Nov 09 2008
Brentford Defeat the Underdogs: For Havant & Waterlooville the FA Cup Dream is Over
The FA Cup is always packed full of upsets and surprises, and having reached the Fourth Round of the FA Cup last year and twice leading against Liverpool at Anfield (but ultimately losing the game 5-2); this is something that Havant & Waterlooville know all about. It was an excellent cup run for the team last year, and in order to reach the FA Cup Fourth Round they had to defeat York City, Notts County, and Swansea City to get there. So when in this year’s FA Cup First Round the team got drawn at home to Brentford, the Havant & Waterloovile faithful must have been once more hoping for an upset.
Times have changed a little this season for Havant & Waterloovile; whilst last season the team finish in 7th position in the Blue Square South, just missing out on the play-offs, this year Havant sit rather precariously in 16th position, just 4 points outside the relegation zone. Havant & Waterlooville are not as in form as they were last season, Brentford meanwhile are 9th in League 2 and hovering right on the edge of the play-off positions; Brentford always seemed the likeliest side to win this one, after last season’s excitement for Havant & Waterlooville however, you just couldn’t ever be too sure. As Havant & Waterlooville were at home, this would therefore work against Brentford as Havant have a huge slope to their pitch, something the home side are used to, but a completely new experience for Brentford to try and tackle.
As the game began both teams played well, it was Brentford who scored first however, and the scoreline went the way of the form books. Marvin Williams was the man to put Brentford ahead with a well taken goal, and when Charlie McDonald scrambled in a second for Brentford it looked as though this was going to be an easy win for League side Brentford. Havant & Waterlooville continued to perform though; they refused to let the game go and did in fact manage to grab a goal back in the 73rd minute of the match.
With the score at 2-1 to Brentford, it was game on for Havant & Waterlooville, and for the next ten minutes Havant were all over Brentford. Havant had two excellent opportunities to score, Brentford goalkeeper Ben Hamer stood strong however and made sure the scoreline stayed at 2-1. The home side came so close to equalising; in the 83rd minute of the match Nathan Elder sealed the win for Brentford however with a third goal, once more providing Brentford a two goal lead to protect.
3-1 was the way the game finished, and Havant & Waterlooville were left wondering what could have been had Ben Hamer not performed so excellently and not kept out the two chances that Havant had to draw level. Havant didn’t equalise though, Brentford won the game, and the match finished as was expected; with a victory for League Two team Brentford.
Havant performed strongly in this game and certainly didn’t shame themselves, you’d never believe that Havant & Waterlooville is a team currently struggling in the Blue Square South; the team looked strong today, and although Brentford were clearly fresher, fitter, and slightly stronger; there wasn’t a huge difference in quality between League Two’s high-flying Brentford, and struggling part-timers Havant & Waterlooville. It’s back to their day jobs tomorrow for the Havant & Waterlooville players, they’ll sleep soundly tonight however, comfortable in the fact that they proved more than a match for league team Brentford.
The FA Cup dream may be over this season for Havant & Waterlooville; for Brentford the dream still lives on however, and with a Second Round tie against either Eastbourne Borough or Barrow, Brentford will now be hoping to reach the Third Round and perhaps even cause an upset of their own. The beauty of the FA Cup is that you never know what will happen; every season upsets occur, teams over-perform, and sides reach dizzy heights they’ve never before seen. The FA Cup is a wonderful competition, and I wish Brentford all the best of luck for their future games in the competition, and Havant & Waterlooville success in survival in the Blue Square South this season. From what I saw of this Havant & Waterlooville side today; they should have absolutely no problem whatsoever in staying up this season and hopefully next year the team will be back up there near the very top of the table and once more performing powerfully in the FA Cup competition.
