Category Archives: 2003/04 Season

Killingworth Social YPC 5 – 0 IJLW Brazil

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06/09/2003
Tyneside Amateur League Division 2

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, Kennedy, Charge, Hinks (Mitchell 75), Bancroft, Toms, Haigh, Paterson, Greenwood.

On a wet, skiddy surface, the game started quickly with a lot of dangerous sliding tackles from the Social midfield. Alan Bancroft responded with a couple of his own and was booked for his trouble. This served to calm the game down slightly (but only slightly). Brazil came closest to opening the scoring following some good work by Jon Hinks, Gary Davison and Ewan Paterson down the right wing. Jon Hinks was free inside the area and hit a fierce shot from a tight angle. The keeper managed to take some pace off the ball to allow a defender to clear off the line. Andy Greenwood, following in, was just inches from the rebound. A few minutes later it looked like Brazil would open the scoring. Ewan Paterson, Brazil’s top scorer so far this season, flicked the ball over the head of the last Social defender and it was clear that his pace would take him through for a one on one with the keeper. The defender, however, had other ideas and deliberately tripped Paterson as he sprinted past. The resulting free kick was too far out to be dangerous and the defender got away with just a talking to.

It took an unnecessary penalty to break the deadlock. There could be no argument with the decision (although Al Andrew didn’t seem to agree with it 100%) and Social made no mistake with the spot kick. Taking the lead seemed to spur them on and they became more and more dominant. Mark Kennedy and Dave Churchley won a lot of tackles but the whole of the Brazil defence was too stretched and it was only a matter of time until Social scored again. Their striker spun away from his marker and smashed a volley into the top corner. Shaun Haigh tried to reduce the deficit with a curling free kick but an effort at the other end came even closer and it took a very good tip over by Andrew to keep the score at two at the break.

The second half wasn’t much different and the chances kept coming for Social. They scored three more, all of which were excellent finishes. Steve Toms earned his man of the match award by working hard in the midfield but he seemed to be fouled before he could ever do anything creative with the ball. Bancroft and Anand Charge were both involved in altercations with opposition players but members of both teams quickly prevented them from getting out of hand.

Brazil nearly grabbed a late consolation when Kennedy flicked on Greenwood’s free kick. Churchley controlled the ball on his chest but fired wide as he shot on the turn, under good pressure from his marker.

IJLW Brazil 0 – 8 Fitzgerald’s Whitley Bay

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30/08/2003
John Hampson Memorial Trophy Semi Final

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, Toms, Kennedy, Hinks, M McClure, Bancroft, Haigh, Harrison, Goodliff.

With nine players unavailable for Brazil, meaning they had no substitutes, it was never going to be an easy task against a team from the division above. Things started well, however, as Brazil won the toss but from then on Fitzgerald’s were on top throughout. Brazil looked jaded from their mid-week exertions in the quarter final but, despite the excuses, there was no denying that Fitzgerald’s were simply a superior side. They dominated the match right from the start. Brazil had very little possession and rarely threatened the Fitzgerald’s goal. The first shot was a 45 yard volley by Dave Churchley but from that range it never really troubled the goalkeeper. Shaun Haigh cut inside from the left but his right-footed effort was blocked by a defender. Les Goodliff put over some good in-swinging corners but they were all defended well by the tall Fitzgerald’s team. In between these brief highlights, Fitzgerald’s were busy scoring goals at the other end.

With the score at 4-0, Alan Bancroft moved to centre back and Steve Toms swapped with him and moved into midfield. Straight away a good piece of skill by Toms took him away from two Fitzgerald’s players but his shot from the edge of the area was far too high. Fitzgerald’s scored twice more before the break, including a penalty.

Brazil began the second half better and had a fifteen minute spell where Fitzgerald’s hardly had a chance. Brazil’s best opportunity to score fell to man of the match Mark Harrison but the lanky striker blazed well over the bar from close range. A couple of good one-on-one saves by Al Andrew, some hard tackling by Mark Kennedy and goal line clearances by Harrison and Churchley helped to keep the score below double figures but Fitzgerald’s still managed to inflict Brazil’s second biggest defeat ever.

Wardley 2 – 4 IJLW Brazil

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27/08/2003
John Hampson Memorial Trophy Quarter Final

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, Toms, Haigh, Paterson, McGowan, Greenwood, Hinks (M McClure 55), Gavan (Harrison 70), Goodliff.
Subs not used: Mitchell, R McClure (ineligible).

A last minute change to the starting line up was required as the McClure brothers got lost on the way to the ground and failed to arrive before the start. Despite this, Brazil started well and had the better of the opening exchanges. Steve Toms and Dave Churchley were dominant at the heart of Brazil’s defence, Jonny McGowan and Andy Greenwood looked composed on the ball in midfield and the pace of Les Goodliff and Andrew Gavan was a constant threat up front. There was a lot of space on Brazil’s left and Shaun Haigh exploited this by getting forward from left back at every opportunity.

The opening goal came against the run of play. A long Wardley goal kick cleared Brazil’s centre backs and the striker managed to get to the ball before the full back. He turned inside and his low shot crept in at the near post. Brazil fought back though and soon regained their dominance. Ewan Paterson’s corners were hard to defend and Toms and Gavan both went close with headers. The equalizing goal, however, came from a counter attack. Goodliff’s pace took him away from the defence and he smashed his shot against the crossbar. Paterson, who had managed to keep up with play, calmly controlled the rebound and slotted the ball home.

Brazil were pressing and not allowing a Wardley player time on the ball anywhere on the pitch. This forced some errors and gifted Goodliff an opportunity on the edge of the box. His low shot beat the keeper but was just wide of the post. A free kick 30 yards out gave Greenwood the opportunity to try his luck. He struck the wall but managed to regain possession and lay the ball back to Churchley whose 35 yard left-footed volley swerved just wide of the upright. Another swift counter attack saw Brazil take the lead for the first time in the match as Goodliff blasted the ball past the keeper with his weaker right foot. The lead could have been greater at the break as Goodliff, Gavan and Haigh all had half chances.

Wardley came out with more aggression in the second half and it paid off for them after an hour when a header from a corner managed to sneak past the defender on the post. Straight away Brazil retook the lead. A magnificent dipping 25 yard volley by Mike McClure hit the underside of the bar and Greenwood was on hand to head home the rebound. Wardley came back again and should have levelled the scores. A cross from the right found two men unmarked at the back post but Al Andrew came off his line and made an excellent save as he managed to tip the volley over the bar from almost point blank range.

Brazil looked dangerous every time they got forward but they still had to defend solidly as Wardley were pushing more men forward every time they got possession. The result could have been beyond doubt as McClure, Greenwood, Gavan and Goodliff all went close as Paterson but in some dangerous balls from the right. The closest of the lot came when Churchley’s intelligent run was picked out superbly by Greenwood’s free kick. Churchley was only denied his first goal of the campaign by a diving, one-handed, fingertip save.

The result was wrapped up when Harrison’s flick-on reached Goodliff, whose run had avoided the offside trap. Goodliff sealed his man of the match performance as he neatly slotted the ball into the net. This was Brazil’s record victory in the competition and sees them reach their first semi final in two years.

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.