face the Wales Fire Service on 2nd November.

Keeper James Mayo celebrated joining the Badger’s centenarians with a clean sheet, although it was one of his more quiet games thanks to the hosts’ control.

With 34 minutes played, Patrick McManus’s men found the breakthrough when a lofted pass into a crowded area was nodded home by Rossi.

Five minutes before the break, they had a second when McCarthy-Gardiner’s fizzing cross ricocheted off Liam Kelly into his net, leaving the keeper with no hope.

It took 15 minutes of second-half action for the third to arrive when McCarthy-Gardiner burst through the middle before calmly striding into the box and providing an ice-cool finish.

The Badgers kept up the pressure, and Speechley-Price and McCarthy-Gardiner linked up superbly to release Shorey, whose effort found the corner before Speechley-Price won and scored a spot-kick.

Captain Ronan Moore then had an effort cleared off the line before McCarthy-Gardiner found Speechley-Price, who faked a shot, drawing a reaction out of the keeper before firing home.

As the final whistle neared, another pass through the middle put McCarthy-Gardiner through on goal, and the in-form player fired home from 30 yards.

The Badgers have form at the right time, with two home cup matches on the horizon. First, they welcome East Cowes Victoria in the Russell Cotes Cup tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7.45pm before an FA Vase match against Tuffley Rovers on Saturday at 3pm.

Brockenhurst: J. Mayo, E. Pearce-Eavis, R. Moore, S. Steel, M. Connolly, B. Channell, K. Skoczen, M. Rossi, M. Speechley-Price, A. Grange, N. McCarthy-Gardiner. Subs: T. Sykes, J. Shorey, T. Wellman.