Monthly Archives: May 2012

IJLW Brazil 1 – 1 Ryton Reserves

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23/08/2003
John Hampson Memorial Trophy Group Stage

IJLW Brazil
Paterson, Davison, Churchley, Charge, Toward, Belcher, McKay, Gavan, Goodliff.

Despite having no recognised goalkeeper in their 12 man squad, Brazil were confident of getting a decent result. That was until three players failed to turn up and left the home side with just nine men. To add to the farce, Ryton turned up late and with a yellow kit. Luckily it was a duller tone than Brazil’s gold so the referee allowed the match to go ahead.

Brazil started well and took an early lead through the impressive Chris Toward. He neatly tucked away Les Goodliff’s return pass. From then on things began to get worse (especially for Toward). Ryton didn’t seem to like heading the ball and, as a result, their were a lot of free kicks given for high feet. Toward was kicked in the head twice and the chest once and Anand Charge was also kicked in the head before Toward received a third kick to the head which broke his nose. He was taken to hospital leaving Brazil to continue with just eight players.

Although Brazil continued to dominate, they did look a lot more vulnerable to the counter attack. Stand-in goalkeeper, Ewan Paterson did a superb job racing off his line to clear up any potential danger. He even came out and headed away a long ball. At the other end Brazil were creating numerous chances. Neil McKay had an excellent game in the centre of midfield and he, Goodliff and Andrew Gavan, were the recipients of most of the chances. Brazil were also looking dangerous from corners. Goodliff put in several in-swinging crosses and headers by McKay and Gavan just missed the target.

Just before the break, Paterson made a solid block form a powerful near post shot to keep Brazil ahead.

The second half followed the same pattern. Brazil created chance after chance but couldn’t find the back of the net. Goodliff, Brazil’s man of the match, was the main culprit with Gavan also missing more than his fair share. As the game progressed, Brazil’s attackers seemed to get greedier as they desperately looked for the vital second goal. The best chance of all came when Gavan beat three men and was tripped but (foolishly) didn’t go down for the penalty. He managed to stay on his feet and square the ball to Goodliff who rushed his shot and missed the target from six yards out.

Paul Belcher, playing through the pain of a knee injury, tried to fill all the holes in midfield and even at full back, when they attacked. One Counter attack saw Gary Davison clean through on goal before he was clumsily bundled over from behind. Despite the rules, the referee didn’t even talk to the defender, let alone send him off.

Dave Churchley, with his only chance of the match, came closest to extending Brazil’s lead. He met a deep corner from Charge, who had defended excellently all game, and headed it back across goal. The keeper was beaten but the defender on the post managed to scramble the ball away from goal.

Just as it looked like Paterson could keep Brazil’s first clean sheet of the season, a swift counter attack saw Ryton level the score.

With South Beach failing to fulfil their fixture at Willington Quay Saints and receiving a six point deduction as a result, Brazil have progressed to the quarter finals in second place.

IJLW Brazil 2 – 5 Willington Quay Saints

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16/08/2003
John Hampson Memorial Trophy Group Stage

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, M McClure, Charge, Paterson, Belcher (Toward 60), Toms, Haigh (McGowan 45), Gavan, McKay.

After conceding an early goal, Brazil battled their way back into the game against a side from the division above. Paul Belcher wouldn’t let Saints settle on the ball in midfield as he broke up numerous attacks with his hard (and sometimes illegal) tackling. As the game progressed, Brazil had more possession and gained more ground which relieved a bit of the pressure from the overworked defence.

Belcher’s chipped free kick was just out of the reach of Steve Toms as he lunged in at the back post. Brazil did even up the scores though. Andrew Gavan made a superb run down the right wing, beating two defenders with skill and pace, before cutting the ball back to edge of the box for Toms. Toms’s miss-hit shot fell kindly for the on-rushing Neil McKay who couldn’t fail to score his first goal for his new club. Brazil failed to build on their progress and conceded a second soft goal on the stroke of half-time.

With Shaun Haigh leaving during the interval to go on holiday, the resultant reshuffle left Brazil without any width in midfield. The full backs, Anand Charge and Gary Davison, compensated for this on the attacking front by getting forward into wide areas and putting crosses in whenever they could. It did leave Brazil vulnerable to Saints’s counter attacks though, particularly after Belcher had to go off with a painful knee injury, sustained during another hard tackle. Just before he departed, his delicate free kick almost set up Mike McClure who had made an excellent run to find some space in the box.

Although Brazil were looking good in possession, it was Saints that seemed to have more of a killer instinct. A cleverly worked short corner resluted in their third goal. Brazil fought back again though and reduced the deficit when Dave Churchley’s powerful and accurate header sent Ewan Paterson clear. He still had plenty to do but managed to score his second of the season at the second attempt.

Toms’s work rate and skill on the ball earned him the man of the match award again but it was not enough to stop Saints scoring two outrageous goals to leave them with a somewhat flattering scoreline. First, the left back (who had been the worst player on the pitch up to this point) hit a 45 yard volley which looped over Al Andrew, who appeared to have been distracted. The second was a beautifully weighted 30 yard chip which dipped just under the cross bar.

This result means that Brazil are now unable to progress in this tournament but there is still one match remaining for them to try to improve before the league starts.

South Beach 4 – 1 IJLW Brazil

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09/08/2003
John Hampson Memorial Trophy Group Stage

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, M McClure, Charge (Mitchell 65), Paterson, Belcher, Toms (Hinks 75), Haigh, Gavan, Harrison (McKay 65).

After the cancellation of last week’s friendly, this was Brazil’s first outing of the season. Both sides looked evenly matched during the opening exchanges as neither side created any clear chances. The first real goal scoring opportunity came from Paul Belcher’s chipped free kick. It landed perfectly in Andrew Gavan’s path but his finish couldn’t match his run. Gavan looked lively up front though and it wasn’t long before he created another chance for himself. This time he slid the ball just wide of the near post as he cut in from the right towards the advancing keeper.

All four of Brazil’s defenders were consistently strong in the tackle so South Beach resorted to playing the ball over the top and using the speed of their strikers. It was from one of these long balls that they took the lead, just as they started to control the game. Al Andrew was forced into making a couple of good tips over the crossbar before South Beach scored again shortly before half time. The best chance of the half was wasted by Gavan as he latched onto Shaun Haigh’s long throw in. He was clean through with just the keeper to beat but his attempt at a volleyed lob cleared the crossbar.

Brazil came out refreshed after the break and despite conceding a third goal they were creating chances of their own. Belcher, Gavan and Ewan Paterson all missed long range efforts but Brazil were now the better side. Mark Harrison put in an excellent cross from the left wing but Gavan’s nightmare in front of goal continued as he completely miss-hit what should have been a simple tap in. Belcher was working hard in the middle of the park and put in several hard challenges to break up South Beach’s attacks.

Haigh’s long throw’s caused South Beach problems all afternoon and it was no surprise when Brazil finally scored from one. Paterson ran in from the opposite wing and volleyed into the bottom corner to give Brazil a bit of hope of saving the match. Neil McKay, who impressed on his debut, should have added a second but his free header from Paterson’s corner was just too high.

As the match went on the heat began to take its toll and the game slowed and became stretched. Brazil relied on Dave Churchley’s pace to save them a couple of times as South Beach continued to play the ball over the top. The worst of Brazil re-emerged briefly as South Beach scored their fourth with an unmarked header from an indirect free kick.

Steve Toms was the man of the match.

2002/03 Season Summary

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Tyneside Amateur League Division 2: 8th
NFA Minor Cup: 2nd Round
North East Amateur Shield: Quarter Final
John Hampson Memorial Trophy: Group Stages

Player(s) of the Year: Dave Churchley and Al Andrew (6 moms each)
Players’ Player of the Year: Steve Toms
Top Goalscorer: Ricky McClure (9 goals)
Most Appearances: Dave Churchley (28 apps, 100%)

Players used: 36

IJLW Brazil 1 – 5 Blyth Waterloo Santos

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12/04/2003
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, Kennedy, Haigh, Belcher, Toms, M McClure, Mitchell, Robinson.

Brazil struggled to field a side and could only manage to get 10 men. Tom Mitchell made his comeback after last playing for Brazil three seasons ago. A last minute change of kits was required, as Blyth, who arrived late, had only brought their yellow away kit. The referee failed to turn up but the match was played anyway. Although Blyth were the better team and Brazil were far from their best, the home side did have some good moments with some short passing around the visitors but there was little support for Steve Robinson up front. Brazil did however come close to opening the scoring after 20 minutes when Mike McClure’s curling shot from the edge area beat the keeper only to come back off the post. Steve Toms blasted the rebound wide. A couple of minutes later, with luck on their side, Blyth took the lead. Shaun Haigh tried to avert the danger by passing back to Al Andrew. Despite a bobble off the hard surface, Brazil’s keeper managed to kick the ball but it went straight to Blyth’s attacking midfielder who headed into the empty net from 25 yards. The same player had completed his hat trick by half time and Blyth led 3-0 at the break.

In the second half Brazil kept playing their short passes, even in defence, and were rewarded for their perseverance when they pulled a goal back. Toms flicked on Haigh’s long throw and Paul Belcher, running in at the back post, smashed the ball through the keeper’s legs. Haigh and Gary Davison were trying to get forward as Brazil had no natural width but both were required defensively as well. Mitchell had a chance to bring Brazil back into the game in a situation similar to the game’s opening goal but he was a lot further out and his first time shot was wide of the target. Blyth’s goal scorer added two more to his tally to put his side 5-1 up and the result beyond doubt. Robinson’s perfectly timed run beat the offside trap but he couldn’t break his duck for the season as he shot over the crossbar. Dave Churchley just beat Mark Kennedy, his centre back partner, to the man of the match award in the last competitive match of the season (assuming this fixture does not need to be replayed with a referee).

The Bush Wallsend 1 – 0 IJLW Brazil

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22/03/2003
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Barlow, Davison, Churchley, M McClure, Charge, Woods, Toms, Belcher, Haigh, Robinson, R McClure. Subs not used: Slack.

With a record number of absentees and a flat match ball Brazil were certainly not the favourites to win this match, despite feeling aggrieved to have narrowly lost to The Bush with a weakened side in the second round of the NFA Minor Cup. The Bush, as expected, dominated the match. Brazil were kept inside their own half for virtually the whole of the first half. Although The Bush had lots of possession and some quick forwards they did not create too many clear scoring opportunities. This was partly due to some good defending and partly due to The Bush’s poor final passes. Brazil’s first moment of respite came when an excellent long pass by Ricky McClure resulted in a Brazil corner. R McClure and Dave Churchley both checked their runs, as the corner was miss-hit, but Churchley’s call was ignored and Brazil were unable to get a shot away.

The pressure continued at the other end and The Bush came extremely close to scoring after 30 minutes. Pete Barlow’s save rebounded to a Bush striker whose follow-up shots were blocked on the line by first Anand Charge and then Churchley. Churchley then completed the clearance after having to make a tackle on the line. Brazil could have snatched an undeserved lead before the break when Steve Toms, who had worked hard defensively as well as being Brazil’s most creative player, ran onto Shaun Haigh’s long throw. His shot, on his left foot, was just wide of the near post. Brazil’s only other shot of the half was 25-yard drive by Paul Belcher, following a short free kick by Churchley. The shot was well struck but blocked by a charging defender.

The second half brought more of the same except that some of the Brazil players were beginning to tire and The Bush were pushing more men forward in an attempt to score the crucial goal. More good Brazil defending and goalkeeping kept The Bush at bay until the 70th minute when a weak clearance was picked up just outside the area and the ball was driven into the bottom corner of the goal. More chances followed but the score remained at 1-0 as Mike McClure made an excellent saving tackle, Barlow pulled off a couple of good saves and the far post kept out a wickedly curling effort.

The missed chances seemed to demoralise The Bush and, for the last ten minutes, Brazil came back into the game. Haigh started battling for the ball and using the space he had on the left flank to attack The Bush. The added pressure by Brazil came to nothing though, as the only shot on target was a weak effort by R McClure who volleyed a difficult ball as it came over his shoulder. Churchley had to get back and make a strong saving challenge as most of the Brazil team stopped, expecting The Bush to make a substitution, when the ball was actually in play. In the last minute, Belcher’s neat through ball almost gave Steve Robinson an unlikely chance to rescue a point for Brazil, but he was beaten to the ball by a defender. Steve Toms finally got a man of the match award, after having played excellently throughout the second half of the season.

IJLW Brazil 5 – 1 West Jesmond

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15/03/2003
Friendly

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, Kennedy, Charge, Bancroft, Toms, Belcher, Slack, Paterson, Harrison.

A young West Jesmond side started brighter than Brazil, who seemed to be lacking energy from the start. Although Jesmond had the vast majority of the possession early on they failed to create a single chance. Mark Kennedy and Dave Churchley won everything in the air and Churchley was sweeping up all the balls over the top. After a quarter of an hour, Brazil won their first corner. Peter Slack swung it into the box where it was cleared only as far as Churchley. Brazil’s skipper pushed it through the crowded penalty area to the unmarked Alan Bancroft who put the ball into the net. The goal was ruled out for offside. Brazil did take the lead though, five minutes later. Steve Toms, on his left foot, fired past the diving Jesmond keeper from the edge of the box. Brazil were now the dominant side though they were still playing far from their best.

The advantage was doubled on the half-hour mark. A corner was again only half-cleared, after a vital touch by Gary Davison, and fell to Churchley who unleashed a powerful right footed shot from the edge of the D. Although the keeper managed to get his hand to the ball he couldn’t keep it out due to the force of the shot.

A skilful run by Slack, beating three men, petered out when he ran out of steam as he got to the last defender. A few minutes later though he had regained some energy and managed to keep the ball alive on the left wing. After some good work by Ewan Paterson, Toms found himself striking home his second goal of the game to put the result beyond doubt. The closest Jesmond came to making a breakthrough before the break was when Anand Charge headed clear off the Brazil goal line, following a corner.

In the second half Brazil were even more dominant and Jesmond rarely got out of their own half. Most of Brazil’s chances fell to Mark Harrison, who never stopped working, and Paterson. But it was Bancroft that put Brazil 4-0 up, with 15 minutes of the half played. A clever ball over the top by Paterson landed in Bancroft’s path. Although his first touch took him wide his second made up for it as he smashed the ball into the top corner with his weaker left foot. Toms almost completed his hat trick when he turned two defenders before shooting just wide.

Jesmond were given a consolation goal from the penalty spot after an unnecessary slide brought the forward down from behind when Churchley was covering in the middle. Al Andrew dived the wrong way and got himself muddy for the first time in the match in the process. Brazil continued to create chances of their own. Bancroft had another goal disallowed when he punched Paterson’s corner into the net. Paul Belcher’s free kick was only kept out by an excellent fingertip save and, whilst Paterson was getting closer to scoring with every shot he had, Harrison seemed to be missing by more. This culminated in the lanky striker hitting the changing rooms with a shot from the edge of the six-yard box directly in front of the middle of the goal. There was still to be another goal, though. Slack hit a tired cross high into the box where it was hideously misjudged by Jesmond’s keeper. He came towards it but it bounced over him and into the unguarded net.

Brazil are back in action in the league next week when they are playing The Bush Wallsend, at Norham School. It is hoped that there will be a crowd of Brazil fans in attendance at the match.

Willington Quay Saints 3 – 1 IJLW Brazil

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08/03/2003
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, M McClure (Bancroft 75), Kennedy, Paterson
(Slack 65), Toms, Belcher (Woods 65), Haigh, Gavan, Harrison.

This was the replay of the fixture abandoned at 2-2 in November, when Tim Lambert seriously broke his ankle. This game began the way the original did with Saints putting Brazil under some early pressure. Brazil, playing with a high defensive line, were happy to allow Saints’ strikers to stray offside almost every time the ball was played over the top. As Brazil’s midfield caught up with the pace of the game, Saints’ creative duo in the middle became a lot less effective and Brazil started to build some attacks of their own. The opening goal was still against the run of play, however. Steve Toms played a one-two with Paul Belcher, who was playing a more defensive role than usual, before pushing a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Shaun Haigh. Toms ran on for the return pass but Haigh’s pace had taken him clear of the Saints’ full back and he lifted the ball over the advancing keeper from a tight angle to put Brazil ahead.

Saints, who are joint top of the league and seeking promotion, responded
well and forced a couple of saves from Al Andrew. On the one occasion it looked like Andrew was beaten, Gary Davison was on hand to clear off the line. Saints’ strikers, particularly the little number nine, continued to get caught in the offside trap and when they escaped it Dave Churchley had enough pace to clear the danger. Mark Kennedy appeared to be enjoying the extra freedom he found playing at full back and combined well with Haigh down Brazil’s left flank. Brazil were starting to feel like they could contain Saints and could have doubled their advantage. Mark Harrison got clear of the defence but was chopped down from behind just outside the penalty area. Belcher’s free kick was on target but didn’t have the power or direction to beat the keeper. A couple of minutes later, Toms, who had an excellent first half, made a superb run through the defence to get onto a cross field pass but couldn’t control his shot with his left foot and it sailed high over the crossbar.

Saints found their way back into the match 10 minutes before half time. The left winger got behind the defence and pulled a low cross back across the face of the goal. Mike McClure had no choice but to try to intercept it but he ended up toe-poking it into his own goal. A foul on Haigh gave McClure a chance to redeem himself. Belcher dummied to shoot but squared it to McClure but the young Irishman couldn’t keep his first time shot down. The scores were level at the break.

Saints’ half time introduction of their player-manager up front turned the game in their favour. They dominated more than they had in the first half as some of the Brazil players started to tire. Andrew was called on to make a good one-on-one save before Saints did take the lead, 15 minutes into the second half. A good run off the ball and a neat finish by the player-manager put the home side ahead for the first time. Saints expected to run away with game after taking the lead but this didn’t happen. This perhaps shows how
much Brazil have improved as a team over the course of the season. The defence continued to hold out and the introduction of the substitutes helped to add more energy to the midfield. Tom Woods, making his Brazil debut, worked hard in the middle and put himself about. Peter Slack wasn’t involved as much but when he got the ball at his feet he showed some nice tricks go past his opponents. With a quarter of an hour remaining, Saints’ player-manager scored again. He managed to get goal side of the defender at the back post as a deep cross came in from Brazil’s left. The finish was a tidy first time volley.

Alan Bancroft, Brazil’s second debutant of the afternoon, made an explosive start to his Brazil career as he crashed through a Saints player in making a challenge. Having clearly made a connection with the ball, the referee, who was amongst the best Brazil have had this season, did not blow for a foul which enraged both the Saints players and supporters. Brazil were beaten though and Saints pushed forward looking to improve their goal difference. Andrew made a second good one-on-one save, Slack cleared off the line at the back post from a corner and Churchley blocked a volleyed shot from close range. A rare counter attack by Brazil saw Slack run inside Harrison and between the defenders but Harrison’s tired back-heeled pass was behind him and straight to the defender. Saints still wanted more goals and their player-manager, on a hat trick, ran at the Brazil defence turning one way and then the other. Churchley, who was man of the match, kept up with him and never gave him the space he required to get a shot away so when he did shoot Churchley blocked it.

With just two league matches remaining this season Brazil are looking to get
some supporters along to watch, particularly for the away tie against The
Bush Wallsend, on 22nd March.

IJLW Brazil 3 – 5 Willington Quay Saints

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22/02/2003
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, Kennedy, Charge, Hinks, M McClure, P Clark, Haigh, Paterson, Harrison.

Saints, unbeaten all season and hot favourites for promotion, kept Brazil pushed back deep in their own half in the early stages. Despite the pressure, Brazil held firm at the back and Saints were struggling to get any clear shooting opportunities. After 15 minutes, Brazil broke away. A slick passing move involving Paul Clark, Mike McClure and Ewan Paterson resulted in a through ball by Clark. Saints’ keeper ran out to clear but, under pressure from Mark Harrison, he completely missed the ball. Harrison followed it up to tap into the empty net. Saints continued to dominate possession and brought a good save out Al Andrew. Anand Charge followed up quicker than the forwards and managed to clear. On the half-hour mark, McClure played a through ball for Harrison to chase. The keeper got there first but Harrison slid in, using his lankiness to his advantage, and dislodged the ball from his hands. For the second time in the match, Harrison tapped the ball into an empty net. Five minutes later, Saints’ keeper redeemed himself slightly as he made a good save from McClure’s free kick. Some good defending by Brazil, including Dave Churchley charging down a shot from 12 yards, kept the score at 2-0 to the home side at the interval.

The pattern of the game continued as the second half got underway. Saints were constantly putting Brazil’s back-line under pressure but Brazil’s defenders were playing well with both Churchley and Mark Kennedy dominant in the air. Just as it appeared that Brazil might pull off an unlikely upset, disaster struck. A low cross, too close to the goal to be of any real danger, somehow squirmed under the keeper to present Saints’ striker with the easiest tap in of the game. Saints continued to create chances. A shot came back off the post and Churchley beat the striker to the ball to clear. Andrew, diving to his left, made an excellent save. From here Saints expected to complete their comeback but Brazil rallied and managed to regain their two-goal advantage. Harrison was sent clear, finally beating the offside trap, but just before he was allowed to complete his hat trick he was hacked down viciously from behind. McClure calmly slotted home the penalty but the offending defender somehow managed to remain on the pitch.

This was probably the turning point of the match. Had Saints been down to ten men Brazil would surely have been able to hang on to their lead for the last half-hour. As it was, it still took a severe error for Saints to be able to reduce the deficit. This time it was the referee’s mistake. Saints’ left winger was shepherded towards the goal line and the ball was clearly a foot over before he put the cross in. A couple of the Brazil players were also at fault for stopping before the whistle which gifted Saints their second easy tap in. The equaliser was a well worked goal – the type you would expect from a side full of confidence at the top of the league. Brazil then had a couple of half chances to retake the lead. Harrison and Paterson both sliced their shots well wide of the target though. With ten minutes remaining, Saints took the lead for the first time and again it was a freak goal. An inswinging corner swung more than expected and dropped into the goal between the keeper and the defender on the back post. Clark came close to snatching a point for Brazil but his opportunist stab from the edge of the box was just wide. Just to rub salt into Brazil’s wounds, Saints scored another tap in when their captain lost his marker at a corner in injury time.

Jon Hinks made probably his last ever appearance for Brazil, as he is leaving Newcastle, and Andrew was man of the match.

Rutherford Newcastle Reserves 3 – 2 IJLW Brazil

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15/02/2003
North East Amateur Shield Quarter Final

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Paterson, Churchley, Kennedy, Davison, Hinks, Toms, P Clark, Haigh, Gavan, R McClure.

In a bizarre mix-up, the fixture was switched to Brazil’s Winlaton ground, on the morning of the match, but was still counted as a home match for Rutherford. The late arrival of the referee delayed the start but Brazil, boosted by the return of influential midfielder Paul Clark, were confident having already completed a league double over their opponents. The hard frozen layer on top of the pitch soon gave way to the sticky mud underneath, once the match got going.

Rutherford started well and had a lot of useful possession in the Brazil half but couldn’t get a decent opening. Brazil were counter attacking quickly and looked likeliest to open the scoring, as long as their defence could hold out. And that’s exactly what happened. Rutherford were pushing forward and Brazil won possession and broke quickly. Clark played a clever one two with Ricky McClure then threaded it through to Andrew Gavan who nonchalantly clipped it over the advancing keeper with his weaker foot. The lead didn’t last long though and it was almost inevitable that Rutherford’s sustained pressure would pay off eventually. The striker latched onto a through ball and shot low into the far corner. This seemed to give Brazil a wake up call and they didn’t allow Rutherford to have as much of the ball. Steve Toms, remembering his 40-yard winner against Rutherford earlier in the season, tried a long-range effort. This time it was on his left foot though, and he couldn’t keep it down enough. Gavan and McClure were both denied by the keeper, who was extremely quick to come off his line. Brazil managed to put Rutherford under pressure for a while and it was Rutherford who were having to attack on the break. It was during this period though that Rutherford came close to taking the lead. Their goal scorer was through but his second touch was just too heavy and allowed Al Andrew to come out and clear. Just after this, Dave Churchley met Clark’s corner from the right. He couldn’t get up quite high enough though and the ball was flicked on to McClure. McClure took a couple of touches and squared it to Churchley who had retreated outside the area. Churchley got a good connection on his shot and the keeper, unsighted by all the bodies in the box, was beaten but it was a couple of inches too high.

Brazil were the better side at the beginning of the second half and the next goal came against the run of play. With quarter of an hour gone, a clearance by Andrew, who had collected a long ball over the top, struck the back of the retreating forward and fell kindly to the centre midfielder who volleyed it into the unguarded net before Andrew had managed to get back. This began a bad spell for Brazil. Before the second half was halfway through, Brazil found themselves 3-1 down. A low cross was curled in from the Brazil left. Ewan Paterson stayed goal side of the only forward in the box and the ball went between Paterson and Andrew before curling in at the back post.

With 20 minutes remaining, Brazil took the gamble of going to three at the back and pushing Paterson into a free role to try to give their attacks some more creativity. It seemed to work and, although Brazil were often left one on one at the back, they were a much stronger force going forward. A 60-yard run by Gary Davison came to a disappointing end with a weak cross but at least it was an example of the effort that was required to give Brazil a chance of progressing in the competition. Toms was excellent in the middle of the pitch and Jon Hinks seemed like a different player after an anonymous first half performance. Brazil were improving but Rutherford wouldn’t allow them any time on the ball. They made sure that they would stop the player whether they got the ball or not. Brazil did create chances though, the best of which fell to McClure but he blasted over from eight yards out. Shaun Haigh made no mistake from even closer range as he headed in a lovely deep cross from Hinks but, by then, it was too late for Brazil to rescue the game.