Sport RSS Feed


Brentwood 0 Cheshunt 1

3:39pm Monday 25th January 2010


A FREAK goal in first half injury time proved the difference as struggling Cheshunt overcame Brentwood at the Brentwood Arena on Saturday.

Brentwood made only one change to the side that drew with Concord Rangers in midweek, as captain Steve Good returned in place of Gary Henty.

This meant the new look Blues side had another opportunity to gel, having only played together once since the turn of the year.

Brentwood started brightly on an unsurprisingly boggy pitch. Striker Kris Lee was immediately in the action, as he first had a shot deflected wide then played in Gary Bowes whose shot was well saved by Cheshunt stopper Luke Dodd.

In the fifth minute, Lee again found space in the area and fired a well struck shot at goal, but Dodd again proved equal to it.

After these frantic opening exchanges, the game settled down and it became clear that any attempts at passing football were going to be in vain due to the nature of the pitch.

The harrying and hassling of both teams ensured there was very little space, and the half became a real midfield dogfight with clear cut chances few and far between.

Chesunt’s first foray into the Brentwood half came when Chris Meikle broke free and crossed to Tom Tresodem, but the winger could only hammer his volley straight at James Hassell. Meikle proved to be a nuisance all afternoon, but for long periods of the half, tough tackling from both midfields ensured that genuine openings were a rarity.

However, just as the half seemed to be drifting towards its conclusion, an incredible passage of play led to Cheshunt delivering what proved to be the killer blow.

A seemingly innocuous cross from Nick Mountford flew over a sea of heads before crashing into the far post.

Hassell could only watch as the ball rolled across the line and clipped the other post, and after a couple of panicky half-clearances the ball somehow found its way through to Meikle who diverted it into the roof of the net.

It was a horrible goal for Brentwood to concede, especially as the referee blew for half time just seconds after the restart.

Brentwood came out for the second half with renewed intent as they sought to seize some momentum in a game they could ill-afford to lose.

Bowes, Wixon and Blewitt all had shots blocked in the opening minutes of the half, but Brentwood still lacked the spontaneity to find a real opening on such a heavy pitch.

Cheshunt were now reduced to occasional breakaways, with Meikle still their most threatening player, but their tactic of sitting deep meant Brentwood could not make the most of their superior possession.

By now, the Blues were relying on the lively Okojie to make the breakthrough.

The winger made numerous jinking runs into the area, but each time his shots were either blocked or off target.

The final chance of the match came when Okojie set Bowes free in the 81st minute, but a brave Dodd dived at his feet to smother the ball.


More Sport stories

Comments are closed on this article.



Local Advertisers