Southampton League
Premier Division
Wednesday 8th April 2026
Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.20
Braishfield 3 Dynamo Dockside 3, attendance 22
17’ 1-0
22’ 2-0 (pen)
30’ 2-1
32’ 2-2 (pen)
84’ 3-2 (pen)
89’ 3-3
@ Braishfield Recreation Ground
Braishfield Road
Braishfield
SO51 0PX
No Admission or Programme.
I never got to see a game at Braishfield when they were members of the Hampshire League from 1986-2000, but tonight was the perfect opportunity to put that right. The ground here is nothing more than a pitch, bookended with a car park behind one goal and the changing room building behind the other, with a gentle slope towards the latter. The pitch runs parallel to the road that runs through the village, with a few park benches dotted around the perimeter.
The match was 4th versus 7th in the league table. Barring a freak set of results, Dynamo Dockside will avoid relegation from this nine team division, whilst Braishfield are very much in with a shout of the title. They came into this five points adrift of leaders Sporting Wessex and four points behind second placed Fordingbridge Turks, with two games in hand over both. They’re a point behind third placed Select Generation too, but as they’ve played two games more than the top two, they’re very much the outsiders. Fifth placed Lyndhurst could also still win it, as they’re only three points behind Braishfield and still have a game in hand.
It looked to be going to plan for Braishfield, opening the scoring after seventeen minutes, before doubling their lead five minutes later, scoring with a penalty that was awarded for a handball. However, half an hour in, Dockside headed in from a corner to make it 2-1, before netting the equaliser with a penalty of their own two minutes later. Braishfield thought they’d gone back in front just before halftime, but the goal was ruled out for offside. When Braishfield were awarded their second penalty, with fifteen minutes left, it looked like the perfect opportunity to regain the lead, but the kick was sent wide of the left hand post. Not to worry though, as they were awarded their third penalty of the night, for another handball and this one was duly dispatched to make it 3-2. With a minute left to play, a ball down the right was finished with an angled shot that beat the ‘keeper low at his near post to level it up at 3-3.
It was only when looking at the league tables that I realised this completed the division for me, although it’s not that difficult when only seven of the nine clubs are first teams. It was a traffic free drive down the M3 to Hampshire, approaching Braishfield from the A303, with the car temperature showing 27 degrees at one point. No trouble on the return either, via the more direct cross country route to Winchester and taking the M3 from there and home for 21.25.
