13/03/2004
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Wilkinson, Henderson, Churchley, Walker, Davison, Moore, Paterson, Hinks, Haigh, Bull, Smith.

A young Westerhope side, that are almost certainties for promotion, were just too strong for a below-par Brazil team that only just managed to get eleven men on the pitch. Right from the start, the visitors were in total control and soon took the lead. They scored again on 20 minutes, after Lee Wilkinson had made a couple of good saves. The closest Brazil came in the first half was from two long-range free-kicks, where Matty Bull forced the goalkeeper into making decent stops. Despite the one-sidedness of the contest, there were no more goals in the first period.

Brazil were struggling to get into the game in all areas of the pitch: they were isolated up front, stretched in midfield and outnumbered in defence. At times in the second half, the hosts were defending very well as a team but it always seemed as if Westerhope had an extra player. The four goals they scored in the second half could have been a lot more, if it wasn’t for some good blocks by Dave Churchley and Jon Hinks and some more good saves by, man of the match, Wilkinson (especially as Brazil played the last quarter of an hour with just ten men after Shaun Haigh had to go off with an ankle injury).