Barnet 1-1 Brent
Middlesex Schools’ FA, Star Shield, 4th March 2017
Brent missed an opportunity to extend their lead at the the top of the Star Shield table as they drew 1-1 away to last season’s champions Barnet. Brent started the first half strongly with Javarn Bernard seeing his cross palmed over the Barnet crossbar. Felix Amoah saw his effort well saved before Bernard saw another cross deflected for a corner before Dominic D’Souza went through on goal but saw his effort well saved.
Barnet almost took the lead against the run of play heading just wide before Bernard through on goal saw his effort on goal go wide. Barnet themselves had two efforts on goal well saved before great work from Amoah down the left wing saw his cross met by Saul Mensah who shot wide. Mensah did well to force a Brent corner that was cleared and with Barnet shooting wide just before half time the half ended 0-0.
Brent started the second strongly with Amoah seeing his effort from 20 yards clear the Barnet crossbar before Sahr Dugba saw his shot from 25 yards tipped over the crossbar. Brent took the lead in the 53rd minute when Mensah passed to Kaklil Francis and his shot from left to right across the Barnet was powerfully drilled home from just inside the Barnet penalty area.
Barnet equalised in the 57th minute with a shot from outside the Brent penalty area that hit the inside frame of the Brent goal and bounced out. Brent almost regained the lead in the 58th minute when Dugba beat two Barnet defenders before seeing his cross hit the far post and go out for a goal-kick.
Aamar Malik, standing in for both of Brent’s injured goalkeepers, did superbly well in the 62nd minute to prevent Barnet taking the lead, saving at point blank range.
With only two minutes remaining Brent had three attempts on the Barnet goal to score the winner but were firstly denied when a header from Francis was acrobatically tipped over from just under the Barnet crossbar from a Mason Spencer free-kick. Then with barely a minute remaining on the clock Mensah saw his effort go agonisingly wide from an acute angle when the ball was dropped by the Barnet goalkeeper.
Finally, with the last kick of the game Francis saw his effort on the Barnet goal strike the woodwork once again.
Brent may now have to outscore Barnet in their final two league games against Camden & Islington on the 18th March and then in their final league game away to Haringey to decide who ends the season as champions.