brentwoodtownfc.co.uk

Saturday 6th March
RYMAN DIVISION ONE NORTH
BRENTWOOD TOWN 1 ILFORD 0
Ben Boyce’s 41st minute goal was enough to give Brentwood their fourth win in five games at the Arena on Saturday. It could have been a more convincing win if Blues had made the most of the opportunities that came their way, particularly in the first half.
After a dry week and some hard work by the Brentwood groundsman, the pitch was in very good condition and both sides played some good passing football.
Blues certainly had the better of the first half and threatened to take the lead in the seventh minute, folowing Junior Luke’s cross from the left, until Ilford’s Richard Simpson made a smart clearance in the six-yard box.
A minute later Foxes keeper Rob Budd turned a close range header from Kris Lee onto the underside of the crossbar. This was the first of a number of fine saves in the first half by Budd. He denied Lee again in the twelfth minute when the Brentwood centre forward tried to convert a Richard Priest cross, and made two excellent stops to keep out Richard Ketchell and Joe Stevens.
Lee missed a very good chance when he failed to convert at the far post from a Jason Mason cross, but the persistence of Lee and strike-partner Boyce finally paid off four minutes before half time. Lee headed down Priest’s right wing cross and Boyce forced the ball home from a yard out for his first goal for the club.
Ilford brought on Victor Omogbehin at the start of the second half and they made the Blues defence work much harder. Brentwood’s new keeper, Ben Stone, had to deal with two good efforts from Omogbehin and Jamie Pooley, and Stone was quick off his line to smother at the feet of Jerreau McCarthy five minutes from time.
Boyce had a great chance to score again for Brentwood when Lee put him clear in the 68th minute but the striker shot wide, and Lee headed straight at Budd from Darren Ebsworth’s cross a minute later.
Brentwood needed the comfort of a second goal but it did not arrive and although they were never desperately hanging on to their lead they had a few anxious moments as Ilford pressed forward in the later stages.
Brentwood Town: Stone, Luke, Ebsworth, Noel, Ketchell, Mason, Priest, Parmenter, Lee (Wixon 82), Boyce (Pennant 88), Stevens (Okojie 74) Unused subs: Fletcher, Pyne