Barnet 5-1 Brent
Middlesex Schools’ FA Bower Cup, 30th September 2017
Having won the Middlesex inter-district league ut Under-13 last season, Brent’s Under-14 squad were excited about their first game of the season away to Barnet, who had finished as runners-up.
The game began with both teams working hard to get a grip on the game and the frenetic pace made it difficult for Brent to maintain possession. After 10 minutes of the first half Barnet scored after Brent goalkeeper Aaron did terrifically well to block a shot, only for the rebound to fall perfectly for the Barnet striker, who the slotted it home with a calm and collected finish.
Brent reacted brilliantly and were on top for the rest of the half, with Tyrese and Jamie having chances saved or cleared. However, the team could not find a goal meaning that at half time the game remained 1-0 to Barnet.
The second half in a similar vein to the first with Barnet securing possession and after a few minutes of the second half, a long ball over the top allowed Barnet to score their second goal and double their lead.
Brent showed passion and desire as they battled to get back into the game. However, Barnet were clinical and every chance they created ended in a goal. With about 10 minutes to go the game was 5-0 to Barnet and over as a contest.
However, Brent continued to work hard and thanks to great work from Jeremy down the left hand side, Brent were rewarded for the persistence, TJ slotting the ball home with a tidy finish to ensure Brent ended the scoring.
Coach Kim James said, ” The result was not a total reflection of the game but Barnet were deserved winners. As a team we did not create enough chances and some individual errors cost us three goals today. The staff and the team understand where we have gone wrong and as a collective we will work hard to ensure we bounce back and show why we were champions last year.”
Squad:Josh (Captain), Aaron, Isaac, Malikai, TJ, James, Jaime, Joel , Mamadou , Richardo, Jeremy , Tyrese , Jamian , Aidan, Sean, Omar
Schools: Wembley High School Technology College, Kingsbury High, Queens Park Community School, Saint Gregory’s High School, Michaela Community School, Ark Academy