BRNESC REACHED THE LAST EIGHT OF THE GEORGE MAHON CUP WITH A DRAMATIC 5 4 PENALTY SHOOT WIN AT MELLING ROAD TO LEAVE AFC LIVERPOOL IN DESPAIR AFTER A THRILLING CONTEST WITH BRNESC LEADING 3 TIMES ONLY TO BE PEGGED BACK BY A RESILIANT AFC LIVERPOOL.
BRNESC STARTED SLOWLY IN BRIGHT BREEZY CONDITIONS AND AFC LIVERPOOL WERE QUICKLY INTO THEIR STRIDE BRNESCS FIRST EFFORT ON GOAL BY JOE PARLE SAILED HIGH OVER THE CROSSBAR THEN FROM A FINE RUN BY JOE PARLE PAUL FINNANS SHOT WAS BLOCKED ND THEN SCRAMBLED AWAY.
BRNESC HAD STARTED TO MOVE THE BALL AROUND AND PRESSURE THE AFC DEFENCE AND WERE STARTING TO DICTATE THE GAME SO IN THE 20 MIN THEIR GOAL WAS A JOLT TO BRNESCS GAME PLAN .A BALL FROM THE RIGHT WAS MISKICKED AND SCUFFED AROUND THE SIX YARD BOX BEFORE BEING SCRAMBLED HOME AT THE BACK POST A POOR GOAL 0 1
BRNESC REDOUBLED THEIR EFFORTS AND RAISED THEIR GAME IN REPLY TO GOING IN ARREARS AND WHEN MATTY NAGLE SAVED A T A AFC FORWARDS FEET BRNESC SWEPT THE LENGTH OF THE PITCH WITH A SUBLIME TEAM MOVE TO MAKE IT 1 1 STARTED BY JAY HULME CLEVER REVERSE PASS THE BALL WAS MOVED BETWEEN ANDY, JOE PARLE ,ANDY BACK TO JOE WHO PLAYED IN PAUL FINNAN TO SCORE WITH A LEFT FOOT ROCKET ON THE TURN IN AT THE FAR POST. 1 1
ANOTHER FINE MOVEINVOLVING JOE P ,FINN AND DANNY ENDED WITH THE KEEPER SAVING FROM DANNY AS BRNESC STARTED TO HIT THEIR STRIDE
PAIL FINNAN THEN MADE IT 2 1 BRNESC AND 13 FOR THE SEASON WHEN ANDY WALSHS FINE DELIVERY FROM THE LEFT CAUSED PANIC IN THE BOX A HEADER FROM DAVE WHITNEY WAS STEERED OVER THE STRANDED KEEPER BY FINN WITH A DELICATE HEADER UNDER THE BAR 2 1
MATTY NAGLE THEN MADE A DOUBLE SAVE TO PRESERVE BRNESCS LEAD BUT THAT APART BRNESC HAD THE LIONS SHARE OF THE GAMEAND JOE PARLE AFTER A TWISTING DARTING RUN TO THE EDGE OF THE BOX SHOT NARROWLY WIDE FROM A JOE PARLE CORNER PHIL OLIVER HEADED JUST OVER THE BAR WITH THE KEEPER STRANDED.AT HALF TIME 2 1 BRNESC
BRNESC STARTED THE SECOND HALF SLUGGISHLY AND AFC WRE MAKING ALL THE EARLY RUNNING AND FROM A CORNER THE BALL WAS NOT DEALT WITH AND A SHOT WAS HELPED INTO THE NET BY A DEFLECTION OFF DAVE DEMPSEY ANOTHER WOEFULEXAMPLE OF POOR DEFENDING BY THE TEAM 2 2MATTY NAGLE WAS THEN CALLED ON TO SAVE A SHOT FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX TO PREVENT BRNESC GOING BEHIND.
BRNESC THEN STARTED TO GET CONTROL OF THE GAME AGAIN AND THEIR SPEED AND MOVEMENT WAS CAUSING AFCS DEFENCE NO END OF BOTHERDANNY KEARNEY THEN TWISTED AND TURNED IN THE BOX AND HIS GOALBOUND EFFORT WAS FINGERTIPPED ONTO THE POST AND FROM THE REBOUND DANNYS EFFORT WAS HEADED OFF THE LINE
BRNESC WERE NOW TURNING THE SCREW AND FINN AND WHIT WERE INCHES AWAY FROM CONNECTING WIYH JOE PARLES CROSS
DANNY THEN PLAYED IN FINN WHO TURNED AND SHOT BUT HIS LEFT FOOT EFFORT WAS JUST WIDE
THE PRESSURE FINALLY TOLD WHEN FROM DANNYS CROSS FINNS FLICK WAS HEADED IN AT THE BACK POST BY KEVIN WISHART ,ON FOR JOE ASPINALL, 3 2
IT WAS ALL BRNESC BUT THEY WERE SHOOK RIGID WHEN WITH 3 MINS TO GO MORE SLACK DEFENSIVE WORK SAW ANOTHER DEFLECTED SHOT MAKE IT 3 3 EXTRA TIME
BRNESC ONCE AGAIN TOOK TIME TO PICK YP THE PACE AND WERE SLOPPY IN POSSESSION AND AFC STARTED TO PUSH FOR THE WINNER
BRNESC STIRRED THEMSELVES AND A RUN FRO WHIT ENDED WITH THE KEEPER SAVING WELL AT THE FOOT OF THE POST DANNY THEN SHOT WIDE AFTER A FINE RUN FROM WHIT THROUGH THE RETRATIN AFE DEFENCE
BRNESC WERE NOW IN FLL CRY AND EVERY TIME JOE PARLE WAS ON THE BALL AFC PANICKKED HIS RUNNING AND CLOSE CONTROL AT FULL SPEED WERE CAUSING AFC TO DOBLE MARK HIM ALL TO NO AVAIL AND IN THE SECOND HALF OFF EXTRA TIME HE WAS BUNDLED TO THE GROUND AFTER ANOTHER THRILLING RUN INTO THE HEART OF THE AFC DEFENCE AND PICKED HIMSELF UP AND SLOTTED THE RESULTING PEN WITH APLOMB INTO THE CORNER OF THE NET 4 3
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER AND BRNESC HAD WON DESERVEDLY SO MORE SLACKPLAY CULMINATED IN A SCRAMBLED EQUALISER ,AGAIN TO MAKE IT 4 4 AND A PENALTY SHOOT OUT!!!
AFC WON THE TOSS AND WENT FIRST THERE PLAYER HITTING THE TOP OF THE BAR UP STEPPED PEANALTY KING JOE PARLE, SCORED A PEN TO GIVE BRNESC A 4 3 LEAD IN EXTRA TIME,HIS SHOT WAS TO NEAR THE KEEPER PENS FROM WHIT .KEVIN ,FINN AND JAY HULME TOOK IT TO SUDDEN DEATH .MATTY NAGLE THEN PRODUCEDA BRILLIANT STOP TO LEAVE ANDY WALSH TO WIN IT FOR BRNESC ,IF HE SCORED ,WHICH HE DID EMPHATICALLY TO PUT BRNESC INTO THE NEXT ROUND
BRNESC DESERVED THE WIN DESPITE AFC NEVER GIVING UP BRNESC SCORED SOME QUALITY FOOTBALL AND SCORED FINE GOALS BUT CONCEDED POOR GOALS AND HAD TIMES IN THE GAME WHEN THEY WERE CARELESS IN POSSESSION AND STERNER TESTS LAY AHEAD WE MUST MANTAIN OUR STANDARDS FO THE LENGTH OF THE GAME OR WE WILL PAY THE PRICE,MOM WAS ONCE AGAIN DIFFICULT CHRIS BELL WAS HIS USUAL STEADY SELF ,TACKLING ,INTERCEPTING, CAJOLING TO HIE HIGH STANDARD .FINN WITH ANOTTHER BRACE ,AND I FROM THE PENALTY SPOT 14 FOR THE SEASON,PUSHED HIS CLAIMS BUT JOE PARLE JUST SHADED IT FOR ME ,HIS RUNNING WITH THE BALL SPREAD PANIC EVERY TIME HE HAD THE BALL ,AFC HAD NO ANSWER TO HIM AND WHEN HE SETS IFF ON ONE OF HIS TRADEMARK RUNS HE SCATTERS DEFENDERS IN HIS WAKE AND MAKES THINGS HAPPEN SO JUST JOE IS MOM
