Brentwood Sport
Brentwood Town 5 Waltham Forest 1
3:20pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012
BRENTWOOD found some goalscoring form and boosted their play-off hopes with an emphatic win over Waltham Forest at the Brentwood Arena on Saturday.
Blues had new signing Neil Cousins, who previously played for the club over ten years ago, partnering Dean Green in attack, and goalkeeper coach Phil Skelton was standing-in between the sticks for the suspended Elliot Justham.
Brentwood took the lead in the 27th minute when full back Ryan Doyle stabbed home through a crowded goalmouth from 12 yards out following a corner.
Both sides had chances just before half time. The home side were grateful for a save with his legs by Skelton after Arian Retkoceri had played in Luke Stanley.
At the other end, Butterworth got behind the defence and got round Barratt only to see his rather tame effort go straight into the arms of the keeper who had partially recovered his ground.
Brentwood increased their lead with an excellent goal four minutes into the second half. Butterworth made a good run down the right wing and his cross found Cousins who laid the ball perfectly into the path of Ryan Edgar who struck a first-time into the corner of the net.
Brentwood were in control now and Cousins went close to increasing the lead with a good effort that just missed the top corner and Green forced another save from Barratt with a well-struck drive from outside the area.
The visitors hit back in the 68th minute. In heavy rain, a clearance by Skelton went straight to Forest substitute Jamie Moore. There looked little immediate danger but Moore clipped an excellent shot from long range that went over Skelton and in off the post.
Within a minute Brentwood had restored their two-goal advantage. The Forest defence was opened up and Green set up Edgar for a shot that Barratt saved well at the expense of a corner and Danny Dafter rose well to head in Lee Blackburn’s kick.
It got worse for the visitors in the 73rd minute. Forest’s Antone Douglas challenged Butterworth and conceded a penalty that also resulted in a red card for Douglas. Doyle scored from the spot.
With such a comfortable lead, Brentwood were able to rest some of the team and brought on three of their under-18 squad in the later stages and it was one of them, Robbie Rees, who scored the fifth goal in the 88th minute. Rees finished off a Green and Cousins move by converting from right under the crossbar.
In stoppage time Barratt denied cousins a deserved goal by blocking his shot at close range.