Saturday 17th October
BUILDBASE FA TROPHY 2nd QUALIFYING ROUND
BRENTWOOD TOWN 3 – 2 CHICHESTER CITY
After being 2-0 behind after just five minutes, Brentwood snatched a winner through Rob Harvey in the 4th minute of stoppage time to complete a dramatic comeback.
City dominated the early stages with Gicu Iordache volleying wide of Blues goal with just 38 seconds on the clock. Iordache found the far corner with a good finish to put the visitors ahead in the third minute, and Corey Heath added the second two minutes later.
Brentwood gradually worked their way into the game and Sam Bantick shot wide in the twelfth minute and Chichester keeper Steven Mowthorpe saved from Bantick at the foot of a post in the twentieth minute.
Andy Freeman reduced the arrears in the 43rd minute with a perfectly executed shot into the corner of the goal.
Blues goalkeeper Ollie Bowles kept the margin down to one goal at half time with a save from Kaleem Haitham moments before the break.
Brentwood threatened to equalise early in the second half when Josh Gray failed to convert from close range after Rob Swaine had headed down Bantick’s corner kick. Freeman set up Harvey who was denied by another save by Mawthorpe, while Bantick could not get a good connection on a Harvey cross. Swaine headed another Bantick corner down onto the ground and over the bar before Freeman found the net to make it 2-2 in the 61st minute.
Both sides had chances in the later stages. Bowles was busy saving from Emmett Dunn and Blues substitute, and debutant, Wyan Reid cleared off the line.
Ethan Prichard had a chance for Chichester at the far post five minutes from the end of normal time and Freeman had the ball in the net in the 90th minute but was denied a hat-trick by an offside flag.
Sub Robbie Rees created a chance deep in stoppage time for Blues but another sub, Jack Dickinson, could only shoot into the arms of Mawthorpe and it looked as though the tie would be decided by a penalty shootout before Harvey converted at the death, from Freeman’s assist, with virtually the last kick of the match.
Brentwood Town: Bowles, Gray, Gould, Love, Swaine, Heath, Ocran (Reid 64), Ngandu (Dickinson 86), Harvey, Bantick (Rees 74), Freeman.
