West Men Preview | Brocton (A)
Brocton vs West Men
- Saturday 26th September 2026
- 3pm kick-off
- Midland Football League Premier Division
- Matchday 11
- Silkmore Lane Sports Ground, Silkmore Lane, Stafford, ST17 4JH (Google Maps)
- Admission, pay on the gate with card or cash
- £9 Adults
- £5 Over 65s
- £3 under 18s
- Under 7s free
It was a case of Lye, Camara, action for West on Saturday, as we came back from conceding an early goal to take all three points. On the longest away trip of the season, it was the new name of Oumar Camara who took the plaudits, scoring in the 14th and 37th minutes on his debut. Despite a second half featuring plenty of goalmouth action, it proved to be enough for our fifth league win of the campaign.
Our hosts this weekend are Brocton, who were edged out by Sutton United at the weekend - though at the time of writing, they've got a midweek league game away at Stone Old Alleynians before West come to town.
Before moving on to talking about Brocton as a club it is worth taking a moment to appreciate their badge. While across the game there are plenty of roundels and shields, this is an entirely unique shape - mainly comprising an evocative drawing of a badger, with the club's name circled around the head. Designed by an artist related to a club member, it is quietly one of the most iconic in non-league, and has been in use for 30 years.
The club (and the badge) will be familiar to anyone who followed West in our 2020/21 promotion season. Another fellow member of the North West Counties Football League, our two prior meetings came in that Division One South campaign. A 5-1 home win in September was good, but a mid January 2-1 away win was much sweeter. Coming at a time when the title race was really starting to heat up, the Badgers held on to a first half lead until late on. Ben Elliot drew us level with 10 to play, before an own goal in the 92nd minute gave Chris Rowley's side a vital three points.
Brocton finished 10th that season and fell in the playoffs a year later, before winning the title overall in 2023/24. They were promoted to the Midland Football League Premier, and have become a comfortable top half team, coming 5th then 7th in their two seasons. This time out, they'll be looking to push on - and seem to be attempting so in style. They're currently amongst the divisions top scorers with 23 in the for column, but they've also conceded 22. With West in a similar position (18 scored / 21 conceded), this promises to be an entertaining game for the neutral.
The club led a nomadic existence at the turn of the millennium, having 3 grounds in 6 years, before moving to their current home of Silkmore Lane. The pitch has been recognised nationally in the past, with current club president Terry Homer earning a third placed finish for steps 5 and 6 in the National Groundsman of the Year awards, 2015. Given it is located in Stafford, three miles outside of Brocton, it is little surprise that the record attendance came for the visit of Stafford Town in April 2024. It ended 3-1 to the Badgers, and secured them the NWCFL D1S title.
For matchday information, including parking and accessibility details, click here to visit Brocton's guide. They've also got details on the clubhouse - and the refreshments therein - here.