Portsmouth 1-5 Brent
PlayStation ESFA Inter-Association Trophy, 18th November 2017
Brent moved into the last 32 of the National Cup with a fine win away to Portsmouth. The hosts reacted well to a delayed kick-off and initially had Brent pinned back, although Dionte Williams shot wide for the visitors.
The game developed into an end-to-end contest, with both teams creating a number of chances before Brent went desperately close in the fifteenth minute. Jhamar McDonald intercepted the ball on the left flank, surged past Portsmouth defenders and deliverd an inviting cross, which Brandon Njoku was unable to reach. Moments later, a goalline clearance by Bradley Morrison prevented Portsmouth taking the lead.
Instead, it was Brent who made the breakthrough. Theo Alexandrou dispossed a Portsmouth player and unleashed a stunning shot which was parried by Portsmouth goalkeeper Oliver Smith. Brandon Njoku was quick to pounce on the loose ball and tapped into the net.
Two minutes later, Theo Alexandrou picked up a loose ball and linked up well with Brandon Njoku, who used his pace to go past the Portsmouth defence and double Brent’s lead.
Njoku continued to terrorise the Portsmouth defence with his blistering pace, helping to force a series of corners. Eventually, an Albi Alexander corner was picked up by Alexandrou. His shot was parried and Njoku was on hand to complete his hat-trick, making the score 3-0 to Brent on the stroke of half-time.
The second half saw Portsmouth rally and with the next goal likely to be cruicial, both teams created a number of chances. With less than 10 mins to go, Jhamar McDonald intercepted a loose ball, made a dazzling run and flicked a pass to Njoku, who beat a defender before laying the ball off to Dionte Smith whose left-footed shot made the score 4-0 to Brent.
From the kick off, Dionte Smith intercepted a Portsmouth pass, dribbled past his marker and laid the ball off to Brandon Njoku. Njoku sprinted down the right flank and made a brilliant pass to McDonald, who beat the Portsmouth defence and shot past Oliver Smith to make the score 5-0 to Brent. With less than two minutes remaining, Brent lost concentration allowing Portsmouth to intercept a loose pass, which was picked up by Holly Davis for Portsmouth, who shot past Brent ‘keeper Nathan Bryson to make the final score 5-1. Brent now travel to Dulwich on 2 December to face South London for a place in the last 16.
Squad: Brandon Njoku, Josiah Thompson, Naythan Bryson, Theo Alexandrou, Dillon Williams, Stanley Willis, Tashaun Redhead, Albi Alexander, Dion Qamili, Dionte Smith, Rafi Amblin, Jhamar McDonald, Kai Speid, Morgan Gborie, Ahmed Al Abdul Rasoul, Bradley Morrison, Mel De Tour, Schadrac Kweme