From Sunday League to Non League Glory: How Brandon Bache battled his way to become Nuneaton Town’s Number One

Nuneaton Town writer George Kirk takes Brandon Bache on a trip down memory lane, telling tales of gruesome injuries, grassroots glory and making a bad first impression with Darren Acton. This is the story of how Brandon Bache went from Sunday League to Nuneaton Town’s number one, becoming a modern day club hero. 

It’s a penalty shoot out. After a thrilling three-three draw, Town’s hopes of league cup triumph rests on the shoulders of goalkeeper Brandon Bache in the quarter final. With Town leading seven-six from the spot, Grantham Town have to score to keep their cup dreams alive. 

Many would be feeling the pressure in this situation, but not Bache. Pressure…….what pressure, pressure’s for tyres. Wiping the sweat from his brow, and having a quick sip of water, Nuneaton’s shotstopper steadies himself, bouncing on the line and making himself big. These are the moments he dreamt about, playing out on wet, muddy pitches in Tamworth Sunday League. 

The whistle blows. The ball is struck. And like a cat, Boro’s number one is there pouncing down low to parry away. He turns around, opens his arms out and is treated like a messiah by the fans behind the goal, sending Nuneaton Town through to the semi-final.

Brandon celebrates with fans after saving the penalty against Grantham Town that saw Town reach the League Cup Semi Finals

From fitting windows, doors and picking locks in the week, to locking out opposition strikers on Saturday afternoon’s. Brandon Bache has cemented himself as a safe pair of hands in the Nuneaton Town goal over the last two seasons, gaining a reputation as not just a fantastic goalkeeper, but as a true hardman throwing his body at literally everything. Being busted open multiple times, including having stitches in his head after taking a knee to the skull during a league cup final against Cradley Town and playing on with a dislocated finger in the freezing cold away at Oadby. 

“As a goalkeeper you put your head where it hurts, I still don't know to this day whether it was his knee or his boot. I've still got the scar on my head, I remember getting stitched up at two o’clock the next morning in Walsall hospital and it was still bleeding as I was taking the bandage off my head,” Bache reflects.

“There’s a running joke going on in the changing room from that day because when it happened my mother, bless her, was very worried at the time. She tried to jump the advertising boards and she had a couple of stewards saying she can't get on. She was going ‘that’s my son let me on, I've got to see him’. Whenever my mum gets mentioned she gets the lads laughing.”

It’s fair to say nothing fazes Town’s very own ‘Terry Butcher’ who after back to back Midland Premier Division One titles, now has the opportunity to go one better, as ‘Mr Reliable’ finds himself a touching distance away from becoming a step five champion for the first time. However getting here wasn’t easy for the 25 year old, starting right at the bottom where many kids' dreams begin. 

It was cold, wet Sunday morning in Staffordshire as Drayton Bassett’s under 11’s side prepared for their first game in the ‘big goals’. Following their goalkeepers departure just before the start of the season, Brandon’s step-dad who was managing at the time was in desperate need for someone to step up to the challenge.

“It’s a weird one. I thought I’d give it a crack and see if I liked it. Up until then I’d played at the back, but was never a stand out player. I played a few games in goal and really enjoyed it, from then it stuck,” Bache recalls. “Back then I was actually quite short for my age group, and I struggled. Fortunately I had a big growth spurt when I turned 15.”

As the season’s went by, Brandon would continue to grow into the role and improve, with one night covering again for his step-dad, on this occasion for his five a side team, instilling the confidence and belief he needed to make the next step up into adult football.

“I was fifteen at the time, my step-dad’s five a side team were bottom, struggling, and in desperate need of a keeper to cover against top of the league. So yet again I was there to get my step-dad out of a mess,” laughs Bache.

“In the end we won one-nil. They must have had about twenty shots on target and I was just saving everything. I had people coming up to my step-dad asking ‘where’ve you found him’. From then I plucked up the confidence to go on. That’s where I really thought I could play in goal.”

In Adult Sunday League, the talented young keeper went from a boy to a man, moulding into the player we know today through the physicality of the game, building the foundations to push on. This is a part of the game that the Tamworth native feels is vital for a player's development.

“If I didn't play Sunday league I wouldn’t be where I am now, I was a fifteen year old playing against blokes, I’m 25 now so I've got 10 years of men's football experience under my belt. I see it a lot now when you get young players who don't make the transition to men's football, by the time they're 21, they are entering a completely different game. So despite the fact I was playing on council pitches against blokes who were hungover, it got me used to the environment against men who won't treat you as a kid” says Brandon.

“You can either stand up and face it or shy away from it. It's helped me massively, when I speak to young players now I say you just need to be playing men's football because it develops you as a player and as a person.”

At Nuneaton, Brandon Bache has always had a knack for causing late chaos in opposition penalty boxes, with all of this stemming from a huge evening in Tamworth Sunday League Division One. It was the last game of the season, if Bachey’s boy’s won, the title was theirs.

“I remember we went one-nil down at half time. I thought we'd thrown it away. In the 60th minute my brother equalised. In the last minute we won a corner, my manager was yelling ‘Bran go up a draw’s no good’. I’ve seen it float in, the balls coming towards my head, I've shouted ‘Brandon's’ and headed it into the top corner. We won two-one and won the league, there was a pile on, and as you'd guess we were out on the beer for three days.”

After a stint in Adult Sunday League, Town’s goalkeeper would play a couple of seasons in youth football, winning the league with Coleshill Town U18’s at the age of 16. Despite some success, he was unable to cement his place when moving into under 21’s with Sutton United and so went on the hunt for more game time. It wouldn’t be long before the future Boro number one got his big break, when Coton Green manager Rob Masefield came calling. This would be his first taste of Non-League.

“It was a strange one. I didn't want to waste any more time in youth football. I was eying up my options thinking local. I played there for a couple of years and it did me the world of good” Bache remembers. It would be here where Town’s future shotstopper would really kick on making a dream debut in the Midland League Division Two.

“I was playing against a team called Feckenham. It was a really windy day, our centre back passed the ball back to me and I just cleared it first time. I caught it well, the wind took it, it bounced on the edge of the box and went over the keeper into the net. I was buzzing, a three-nil win, a clean sheet and a goal, it doesn't get much better than that.” smiles Brandon.

Before the 2020/21 season, Russell Dodd and Darren Acton would take charge of the Green Army following Rob Masefield’s resignation. It's fair to say that things didn’t get off to the best start for the young keeper and the dynamic duo he’d end up working so close with.

“It was funny. When Doddsy came in I remember Acco being behind one of my sessions just observing. I must have only been 18 at the time, and he made a comment behind the goal, just a piece of advice about shape or footwork. I had no idea who this guy was and thought you know what I'm not going to have that. I turned around, gave him a bit of a lip back and said who are you, he replied ‘you'll find out who I am, and I'm telling you now you're not very good’. I was fuming!” Bache grins.

Fortunately, this was only a bump in the road, as the pair formed a master and apprentice like relationship, which Brandon believes has been huge for his development as a player. 

“I never had true coaching with this sort of knowledge. I said to him ‘I'm ready to listen and work for you’. What he does is absolutely top level, I’m lucky to have worked and still be working under him,” says Boro’s number one. 

Brandon and Darren pre-match

Following his time at Coton Green, Town’s keeper would have spells at Chelmsley Town and Hinckley United, establishing himself as a decent shot-stopper winning the Midland League Division One with the Leicestershire outfit during the 2023/24 season. 

After such success, Bache found himself without a club going into the next season, after leaving Hinckley due issues with travel. With close friends Declan Somel and Chandler Pegg doing pre-season at Nuneaton Town, Brandon thought he’d give it a shot. It wouldn’t take long for him to realise he was home.

“Nuneaton’s a massive club and I thought this was a really good opportunity for me. After playing a couple of friendlies, I thought there's something special going on here. Even in those friendlies we had a few hundred fans turning up, which is so rare at this level of non league. I was offered the number one spot after a few good performances and jumped at the opportunity. I've never looked back since,” Brandon says.

“It was a bit of a whirlwind with all the fans. I thought ‘I could get used to this’, you just switch on a bit more. I remember there being a real feel good factor with us going on a good run. It's not just on the pitch after games you go in the bar and you know fans on first name terms. It's just great knowing you've got the love and support from such a large group of fans that absolutely love the club”

And what a season it was for the young shotstopper, winning the Midland League Division One for the second year in a row and reaching a league cup final, making crucial saves becoming a part of the furniture in the process. This fantastic form has only continued, with Boro on track for back to back promotions this season.

“It has been all about consistency, we've become a side that is so hard to beat which goes such a long way in any tier of football. Unless we have an off day, you've got to really earn a victory against us, that's just instilled within the club,” states Bache. 

“If you want to beat Nuneaton you've got to bring your A-game and hope we don't bring ours. That's the main factor of our success and it's a real good thing to be a part of.”

Even Brandon’s Grandad, a lifelong Tamworth FC season ticket holder, has nothing but pride and admiration in what he’s achieved, working his way right from the bottom of Sunday League to Non-League glory.

“He’s absolutely buzzing about how things are going for me and he knows the size of the club. He's proud to see me represent such a big team in Non-League. It means a lot to me playing in front of the fans for a team like Nuneaton,” boasts Bache.

“I have so many conversations with Acco and he tells me what the club means to him and how I could build a legacy like he did, there's no hiding that he's a legend.”

With only a few games of the season remaining, Nuneaton’s keeper has remained focused on the task at hand, believing the job isn’t done yet, setting himself a challenge to keep his eyes on the prize for the rest of the season. 

“I got 13 clean sheets last season, to beat that would be nice. I really want to be the least conceded keeper in the whole league,” Brandon says.

“We don't want to stumble over the line, we want to finish the season in the best way possible. It is exciting times for the club and we're glad we can repay the fans' loyalty. I'm excited to see how far I can push myself and I relish every opportunity that comes my way.”

Bache rallies fans to continue their brilliant support and is determined to help push the club forward.

“Keep backing us, because the club’s going in the right direction and I hope to carry on this journey for many years to come.”