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Brentwood Town left the Abrahams Stadium with a fully deserved three points on a cold and rainy afternoon, although for much
of the game it looked as though for all their possession, the elusive goal would be hard to come by.
The away side dominated the first half with Jaoa Carlos, Danny Dafter and Lee Noble looking ever dangerous. Leon Diazcuk had
a shot blocked on its way to goal by Bobby Aisien, and Carlos forced an excellent fingertip save from home keeper Gavin King
from an acute angle.
Hussein Isa had the first shot in anger for the Blues, when he sent a free kick from 30 yards goalwards,
but keeper Marc Palmer was well positioned and gathered comfortably.
Recent Blues signing Andy Edmunds sent Daniel Clarke on a run after a perfectly weighted through ball. He squared the ball
inside to Ahmet Rifat in a central position, but his first-time shot from the edge of the area was high and wide.
In the early stages of the second half Wingate & Finchley began to pass the ball better and controlled possession and
territory, and Joe O’Brien tested the keeper with a fizzing free kick from distance. However it was then that Brentwood
opened the scoring, when Steve King headed home from a corner in the 66th minute.
Brentwood regained their authority after this goal and took control of possession again as Wingate & Finchley's spell of
second-half domination was brought to an abrupt end. Chris Neville almost doubled the visitors' lead with a powerful free
kick from 20 yards that had King scrambling, but it arrowed inches wide of the top left corner.
The Blues almost equalised in the closing stages when a James Gershfield corner was met by Craig Ellis at the near post but
his header produced an excellent instinctive save from Marc Palmer as he tipped the ball around the upright to secure the
three points.
Wingate & Finchley: Gavin King, Bobby Aisien, James Cole, Craig Ellis, Shola Oyedele, Billy Amarteifio, Hussein Isa (Tashan
Bradshaw-Brown 56), Ahmet Rifat, Daniel Clarke, Andy Edmunds (Dean Nyman 62), Joe O’Brien (James Gershfield 74). Subs Ahma
Seye, Dan Stanton.
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