In the “Know Your Enemy” report we noted that Saturday’s fixture against Brackley Town came about as close as you can get to a must win game this early in the season. With some late drama, our boys delivered that much needed win by a final of 3-2 over a competitive and tough Brackley Town squad.

The key, though, was for our boys to get their season started properly and get their first win in Conference North and that is, thankfully, exactly what they did on Saturday. It’s a performance they can be proud of an a performance they can build on as the season continues to twist and turn.

After what can only be called a disappointing performance against Chorley FC, this was a much needed shot in the arm for the team and we here at Broadhurst Blog like to consider this as the team turning over a new leaf on the season and getting heading in the right direction. This is positive, this is 3 points, and this is the time to go get some points and move up the table and make a run at whatever goals this team may have this year, whether it’s a comfortable mid-table position or a shot at a promotion.

So what happened on Saturday against Brackley Town? Broadhurst was absolutely insane, again, as 2,996 fans came out to watch the festivities.

Unfortunately, despite the boisterous crowd, the start was not as bright as we would have hoped and flashbacks from Chorley immediately popped into our minds. In just the 9th minute, Brackley Town took a 1-0 lead off of a free header from a cross, with Steve Diggin heading the ball home for Brackley Town.

The despair was not to last for long, though, as FC United quickly sprung back in the game. The effort was culminated with Matthew Wolfenden finishing a header of his own in the 14th minute to bring the game level at 1 with 76 minutes still left to play.

Over the next 10 minutes, the Rebels continued, by all accounts, to dominate the game. This effort was not to go unrewarded as Sam Madly, in the 25th minute, scored his debut goal for FC United as he deftly lifted the ball over the Brackley Town keeper to give our boys a deserved 2-1 lead. After the 9th minute goal, they managed to completely turn the game on its head and Margy will be excited by the mental acuity they showed to get back into the game instead of wallowing in their self pity.

The game remained fairly even as our boys went into halftime with a deserved 2-1 lead. However, just after the game restarted, Brackley Town nearly evened the game up, with the post providing the key save that kept the game at 2-1. As the hour mark came and went, though, it was Brackley Town who were looking the more comfortable side in the game.

That wasn’t to last, though, as Tom Greaves extended the FC United lead to 3-1 with a 71st minute goal. It was a much needed goal as it provided some cushion for the boys against a Brackley Town team that was giving their all to get something out of the game.

That cushion would prove valuable as David Moyo scored in the 82nd minute for Brackley Town to bring the game to 3-2 and set up a nervy final ten minutes. With all said and done, though, when the whistle blew, it was our boys who were on top and who had earned their first win of the season. Truly a phenomenal performance and we will be looking for many more just like that for the rest of the season.

Last 10 games: LLDLW

Current table position: 18th

So what’s up next? Our boys hit the road and head to Hednesford Town on Saturday at 3PM in another Conference North game. With momentum brimming from this performance against Brackley, it will be important to not let the performance slip and to continue to build momentum as the season really gets going.