Velocity Wessex Premier football: Brockenhurst secure victory over Baffins Milton Rovers

Velocity Wessex Premier

Baffins Milton Rovers FC 0

Brockenhurst FC 2

Brockenhurst made a massive step towards promotion by beating Baffins Milton Rovers, who could have leapfrogged the visitors with a victory.

The win keeps the Badgers in the final playoff spot, but they have it all to play for when they take on Portland United on Saturday, who are two points behind them with a game in hand.

After a goalless first half, Toby Bailey eased the nerves early on before Sami Makhloufi sealed the win with a late penalty.

After making a decent start to the contest, despite playing uphill in the first half, the match settled into a cagey affair, with neither side creating much.

The Badgers’ best chance came off the head of Tyler Wellman after Harry Bunce won a corner, but it flew wide, and the half ended goalless.

With the hosts looking to force their way into the top five and the Badgers looking to rubber-stamp their position, both sides went looking for the win after the restart.

With 49 minutes played, Patrick McManus’s side’s relentless press paid dividends when stealing the ball high up the pitch before Bailey burst in and slotted it past the keeper to make it 1-0.

The Badgers controlled the game, and the hosts did nothing to threaten keeper Amad Skrzyniarz.

With 84 minutes on the clock, Jack Francis handled inside his area, leaving the referee with no choice but to point at the spot. Makhloufi held his nerve, finding the back of the net to seal the win.

The Badgers are home on Tuesday against Fareham Town at 7.45pm before travelling to face Portland United on Saturday at 3pm.

Brockenhurst: A. Skrzyniarz, E. Pearce-Eavis, R. Moore, R. Drake, T. Wellman, B. Channell, T. Bailey, H. Bunce, F. Bullard, S. Makhloufi, N. McCarthy-Gardiner. Subs: H. Bartram, J. Davis, L. Carbayo-Borges, B. Atiako-Hall.