Second-half goals from Ben Morris (pictured) and Charlie Brown were enough to earn the young Blues a 2-0 victory over Brentford at Playford Road this morning in a dominant attacking display.
The Blues created a number of chances in the opening 15 minutes. England U17 international striker Morris dragged an early shot wide of the target, before schoolboy Brown rolled the ball across the face of goal with no one in a blue shirt on hand to convert.
Kolade Salaudeen did have the ball in the Brentford goal with a powerful header from a corner, but referee Mark Ames disallowed the potential opener for a foul.
Brentford keeper, Cameron Greaves, showed early signs of his quality, palming one shot over the bar and stretching to his right to tip Brown’s shot wide of the left post.
Greaves’s good work in the half almost came undone approaching the 20-minute mark when his decision not to clear the ball allowed Morris to close the gap, the ball eventually rebounded off the Blues player and over the bar from five yards out.
It took until the 34th minute for the visitors to register a shot on goal. George Harmes fired a dipping effort at Nick Hayes from outside the box, with the Blues' England U17 international stopper spilling the effort before lunging forward to push it away from an on-rushing attacker, who was eventually given offside.
Julius Fenn-Evans did provide another chance for his side when his quick footwork saw him break into the right side of the box, but his well-measured ball across the Blues’ goal went untouched by anyone in a red shirt.
Just as Brentford started to grow in confidence, the Blues sprung back. Morris’s first-time ball through for Brown saw the striker through on goal, but Romayne Pennant brought him down just outside the box. Referee Ames decided that a yellow card was enough despite the defender having been the last man.
Good 2-0 win against Brentford today and happy to score 1– Ben Morris (@BenMorris99) February 20, 2016
The Ipswich attacking threat continued early in the second half, Brown again breaking into the box after a great first touch. This time his ball across the goal took a slight touch off keeper Greaves to divert it away from Ross Meldrum at the back post.
The Brentford keeper continued his strong first-half form. On this occasion he was on point to divert Morris’s stinging long-range effort over the bar for a corner.
After a delay in play for an injury sustained by Greaves the action restarted. Salaudeen had another opportunity to head in an opener from a corner, but the right-back nodded wide unmarked at the back post.
The goal finally came just after the hour mark. Morris found himself one-on-one with Greaves, and coolly placed the ball past the keeper to opening the scoring.
The Blues’ attacking impetus continued to grow after the goal. Flynn Downes picked out Brown with a fantastic ball, a great first-touch saw him through on goal, only for his right-footed shot to roll wide of the post.
Brown finally had the ball in the back of the net in the dying minutes of injury-time, when a well-measured ball from Morris allowed him to take a touch into the box before lifting the ball high into the left-side of the goal.
The Town squad included two players who have spent the week on trial from non-league Worthing, defender Pat Webber started and midfielder Mike Waller came off the bench. Meanwhile, the Blues' U16s defeated the same opposition 2-1.
U18s: Hayes, Salaudeen (Woolfenden 65), Webber, Downes, Fowler, Cathline, Simpson (Waller 65), Nydam, Brown, Morris, Meldrum. Unused: Wright, Wilton.