18/08/2004
Tyneside Amateur League Cup Group B
IJLW Brazil
Wilkinson, Davison, Churchley, Walker, Kennedy, Paterson, Hinks, Creighton (Luper 55), Haigh, Slack (Freath 45), Ho (Katirai 65).
The game was reduced to 35 minutes each way as Lindisfarne turned up half an hour after the match was scheduled to start. The length of the grass and the occasional rain and wind made it difficult to play proper football but that’s exactly what both teams were trying to do. Brazil’s midfield started off superbly, with all four of them passing the ball well. Brazil were making good progress up both flanks and it was a cross from fullback Gary Davison that almost put the hosts ahead. The keeper was almost caught napping as the ball sailed over him towards the goal but he managed to back-pedal desperately and tip it onto the crossbar. As the thunder and lightning got closer, the wind got up a bit and gave Lindisfarne the advantage. They began to dominate possession and tried to get the ball up to their lively number 10. Brazil have now fielded the same back four in the three of the last four matches and they are a consistent and organised unit. They allowed the visiting strikers very little in terms of goalscoring chances, particularly with Lee Wilkinson coming off his line quickly to snaffle the balls played over the top.
Some slack marking at the back post allowed Lindisfarne to snatch a lead midway through the first half, as a lovely curling free kick was played into the box. Moments later there was almost an action replay but this time the header rebounded off the upright and Dave Churchley was on hand to clear the danger. Though Lindisfarne were looking vulnerable to the counter attack, the lack of any natural forwards in Brazil’s squad told and time after time the danger petered out.
The second period saw Brazil looking much more dominant but however much the pack was shuffled (six players played up front for Brazil at one time or another) the elusive goal wouldn’t come. The introduction of Mark Freath, early in the second half, rewrote the Brazil record books as he became the second oldest man to ever represent the club and the oldest to play in a competitive fixture. He took the record away from Peter Slack, who he replaced (who, incidentally, had played for Lindisfarne back in his youth, over ten years ago). Freath showed some good touches and almost marked his debut with a goal but his shot was dragged just wide of the post.
Brazil produced numerous opportunities to level the score, with Jon Hinks, Ewan Paterson and Davison all putting in good crosses from the right, but they just couldn’t finish them off. Shaun Haigh saw a header rebound off the crossbar and then sent a volley wide. Churchley pounced on a loose ball to fire in a shot from forty yards but the keeper was equal to it. Wilkinson, man of the match for the second game running, almost scored a spectacular goal. His long clearance out of his hands seemed to confuse the visiting keeper who slid towards the ball but missed it and could only watch, relieved, as it missed the post by a couple of inches. The most controversial moment came inside the last ten minutes as Brazil committed more men forward and created more chances. A corner fell kindly in the area to Steve Ho who spun and hit what he thought would be the equaliser until the defender on the line kept it out with his hands. The referee, who hadn’t had the best of games, waved away the penalty appeals. Despite the defeat, Brazil can be more than satisfied with the performance, particularly as the opposition are from the division above and they have four strikers keen to stamp their mark on the season.