Monthly Archives: May 2012

IJLW Brazil 0 – 1 Wardley

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08/02/2003
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Kennedy, Churchley, Davison, Paterson, Toms, M McClure (Gavan 70), Belcher (Hinks 60), Haigh, Harrison, R McClure

Brazil were trying out an experimental formation which resulted in a lot of confusion throughout the team as to who should be marking who. Brazil’s tactics did, however, result in a very open match in midfield, with both sides looking dangerous when they had the ball but unable to create many clear scoring opportunities. Once the game had settled into a rhythm, Brazil dominated possession and Wardley tried to attack on the break. These attacks were very unproductive though due to solid performances from Gary Davison, Mark Kennedy and Dave Churchley in the Brazil defence. Wardley were restricted to just two efforts in the first half, both from 30 yards, and Al Andrew only had to stoop down and pick up the ball. On the one occasion it looked like Wardley had got beyond Brazil’s back line, Churchley prevented a shot with an excellently timed sliding tackle. The referee rightly dismissed the penalty appeals, although they may have stuck in his mind.

At the other end, despite not creating a lot of chances, Brazil could have taken the lead. A long range shot from Ricky McClure left the goalkeeper stranded but curled just inches wide of the far post. Mike McClure’s 25-yard drive was dragged wide but he had no other option but to shoot. An intelligent run to the near post by Ewan Paterson, followed by good vision and a good pass, set up the best chance of the half for Paul Belcher. His shot was saved by the Wardley keeper and the score sheet remained blank at the break.

The second half got off to a controversial start when the referee, from the halfway line, awarded a penalty to Wardley after Kennedy’s excellent tackle. Andrew was unlucky not to stop it having managed to get a hand to it after initially heading the wrong way. This turned out to be Wardley’s only shot of the whole second half. Brazil continued to dominate the game after this but still struggled to get any decent scoring chances. Steve Toms had an excellent game in the centre of the midfield and was involved in virtually all of Brazil’s moves. Brazil could have equalised when Mark Harrison burst through and struck the post from a tight angle. The rebound fell kindly to Belcher, with the keeper nowhere, but his shot was straight at one of the defenders that had gone back onto the line. A few minutes later, R McClure’s deflected free kick almost sneaked in after wrong-footing the goalkeeper.

M McClure, feeling the effects of his illness, was cautioned for a lazy handball and was then replaced by the lively Andrew Gavan. Kennedy, probably still upset from the penalty incident, was again involved in more controversy as he reacted angrily to a late challenge. The Wardley player who had committed the foul jumped to his feet and grabbed Kennedy by the throat. Kennedy had a look of hatred in his eyes but Churchley performed his captain’s task and diffused the situation by dragging Kennedy away before he could get himself sent off. Surprisingly, considering that M McClure had already been booked for an innocuous handball, neither the late challenge nor the throat grab were punished.

Gavan’s 20-yard effort required a good diving save to earn all three points for Wardley. Harrison’s work rate was rewarded with the man of the match award.

Killingworth 3 – 2 IJLW Brazil

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25/01/2003
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, Kennedy, Haigh, G Clark (Charge 65), M McClure, Toms, Belcher (Hinks 55), R McClure (Harrison 60), Goodliff.

Killingworth’s fourth choice pitch required a lot of pre-match work to get it into a playable state after their three preferred pitches had been ruled out as they were all waterlogged. Brazil started as the brighter team but Killingworth soon took control. Whilst Killingworth were enjoying the vast majority of the possession, they were unable to provide any clear chances from open play. Their final ball was poor and, whenever they played the ball over the top, Dave Churchley had the pace to clear up the danger. Set pieces, however, were a different matter. Every Killingworth player in the box was taller than his marker and it was inevitable that this height advantage would pay off at some point. It took 20 minutes. A deep cross was met unopposed and Killingworth took the lead from close range. Five minutes later, a corner from the right was powerfully headed into the roof of the net by Killingworth’s centre back, who had managed to get in front of his marker. Ten minutes before half time, Killingworth scored again and put the result virtually beyond doubt. Again it was a deep cross. Again the Brazil marker lost his man and again Killingworth scored from close range.

Despite not seeing much of the ball in the first half, Brazil did manage to create a couple of opportunities. A free kick from Paul Belcher, who will be suspended for seven weeks if his appeal against last week’s dismissal is unsuccessful, forced a good save from Killingworth’s diminutive keeper. A tricky run and shot from Ricky McClure brought another save out of the keeper and Les Goodliff would have scored had his shot, which had beaten the keeper, not got stuck in a puddle. The highlight of the first half came just before the break. Graeme Clark took a short corner to Mike McClure, who gave it back to him. Clark’s left footed cross was headed away by a Killingworth defender but only to just outside the box, where Churchley was waiting. He caught the volley sweetly on his left foot. The keeper was nowhere but the defender on the post managed to get his toe to it and poke the ball round the post for a corner.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first except that Brazil improved their marking and challenging when defending corners. Killingworth did manage to break through on a couple of occasions but every time shot straight at Al Andrew. Andrew did extremely well in holding onto the shot each time, and was named as man of the match. Mark Kennedy stayed strong and dealt well with Killingworth’s giant striker, whilst the rest of Brazil’s defenders were never really troubled. Despite Killingworth’s domination of the possession they weren’t looking like extending the lead.

The Brazil substitutions, midway through the second half, seemed to inspire Brazil and they began to gain more possession themselves. Anand Charge went on a weaving run and, after beating two men, was tripped by a third. The resulting free kick, from fairly wide on the left, was sent curling over the keeper, who was off his line, and into the top right corner by Mark Harrison. Brazil took heart from this and continued to attack. With ten minutes remaining, Gary Davison’s low first time cross from the right was flicked over a defender by Shaun Haigh and Goodliff smashed his volley into the roof of the net to reduce Brazil’s deficit to just one goal. Unfortunately, Brazil couldn’t keep their momentum going and the game petered out.

IJLW Brazil 3 – 2 Proctor And Gamble Cobalt

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18/01/2003
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Toms, Churchley, Kennedy, Davison, Paterson, M McClure, P Clark, Belcher, Haigh, Gavan.

The match started slowly as both sides looked rusty after the winter break. Brazil were dominating possession though and it came as no surprise when they opened the scoring. A strong run by Steve Toms was ended by a push, just inside the penalty area. Mike McClure calmly dispatched the spot kick to put the home side ahead after 10 minutes. Having taken the lead, Brazil never looked like giving it up. Brazil were improving and starting to create chances. Debutant striker, Andy Gavan was making some excellent runs to lose the defenders, but was unfortunately being caught offside quite often. After 20 minutes he smashed the ball past the P&G keeper but was ruled offside again.

P&G had no width to their formation so Gary Davison, Brazil’s left back, was pushing over towards the middle, which allowed Toms, the right back, to get forward more. Shaun Haigh, on Brazil’s left flank, had acres of space which he was using well. At the mid-point of the first half, P&G’s keeper failed to hold onto Haigh’s cross and Gavan reacted quicker than the two defenders around him to give Brazil a 2-0 lead. Whenever P&G did get forward, Brazil were defending well. Toms and Dave Churchley won a lot of headers and Churchley was comfortably sweeping up the balls played over the top. It was looking as though Brazil would go on to record a good victory when a freak occurrence let P&G back into the game. A 25 yard free kick was sent towards P&G’s big men at the back post but, as Al Andrew came out flapping, it curled into the top corner. This boosted P&G into raising their game and the match became a lot tighter.

The second half began with Brazil as the dominant side, though P&G were more competitive than they had been earlier in the match. The major incident of the game occurred after 55 minutes. Brazil felt they should have had a second penalty when Toms was chopped down from behind in the box. Paul Belcher retained possession, however, and took a dive to try to convince the referee. Nothing was given so P&G broke with Toms and Belcher both lying on the ground. As Belcher got back to his feet P&G’s left back punched him in the back of the head. The referee blew the whistle immediately and wanted to talk to both players. P&G’s left back was sent off and Belcher, who was expecting to be booked for the dive, was dismissed for spitting. Belcher denies it and no one on either side appeared to see it either. A referee assessor from the FA was at the game and he suggested to Belcher that an appeal would be a good idea.

Brazil made good use of the extra space and started to create chances immediately. Haigh’s left footed cross was neatly tucked away by Gavan, after an excellent run across the front of the defence, to restore Brazil’s two goal advantage. Moments later Haigh let fly a powerful, curling, right footed effort that was only inches wide. Gavan could (and probably should) have completed his hat trick when he had just the keeper to beat from inside the box. The ball took a nasty bobble though, just as he was about to hit it, and the shot just cleared the bar. As Brazil looked for more goals, the midfield were pushing forward but finding it harder to get back as the heavy ground was taking its toll on their weary legs. This gave P&G more hope of a consolation goal. It came from a good finish, following a very good through ball. The scoreline was flattering to P&G so Brazil were still looking to add to their tally, rather than sit on their lead. Gavan set up McClure but his chip hit the bar with the keeper stranded. As P&G advanced in search of an unlikely point, Ewan Paterson stopped to help a P&G player with his cramp. After a berating from Brazil’s skipper, Paterson continued with the game. Although Brazil are a friendly, sporting club, this should have waited until the ball was dead. Paterson made amends moments later with an excellent clean tackle inside the Brazil penalty area to deny P&G a last chance of equalising. He even managed to retain possession and dribble away with the ball. He was duly praised by Brazil’s skipper and has learnt his lesson.

South Beach 4 – 1 IJLW Brazil

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14/12/2002
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Paterson, Churchley, Kennedy, Davison, G Clark, M McClure, P Clark, Belcher (Harrison 75), Hinks (Haigh 60), R McClure.

Going into the match, Brazil were confident of coming away with a victory having been extremely unlucky not to have won the previous meeting with South Beach. A slow start by both teams, on an extremely slippery muddy surface, gradually became almost constant South Beach pressure. South Beach opened the scoring after 15 minutes and didn’t take long to double their advantage, with a nice lob, as their attackers outnumbered Brazil’s defenders. The pace of South Beach’s attacking was impressive but, generally, Brazil’s defence managed admirably. Brazil had no clear-cut chances in the first half. Their best efforts all came from the McClure brothers. Ricky McClure’s 20 yard left-footed shot was stopped, almost casually, by the feet of the South Beach keeper. A Paul Belcher free-kick was headed wide by R McClure and Mike McClure sliced his long range volley well wide, much to his brother’s dismay.

The second half continued in the same vein, with South Beach creating all the chances. They scored two more quick goals and it could have been more, if it wasn’t for some resolute defending. South Beach’s attackers outnumbered Brazil’s defence on numerous occasions. On one such occasion, they had two strikers through on goal but Dave Churchley somehow managed to get back and make an excellent saving tackle.

The introduction of Brazil’s substitutes gave them more urgency and determination and they started to trouble South Beach’s defence a little. A strong run from Shaun Haigh presented Belcher with an excellent chance from close range but he miss-hit his shot and it was cleared by a defender as it trickled towards the goal. Brazil did eventually score and it was the pick of the goals. R McClure chipped delightfully into the top corner from 25 yards, to further extend his lead at the top of Brazil’s goal scorer charts and earn himself a man of the match award. The darkness descended with quarter of an hour left to play but no side had any clear chances in this time, or if they did I couldn’t see them.

IJLW Brazil Christmas Night Out

IJLW Brazil
Churchley, Belcher, R McClure, M McClure, Kennedy, Paterson, Harrison.

The night began, obviously, in The Northumberland Hussar, as Brazil continue to support their sponsor. The turnout was much like the afternoon’s performance – disappointing and with a lot of players not making the effort. Mark Harrison joined the action late for the second time that day but at least he brought a few guests to boost the numbers. Although the occasion was not as grand as had been planned, those that attended did enjoy themselves.

Killingworth Social YPC 1 – 0 IJLW Brazil

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7th December 2002
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Paterson, Churchley, Kennedy, Davison (Haigh 70), Belcher (Toms 50), M McClure, P Clark, Hinks (Greenwood 60), Harrison, R McClure.

The pitch was covered in puddles but, as the ball still bounced, the match went ahead but was reduced to 40 minutes per half. On a better surface it could have been a really good match as both sides tried to play an attractive passing game. Social had the better of the early exchanges but Brazil’s defence held firm with some timely tackles and blocks. On the couple of occasions Social did break through, Al Andrew made good stops. Social came closest to scoring when a free kick was blasted just an inch wide of the post after the female referee had thought that Dave Churchley’s tackle was dirty. Brazil’s defending of corners was much better this week. When Social did manage to send a header goalwards, Paul Belcher cleared off the line at the back post. Brazil had their chances too. Ricky McClure’s volley from the edge of the area was well saved. R McClure then hit a free kick through the wall but straight at the keeper, after a well worked dummy by Belcher. Paul Clark should have given Brazil the lead towards the end of the first half. Mark Harrison’s cut back fell to Clark’s weaker left foot, though, and he sliced the shot wide. Although Social had dominated possession, a 0-0 score line was probably fair at half time.

The second half took on the same pattern as the first, Social put Brazil’s defence under a lot of pressure and Brazil tried to counter attack. It didn’t help Brazil that almost every time the ball went into Social’s half, Harrison was caught offside. Steve Toms made a welcome return after a fairly serious knee injury and this allowed Ewan Paterson to push forward into midfield. It was Paterson that had Brazil’s best opportunity of the second half. He beat the offside trap and managed to poke the ball past the advancing keeper but just the wrong side of the post. To be fair to Paterson though, he did well to get to the ball before the keeper in the first place.

As the game went on, Social’s dominance grew and Brazil were constantly under pressure at the back, despite M McClure’s tackling in front of the back four. An inswinging corner was sneaking in at the front post but Gary Davison didn’t mind getting his knees dirty to deflect the ball wide. Brazil’s centre backs, Churchley and Mark Kennedy, made a number of strong tackles and blocks and it looked like Brazil might be able to hold on for a point. A goal mouth scramble ended up in the back of the net though and Brazil brought on their last substitute and changed to a 3-4-3 formation to look for a late equaliser. Churchley, the man of the match, pulled his hamstring but had to play on as there were no more substitutes and he, Kennedy and Toms continued to be in the thick of the action.

The final score was 1-0 to the home side and, although they lost, Brazil were pleased with their defensive performance against a team with serious hopes for promotion that had scored eight the previous week.

IJLW Brazil 3 – 2 Newcastle Rutherford Reserves

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30th November 2002
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Paterson, Churchley, Kennedy, Davison, G Clark, M McClure, P Clark, Belcher (Goodliff 55), Hinks (Greenwood 70), Harrison (Toward 80).

Skipper, Dave Churchley decided to start the match kicking in the opposite direction to usual, as Brazil sought their first home league points of the season. After just five minutes, though, Brazil found themselves a goal behind as Rutherford’s big midfielder powered home a header from a corner. Brazil could have already scored by then though, Graeme Clark’s low corner was smashed wide of the near post by Paul Belcher, who didn’t realise how much time and space he had. Both sides worked hard throughout the first half and seemed to cancel each other out as there were not many chances at either end. Jon Hinks headed a G Clark corner into the ground and Mike McClure had an 18-yard drive well saved after Belcher’s clever square pass. At the other end, Brazil’s keeper, Al Andrew, wasn’t tested. The only time Rutherford got through, Andrew put off the striker and Ewan Paterson was on hand to clear from inside the 6-yard box. The visitors led by a goal to nil at the break.

Brazil began the second half as the better side, kicking in their preferred direction. The introduction of Les Goodliff added an extra dimension to Brazil’s attacking play, as his pace was too much for Rutherford to handle. The impact was immediate and the scores were levelled when Mark Harrison’s short pass on the edge of the box was hit low into the bottom left corner by Paul Clark. A couple of minutes later it looked as though the fight back was complete when Jon Hinks volleyed McClure’s cross into the same corner of the goal. The referee, who’s performance was generally poor all afternoon, incorrectly ruled the goal out for offside. By now Brazil were dominating though, and it wasn’t long before they took the lead. McClure rounded off an excellent move by blasting the ball past the Rutherford keeper. Brazil also had chances for Goodliff and P Clark.

Brazil’s defence comfortably dealt with Rutherford’s forwards, even when they started pushing extra men up. On the only occasion they got through, a fine low strike levelled the scores at 2-2. Rutherford celebrated like they had just won the league and, with over a quarter of an hour still remaining, this turned out to be premature. The sticky pitch was making it difficult for Brazil to play their attractive passing football but it was also working in their favour. Rutherford had several players that found running on that surface very difficult and even had to resort to bringing on their fat, mouthy manager for his fresh legs. Brazil’s fitness held up to the conditions, which gave the home side the advantage as the match moved into the closing stages. An outrageous foul on Andy Greenwood, by Rutherford’s manager, gave Brazil a free kick about 30 yards from the goal. Greenwood picked himself up (and was surprisingly unhurt) and lined up as if to shoot. Rutherford’s keeper must have thought he was bluffing, as he obviously wasn’t expecting a shot. Greenwood let fly with his left foot and the keeper reacted late as the ball squeezed underneath him. There was still time for a late scare when Rutherford were awarded a controversial penalty in the 88th minute. Andrew dived the right way and managed to bundle the ball around the post. Although this was his only real save, it was deemed important enough to earn him the man of the match award. Brazil hung on to take maximum points and move 7 points clear of the relegation zone.

IJLW Brazil 4 – 5 South Beach

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16th November 2002
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Barlow, Davison, Churchley, Ingleson, Kennedy (Haigh 70), Paterson, M McClure, P Clark, Belcher (Hinks 45), M Harrison (P Harrison 85), R McClure.

After making the worst possible start, finding themselves a goal down in the 1st minute, Brazil gradually began to take control of the game. Ricky McClure had a couple of tame efforts before clipping the crossbar with a shot from outside the box. Paul Belcher could have turned in Mark Ingleson’s free kick but, in a crowded and muddy penalty area, he couldn’t get a firm enough contact on his shot. On the half hour mark, Mike McClure’s diagonal through ball was met by Mark Harrison’s sliding toe-poke to bring the scores level.

As Brazil’s domination increased, South Beach were restricted to attacking on the break, using the pace of their forwards. Debutant goalkeeper, Pete Barlow made a fine one-on-one save and Dave Churchley cleared the rebound shot off the line, so the score remained 1-1 at the break. At half time, Brazil changed to a 4-4-2 formation to try to keep their shape better across the pitch.

Brazil continued to dominate in the 2nd half but again South Beach were first to score. They counter-attacked quickly and the shot from the edge of the box just crept in. South Beach’s travelling fans came out with “Why are you called Brazil? You play more like San Marino!” Brazil responded positively, playing some of the best football they’ve played all season, and soon silenced the boisterous crowd. Ewan Paterson’s deep cross was volleyed in from a tight angle at the back post by Paul Clark. R McClure then showed what a good touch he has for a big man. He went on a mazy run through the entire South Beach defence but couldn’t get enough power on his shot to beat the keeper. Just moments after that, R McClure gave the home side the lead. He beat two defenders then unleashed an unstoppable left-footed shot into the top of the net. A minute later, R McClure got his second as he latched onto a loose ball and fired home into the bottom corner. Brazil were 4-2 up and looked as though they were heading for their first home win of the season.

South Beach had other ideas. As the sun got lower in the sky, their long balls became extremely difficult to defend. South Beach scored two quick goals to level the scores and would’ve gone ahead if Barlow hadn’t stopped another one-on-one. Brazil were still dominating and still creating chances. M Harrison and R McClure both had chances. A corner from Clark, the man of the match, was pushed out by South Beach’s keeper. Churchley span around and volleyed goalwards but the keeper reacted brilliantly to palm it away. Churchley’s powerful diving header, from Paterson’s corner, was blocked, unknowingly by a defender. The way the game was going, there looked like there could be only one winner until the referee made a ludicrous decision. South Beach’s striker miscontrolled the ball and it rolled over the goal line so he cut inside and dived over the defender’s leg. The referee, who was 20 yards away and facing the defender’s back, awarded a penalty! South Beach scored the spot kick, to take a 5-4 lead, with just 3 seconds of the match remaining.

Wardley 2 – 2 IJLW Brazil

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9th November 2002
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Paterson, Churchley, Davison, Charge, G Clark, M McClure, P Clark, Belcher, Harrison, Goodliff.

Wardley’s pitch was in a decent condition, considering the amount of rain that had fallen, and was nicely sheltered from the wind. Brazil, who had struggled to find 11 fit men, started slowly but improved as the game progressed. By the mid-point in the 1st half, Brazil were dominating the game. Wardley lacked any width whatsoever and Brazil were exploiting this by making dangerous attacks down both flanks. Down the right, Ewan Paterson was pushing on to support Graeme Clark and, on the left, Les Goodliff was drifting out wide to help Mark Harrison. This left Paul Belcher as Brazil’s furthest forward player on a number of occasions and it was to him that Brazil’s first clear chance fell. Belcher’s shot, however, was straight at the keeper.

Wardley were posing no threat in open play so, although their goal was against the run of play, it was no surprise that it was from a corner. Al Andrew parried the original header but Wardley’s longhaired captain bundled the rebound into the net. Brazil fought back and created more chances before the break, despite losing Paul Clark for five minutes with a bloody nose. Belcher and G Clark both had shots cleared off the line and Mike McClure dragged his effort wide from the edge of the area.

The second half was more open as players on both sides began to tire from running on the heavy ground. Brazil were playing deeper and attacking on the break and it was from one of these situations that they levelled the score. G Clark broke down the right and crossed into the box. The ball was half-cleared before Belcher could get a clean strike on it but was picked up by M McClure, 25 yards out. After a touch to control it he fired it into the top right corner, leaving Wardley’s keeper with no chance. With 17 minutes remaining, Brazil scored again. M McClure won the ball, deep in Brazil’s half, and fed Harrison on the left wing. Harrison, with yards of space ahead of him, kicked the ball on and galloped after it. He was too quick for the full back, which gave him the opportunity to cut inside and send a right-footed curler into the top corner. Brazil led but there was still time for a lot more action.

Wardley used up the last of their substitutes and pushed men on so that they had five up front. After their tiny centre back had been booked for a nasty tackle on Belcher, Wardley managed to scramble an equaliser. Following another vicious challenge, this time on Anand Charge, there was a minor scuffle. Charge reacted badly to the foul but was then assaulted by the Wardley midfielder. In a difficult situation, the referee decided to send both players off. Wardley had another man booked, for arguing with the referee, and Andrew was very lucky to stay on the pitch after appearing to commit a professional foul. Brazil’s remaining defenders, Paterson, Gary Davison and Dave Churchley all made some important tackles, interceptions and clearances and Andrew earned the man of the match award for making several very good saves. By the end of the game, he was really struggling after injuring his left knee whilst making the save of the match to deny the Wardley skipper his hat trick.

IJLW Brazil 1 – 2 The Bush Wallsend

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2nd November 2002
NFA Minor Cup 2nd Round

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison (Paterson 45), Churchley, Kennedy, Haigh, G Clark, M McClure,
P Clark, Myciunka (Belcher 80), Hinks, R McClure (Harrison 65).

The Bush cut it fine, arriving just moments before the referee was going to
cancel the fixture. As a result, the start time was delayed by half an hour.
Brazil dominated the entire 1st half, but without creating as many chances as
they would’ve liked. Brazil’s movement off the ball was poor and so there were
not many options when they had the ball. There were good moments though. Gary
Davison’s early cross was headed against the bar by Ricky McClure and Dave
Churchley saw his left footed shot drift wide, having skipped past The Bush’s
fat midfielder. In between these chances, Brazil opened the scoring after 20
minutes. Mike McClure slid a neat pass inside the left back and into R
McClure’s path. R McClure, Brazil’s lone striker, had no problem in beating
the static keeper to give the home side the lead.

The Bush were restricted to a few unconvincing counter attacks and the Brazil
goal was never really threatened. Paul Clark and Jon Hinks, who worked
extremely hard, were involved in some short, sharp passing moves but it was
the lack of movement that caused these moves to end with nothing to show for
them. At the break, Brazil were satisfied with the scoreline but not the way
they had played.

Brazil, despite realising where they were going wrong, carried on in the same
way after the break. The Bush, however, were increasingly getting into the game
and looking more dangerous when they had possession. By the
time The Bush equalised, on the hour mark, the pitch had become very cut up
and slippy and it was getting harder to play decent football. This obviously
did not suit Brazil’s passing game but didn’t affect The Bush’s long ball
style.

The match looked like it was heading for a penalty shootout when Brazil
failed to deal with an 85th minute corner and went 2-1 down. Going behind
kick-started Brazil and they started to play properly after that. Ewan
Paterson was pushed up front as Brazil desperately sought a late equalizer.
The Bush were hanging on but Brazil still couldn’t create a clear cut chance.
Churchley had the best chance when he headed, man of the match, P Clark’s
corner wide of the far post.

Although they are now out of the cup Brazil can take heart from dominating a
game against the league leaders without playing well.

Willington Quay Saints 2 – 2 IJLW Brazil (abandoned after 55 mins)

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26th October 2002
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, M McClure, Haigh, G Clark, Lambert, P Clark, R McClure, Hinks, Goodliff.
Subs not used: Kennedy.

Brazil’s squad, ravaged by injuries, showed its strength in depth by still managing to field a strong line up. Despite the blustery conditions, Brazil looked dangerous when they got the ball down and played their trademark passing game. After 20 minutes Jon Hinks slipped a beautifully weighted through ball between the Saints’ centre backs. Ricky McClure timed his run to perfection to beat the offside trap and be left one on one with Saints’ keeper. He calmly placed the ball in the back of the net with his left foot. The goal stood, despite the animated protests from the Saints players. Saints were level within 5 minutes though. They were awarded a corner even though it was the Saints player that dribbled the ball over the goal line. Brazil’s marking was sloppy and, although Andrew saved the header, the rebound was put away. Brazil’s new-found resilience kicked in and they continued to impress with their short sharp passes. At the other end, Al Andrew made a couple of very good saves, including one from a Mike McClure lobbed own goal attempt, and Hinks and Dave Churchley cleared the danger from the corners, as Brazil looked to have learnt from the first goal.

Brazil’s second goal came from a lovely move. Shaun Haigh started it, at left back, by playing the ball up the line to Hinks who quickly knocked it in-field to Paul Clark. His pass into space was ideal for Les Goodliff to run onto and slot the ball past the Saints goalkeeper. Brazil had further chances for Goodliff and R McClure who was only stopped when the referee failed to play the advantage and blew up for a foul in Brazil’s favour. Saints are a good side, however, and they fought their way back in to the game and levelled the score before half time.

Saints started the second half as much the stronger team, going close to taking the lead on a couple of occasions. Brazil were just beginning to find their feet again when disaster struck. Tim Lambert passed to P Clark but, as he turned, his studs got caught in the ground and the referee stopped the match immediately. Lambert’s left foot was 90 degrees out of position so an ambulance was called to deal with the situation. Saints very kindly offered to abandon the match and arrange for it to be replayed at a later date. Brazil, after consulting with the referee, gratefully accepted the offer.

It would appear that Lambert has played his last game for the season as he has had an operation on a seriously broken ankle and is now recuperating in hospital, where he will have to stay for at least a week. If you would like to make a donation to the “Tim Lambert Recovery Fund”, cheques are payable to Dave Churchley.