It was another disappointing day at the office for The Badgers, who for the second week running were let down by poor attendance. 1/3 Manager Josh Staniforth put this down to their poor eyesight, but admitted that he could be confusing his players "with moles..."
Only 5 Badgers battled bravely against the brutal weather conditions (Sunny). Illness ruled out James Setright, although rumours that he had contracted rabies are, as yet, considered to be false, whilst Tony Breslin was in hospital with fellow Badger Kio Gwilliam.
Nevertheless, The Badgers seemed positive from the start, and despite their numerical disadvantage, the first chance went their way, with Ben Wheatland hitting a tame effort into the hands of the SHFB 'keeper after a great through-ball from The Badgers' defence. Banter and laughs seemed to be Badgers best defence against their up-hill battle, but SHFB refused to settle down and enjoy the game, with numerous counts of shirt-pulling, which went ignored, and some challenges that were more at home in American-Football.
The return of influential midfielder Paddy Bolton gave The Badgers what they had lacked in recent weeks; an outlet for attack along the wings. However helpful this may have been with 6 players though, with 5 it occasionally left The Badgers short at the back, and eventually SHFB made their advantage pay with a speculative long-range strike that wrong-footed Matt Clark, who, aside from this moment, played a storming game, including a brilliant close-range stop.
After the break-through, The Badgers more than matched their opponents, who resorted to bullying tactics through their frustration. The Badgers even had chances to score, with both Ben Wheatland and Sam Hamberger shooting just wide. However, The Badgers' hard work was undone 2 minutes before the break when a large deflection on another long-range effort put SHFB 2-0 up.
At half-time The Badgers were clearly unimpressed with their own performances and unanimously agreed to "Keep Going", knowing that any moment could provide a way back into the game.
A frantic start to the second half saw neat build-up play down the right wing, culminating in Sam Hamberger knocking the ball down to Wheatland who volleyed agonisingly wide. The numerical disadvantage began to take it's toll towards the end of the half, as SHFB began to play for possession without making any real efforts on goal. The last moment of note came from a Paddy Bolton corner, which Wheatland connected with, but only succeded in heading the ball wide of the mark. Mutters from the fans(!) suggested that the height and leaping talents of Tony Breslin would have been preferred to Wheatland's effort.
After this, the game descended into tough challenges and a lot of fruitless running from The Badgers as they went feral in their search for a goal, but alas, the Badgery Gods were not snarling nor dribbling down on them.
Overall, a good effort from The Badgers who have been let down in the last two weeks by attendance. It was widely acknowledged by players, management and fans alike that with a proper sized squad and perhaps a substitute, The Badgers could now be sitting pretty in second in the league, rather than once again having to avoid the bottom position.
