Brentwood Town Reserves lose cup final

3:46pm Wednesday 30th April 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Essex Saturday Premier Cup Final Brentwood Town Res 1 White Ensign 2

It was a tale of two late penalties in this cup final at Billericay's New Lodge last Wednesday as Brentwood Town Reserves were edged out by White Ensign.

Ensign, leaders of the Olympian League, had led Brentwood, from the Essex & Herts Combination, 2-0 before Town were awarded two late penalties. The first was converted by Matt Maher before the same player squandered his chance to level.

Ensign grabbed the lead on ten minutes, when a teasing Mtshali delivery was headed home by Ricky Thompson.

Ten minutes into the second half, Ensign doubled their advantage, Shelley putting the ball top corner from 15 yards.

Brentwood were thrown a lifeline in the 78th minute when they were awarded a penalty for a trip on Alfie Hayes and Maher confidently sent Keys the wrong way from the spot.

Just two minutes later Keys brought down Hayes himself and referee Rob Whitton handed Town another penalty and a chance to equalise - but Maher this time smashed the ball over the top.

That wasn't the end of the story for Brentwood when, in the third minute of stoppage time, substitute Tony Russ's poked shot bounced off the post and into the hands of a grateful Keys before the Ensign custodian did well to cling onto Danny Aggio's fierce volley some six minutes into added-on time.

Brentwood: Nicky Mitchell, Jake Gibson (Tony Russ 90), Nick Savidge, Steven Carroll, Steven Prady (Bradley Thompson 62), Danny Aggio, Arnold Tawonezvi (Joe Dear 83), Tom Johnson, Matt Maher, Alfie Hayes, Tirion Sherbourne. Unused substitutes: Steve Bourne, Liam Kelly.