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IJLW Brazil 2 – 1 Whitley Bay Baptist Church

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06/11/2004
Northumberland F.A. Minor Cup 2nd Round

IJLW Brazil
Wilkinson, Davison, Churchley, Walker, Kennedy, Paterson (Katirai 80), Hinks, Creighton (Freath 60), Haigh, Bull, McGurk (Harrison 70).

Whitley Bay Baptist Church, from the North East Christian Fellowship League, were the visitors in Winlaton for the second round of this year’s NFA Minor Cup. Brazil were in confident mood, having not lost since 2nd October, 2004. Their self-belief showed as they dominated the match from the start. Shaun Haigh and Ste McGurk both blazed shots over the crossbar but Brazil kept piling on the pressure. Jon Hinks saw a header cleared off the line following McGurk’s left wing corner.

It took the strength of Bryan Walker to eventually give the hosts the lead, midway through the first half. He forced the ball through several defenders and into the net, following Ewan Paterson’s crossed free kick from the right. McGurk watched the ball cross the line but selflessly avoided applying a final touch to it.

As has been the way for the majority of the season, Brazil defended well and allowed Whitley Bay very little sight of goal. On one occasion, however, they did have a three-on-one counter attack which gave Lee Wilkinson, diving at the attacker’s feet, the opportunity to make a great save.

After the break, Brazil were looking to push on and wrap up the game but, although they were creating numerous chances, they just couldn’t seem to get the crucial second goal. Most of the time the keeper wasn’t even tested but a couple of dubious hand ball decisions were also required to keep the score down. Firstly, Matthew Creighton’s neat turn and shot into the bottom corner was ruled out and secondly the referee’s whistle prevented a certain goal as Dave Churchley was about to strike the loose ball into the top corner after Walker had knocked down Paterson’s corner.

The strength and pace of Brazil’s defenders was too much for the Whitley Bay attackers and they never looked like scoring until, that is, the referee ignored the linesman’s flag and allowed the attacker to run through unopposed to level the score. With plenty of time still remaining, Brazil were not going to panic. An inspired substitution gave the lead back to the home side as Mark Freath converted Paterson’s corner with his knee, less than ten minutes after coming off the bench.

Brazil still could have had more goals. Churchley and Walker both made the keeper work as they fired in powerful 40 yard free kicks but, generally, Brazil’s shooting was off-target. James Katirai nearly grabbed his first Brazil goal but his side-foot shot just didn’t curl enough. The last effort was headed over by Matty Bull at full stretch, as he beat two defenders to Haigh’s cross. Wilkinson was man of the match (again). This result now gives Brazil a 50% win rate in the NFA Minor Cup, making it Brazil’s most successful competition since they left the University Intra-Mural League.

IJLW Brazil 0 – 1 Lindisfarne Athletic

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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.

Ryton AFC Reserves 3 – 1 IJLW Brazil

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14/08/2004
Tyneside Amateur League Cup Group B

IJLW Brazil
Wilkinson, Davison, Churchley, Walker, Kennedy, Slack (Katirai 55), Paterson, Creighton, Haigh, Harrison, Bull.

Brazil continued their excellent start to the season as they dominated the opening exchanges. For the second time already this season, Brazil took a lead very early on. This time it was new central midfielder, Matthew Creighton who got his name on the scoresheet. Peter Slack’s corner from the left was headed back across goal by Shaun Haigh and Creighton was on hand to toe-poke it into the net. After a cagey period, both sides began to create chances but it was the visitors that looked the more threatening. Matty Bull and Mark Harrison were fairly isolated up front but they had plenty of space to run into behind the Ryton defence. Slack, Haigh and Ewan Paterson played through some nice balls and Bull had several shots, although they were all from quite long range.

At the other end, Ryton were restricted well by an extremely hard working and well-organised defence and midfield, though they did manage a couple of efforts on goal. Twice Lee Wilkinson made superb saves diving to his right to keep Brazil in front. A break down Brazil’s right side forced Wilkinson to advance towards the player with the ball and a clever lob was sent towards the unguarded net. Luckily for Brazil, Dave Churchley had both the pace and sense to get back and clear the ball from under the crossbar. On the one occasion a Ryton forward beat the offside trap it was Churchley again that managed to get back to him and make a tackle before he could get a shot away. Generally, Brazil’s marking at corners was very good but a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and Ryton’s big centre back seemed to be getting his head to everything. This problem was fixed when Mark Kennedy was assigned to look after him, which he did extremely well.

In the second half the sun went in a bit but it was still far too hot and humid for a football match. Ryton were more dominant in possession than they had in the first period but Brazil were still creating the better chances. James Katirai, forced to play out of position on the right wing, made a couple of lovely passes. Bull was the beneficiary of most of the chances and seemed to be getting closer to scoring with each effort. The best was when he found himself in behind the defence with just the keeper to beat. A good save with the feet sent the ball rebounding out to Harrison whose first time shot was kept down but just the wrong side of the post. After Haigh had sent a volley flashing over the bar from Gary Davison’s right wing cross, the pattern of the game shifted in Ryton’s favour.

With about twenty minutes remaining, Brazil’s midfield tired considerably and the relative squad sizes came into play as Ryton were able to replace their weary players with fresh legs. Their centre back, who had broken Paul Belcher’s ankle in last season’s match, carried the ball from the half-way line round three or four Brazil players (who failed to make a decent challenge between them) before hitting an unstoppable shot into the corner of the goal, from the edge of the box. A couple of minutes later the same player gave the home side the lead when he moved, unmarked, into the box to meet a cross from the right. A late third goal flattered Ryton and almost guaranteed Brazil’s exit from the league cup, with one game left to play. On the positive side, Bryan Walker had an excellent game, not allowing Ryton’s tall, strong, quick striker a sniff of goal. Wilkinson’s dominance of the penalty area earned him his first man of the match of the season.

IJLW Brazil 0 – 1 Winlaton Vulcan Inn

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11/08/2004
Tyneside Amateur League Cup Group B

IJLW Brazil
Wilkinson (Katirai 45), Davison, Churchley, Walker, Haigh, Paterson, Creighton (Harrison 50), Hinks, Ho, Thompson (Luper 65), Bull.
Subs not used: Kennedy, Bernstone.

With Winlaton Vulcan Inn the reigning Division 1 champions and Brazil the winners of the wooden spoon in last season’s Division 2, an away win was the expected result. The difficulty of the victory, however, was far from expected; and that is due to how well the home side performed, in what turned out to be an excellent, competitive football match.

Brazil’s defence now has a good understanding and, after a few early marking blips, they settled into a good pattern and kept Winlaton’s front men under control. Gary Davison, Dave Churchley and Bryan Walker all made a lot of timely tackles with Lee Wilkinson comfortably dealing with any high balls into the box. Matthew Creighton was asked to fill the apparently permanent hole in the centre of the midfield and his composure and confidence grew as the half went on. Neither side had any early chances although Steve Ho, making his debut on the wing, found a bit of space on the left and Matty Bull and Chris Thompson were linking up well up front, looking to feed off the intricate passes of Ewan Paterson and Jon Hinks.

Bull and his older strike partner, Thompson, both forced saves from the visiting keeper but Creighton had the best chance to break the deadlock. He ran, unmarked, onto Paterson’s low corner but completely missed the ball as he swung his foot at it. Going into the interval, Brazil, though satisfied with their performance and the scoreline, could have actually been ahead.

New goalkeeper, James Katirai was brought into the action at half time for his debut but it was not an ideal start to his Brazil career. Within five minutes, Creighton injured his shoulder and had to go off. Five minutes later, Thompson received a leg injury and also needed replacing. Before Dan Luper, also making his debut, had readied himself to come on, Ho was forced to crawl off the pitch too. This left Brazil with nine men and they began digging in with their backs to the wall. Inevitably, the defensive line dropped deeper and deeper but they managed to hold on, with Katirai making a good save diving to his left. Luper’s arrival and a formation reshuffle gave Brazil more attacking options, although they still had only ten men and no more substitutions allowed.

The breakthrough finally came in the 70th minute. A cross from Winlaton’s right wing was headed in at the back post but Brazil, to their credit, battled on and didn’t look like conceding any more (thanks, in part, to Bull’s goal line clearance from a corner). In fact, they managed to force a couple of corners but, try as they might, the equalizer wouldn’t come. Despite the first defeat of the season, Brazil were very happy with the way they played and Davison celebrated his first man of the match award with gay abandon, as he collected up the net pegs. Brazil now have a struggle to get a few men fit before their next match on Saturday.

Wardley Durham Ranger 3 – 4 IJLW Brazil

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07/08/2004
Tyneside Amateur League Cup Group B

IJLW Brazil
Wilkinson, Davison, Churchley, Walker, Kennedy, Mitchell (Creighton 45), Paterson, Hinks, Haigh, Smith (Thompson 60), Bull (Harrison 70).
Subs not used: Katirai.

Brazil’s 2004-05 season couldn’t have got off to a better start as they took the lead inside five minutes in the searing heat of east Gateshead. Ewan Paterson won possession in midfield and slid a well-weighted pass though to Paul Smith who despatched it inside the post to claim his first goal for Brazil. The long grass made passing difficult so both sides were finding it hard to keep hold of the ball but a superbly worked goal got Wardley back into the game.

The home side took the lead after half an hour and could have extended it further. A long ball over the top got the striker in behind the defence but Dave Churchley got back to him and slid in a well-timed challenge just as he was about to shoot. It was the visitors that were next score, with a goal from nothing. Smith chased down a back pass which the keeper, under pressure, swung at and missed leaving Smith with the easy task of placing the ball into the unguarded net. Matty Bull nearly gave Brazil a lead going into the half-time break but his powerful shot, from 35 yards out on the right-hand side of the pitch, just cleared the crossbar.

Brazil made several positional changes during the interval and brought on Matthew Creighton for his debut. With several players in unfamiliar roles, Brazil made a stuttering start to the second half and fell behind once more. As they settled, however, Brazil’s confidence started to grow. A bit more shuffling and they were right back in the game. The equaliser was the pick of the goals. Bull’s flick-volley fell perfectly into Smith’s path and the longhaired striker headed off towards goal. He nutmegged the first defender, skipped around the second and fired a shot past the keeper to complete a fine hat trick. The lively Chris Thompson came on to replace him after an hour, but Smith had already done enough to earn himself the man of the match award.

Brazil were in the ascendancy now and it didn’t take them long to go ahead for the second time in the match. Lee Wilkinson’s long, long clearance evaded all of Wardley’s defenders and Bull, who was alert to the situation, volleyed in what proved to be the winner. The final twenty-five minutes was the longest goalless period of the match but there were still chances at both ends. Jon Hinks chased down a weak back pass and managed to tackle the keeper but, from a very tight angle, his left-footed toe-poke went across the face of the goal. A great run by Mark Harrison, leaving three defenders trailing behind him, was capped with a selfless lay-off to Thompson. The young striker hit a hard first time shot that ricocheted back off the post. At the other end, Wardley came closest to equalizing when Churchley managed to get a glancing header onto a long-range shot to deflect it off target. The bounce defeated Wilkinson as he dived and the ball struck the upright. With the keeper on the ground, the forward following-in shot wide. Despite playing over five minutes of injury time, Brazil managed to hang on to their lead, meaning that they have now won two games in a row (going back to the end of last season); their best sequence for over two years.

IJLW Brazil 1 – 2 Wardley

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21/02/2004
North East Amateur Challenge Shield 1st Round

IJLW Brazil
Wilkinson, Davison, Churchley, Kennedy (Robinson 75), Haigh, Hinks, McGowan, Greenwood, Mitchell (Thompson 60), Bull, Smith.

The early kick off time meant that Brazil had to start the match with just ten men. This gave Wardley the early advantage but the hosts battled well and the arrival of Jonny McGowan, after five minutes, gave them a boost. Wardley saw a lot of the ball but struggled to break through Brazil’s well organised defence. On the couple of occasions that Wardley did manage to get the ball beyond Brazil’s defence, Dave Churchley was always there to clear the danger. This enabled Brazil to play some quick counter-attacking football and they had a lot of dangerous breaks that were only stopped by the dubious offside flag of the referee’s assistant (Wardley’s manager).

By mid-way through the half, Brazil were dominating the match so it was no surprise when they took the lead. Matty Bull took full advantage of a poor defensive clearance as he hit a left-footed, 25 yard volley dipping, over the keeper, into the top corner. Before the break, Brazil very nearly doubled their advantage when Andy Greenwood’s corner was powerfully headed just wide of the post by Churchley.

The early chances of the second half all fell to Brazil and they should have put the result beyond any doubt. Paul Smith managed to beat the offside trap, and find himself one-on-one with the big Wardley goalkeeper, only for his attempted nutmeg to be blocked by the keeper’s feet. Two minutes later, Shaun Haigh picked up the ball on the half way line and set off on a great run deep into Wardley territory. After beating a couple of players he too just had the keeper to beat. Again, the keeper’s feet kept the ball out. Brazil’s third one-on-one in ten minutes fell to Tom Mitchell, after some good football had been played in the build up. Mitchell recovered the ball after the keeper’s feet had blocked his shot and played a nice square pass into Greenwood’s path. Greenwood didn’t give the keeper any chance of being a hero as he lifted the ball over the crossbar.

Brazil were soon rueing their missed chances as Wardley scored a spectacular, if not somewhat fortunate, equalizer, as a 40 yard punt forward just fell under the crossbar. Brazil should have been back in front minutes later but Greenwood’s breakaway goal was incorrectly disallowed for offside. At the other end, Wardley nearly took an undeserved lead when their shaggy-haired captain got clean through on goal. Lee Wilkinson managed to hold him up long enough for Churchley to get into a covering position and deny his opposition counterpart with a clearance off the line.

As the final quarter of an hour approached, the big talking point of the match occurred. Wardley’s striker was being shepherded away from goal but managed to finagle a penalty as he stumbled. The spot kick was well despatched into the corner but several Wardley players were in the area as it was taken. The goal was allowed to stand as Brazil’s protests fell on deaf ears. Brazil tried to force the game into extra time with some late efforts but they had already missed the best of their chances. Bull and Smith combined well to get to the edge of the box but the shot was blocked. McGowan met Greenwood’s corner but his header was saved comfortably. Bull hit a powerful left-footed shot on the turn but the angle was against him and the keeper was able to parry. Brazil’s goal scorer was, however, rewarded for his fine performance with the man of the match award.

Ashington Colliers 7 – 0 IJLW Brazil

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04/10/2003
Northumberland FA Minor Cup 1st Round

IJLW Brazil
Andrew, Davison, Churchley, Kennedy, Paterson, Hinks, Belcher, Toms, Slack, Bull, Goodliff (Harrison 45).

Ashington Colliers are a Northern Alliance side, three divisions above Brazil, so the visitors went into the game very much as the underdogs. Brazil made a nervous start and allowed Ashington to control the game right from the first whistle. Ashington were clearly a strong, fit and well organised team and they gave Brazil no time on the ball. Their attackers made intelligent runs and they built up the pressure steadily as the game progressed. Asington took a deserved lead after a quarter of an hour but Brazil responded well and began to get back into the game. Ashington were still dominating but Brazil were slowly adapting to their style of play and frustrating the home side. Paul Belcher and Steve Toms battled hard in the centre of midfield but Brazil still struggled to keep possession.

Al Andrew made a good save at his near post before getting involved in the most bizarre incident of the match. As the ball came through to him, he decided to kick it, rather than pick it up. His kick struck defender Gary Davison on the leg and rebounded back over his head. Andrew seemed to be unaware of the potential danger and as the ball looped goalwards but, luckily, Ewan Paterson was quick to react and cleared the ball off the goal line. Ashington could have increased their lead sooner if it wasn’t for Dave Churchley, who blocked three fiercely struck shots.

Brazil rarely got into Ashington’s half and whenever Les Goodliff did manage to get away from the defence the huge goalkeeper was very quick off his line. A collision between these two forced Goodliff off the pitch for five minutes as he received treatment on a recurrence of his recent ankle injury. Two late first half goals for Ashington ended the match as a contest before the break.

The second half was much more open and Brazil’s defence was very stretched. On several occasions there were more attackers than defenders and Churchley had to rely on his pace to clear the danger as the ball was played into the corners. Belcher and Toms, the man of the match, continued to work hard and were also making better use of the ball when they got possession. Jon Hinks and Peter Slack were good outlets on the wings and Matty Bull held the ball up well up front.

Ashington scored four times in the second half to complete a resounding victory but Brazil, despite not playing very well, can still take a few positives out of the game. They generally defended corners very well, which has been a weakness against lesser teams in the past. Bull, who hasn’t played for two seasons, showed some of what he’s capable of with a couple of shots from less-than-half chances. Andrew seemed to regain some of the confidence that he has been missing recently as he charged out at the attackers feet to make good saves twice late on in the match.

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.