FA Youth Cup: Ebbsfleet 2 Brentford 1 (after extra time)

[GPG Towers]

What has happened? Young Brentford were shook to the core with this surprise defeat away at Ebbsfleet in the first round proper of the FA Youth Cup. After sweeping all before them in the early part of the season the boys now seem to have hit a very rocky road.

In a game typical of a senior match, the underdogs fought like lions while the favorites just couldn't raise their game. A very strong looking Bees line up just couldn't get their game together, and although they took the lead midway throught the first half, they just couldn't build on it and when Ebbsfleet did get there equalizer it was the home team who found the momentum to go through.

Strikers Lucien and Pitt just couldn't get their partnership to work and they seem to have lost their shooting boots. Whether this is down to loss of form or just bad luck only they will know. While the midfield pairing of McCluskey and Allen never seemed to be able to stamp any authority on the game, the Fleet boys just ran themselves into the ground, as they could taste a cup shock.

For most of the second half both teams struggled to find an opening and the game inevitably drifted into extra time when you would have thought that the fitness of Brentford may come through, and when McCluskeys great effort from outside the box smashed against the foot of the post most believed the tie was swinging the Bees way. That was apart from the 11 of Ebbsfleet who continued to battle for their lives and when they were awarded a free kick just outside the box, the extra time deadlock was broken. The initial cross looked anything but dangerous, but it seemed to fool the Brentford defence and when it was flicked in to the net by the Fleet number 9 the cup shock was well and truely on. The Brentford boys tried to rally for one last hurrah and they were only to be denied by 3 excellent saves in the dying minutes by the Ebbsfleet keeper.

And that was that, defeat at the first hurdle. The anger and disappointment of manager was very obvious and the disbelief amongst the travelling fans was also apparent, so what has gone wrong? As someone who has witnessed every game this season its hard to pinpoint whether the boys have believed they were better than they were I'm not sure; playing the wrong team again? that's debatable these were the same boys who have thrashed Brighton, who they may have played in the next round, 7-1. But the pairing of Lucien and Pitt just has not been able to find their early season form. McCluskey and Allen is a bit like Gerrard and Lampard (you know what i mean) both very good players but very similar,the defense looks tight but does sometimes become exposed when the ball is given away cheaply or not held up.

It's now down to the Manager and the boys themselves to roll up their sleeves and get their game back on track, and it dosen't come tougher than QPR Away this week in what is another cup match. They need to learn quickly from their mistakes and just put this game from their memory and get back to what they were doing best and that was winning.

Team: Burt Reeves Bush Butt Blake Vassal McCluskey Allen Gomez Pitt Lucien Subs: Ward Zanelli Whyte