Hayes & Yeading’s pre-season match programme commenced on Wednesday night at Kingfield against Coca-Cola League 1 side Brentford.

United’s starting eleven, containing seven of last year’s squad, came out quickly creating three openings in the first ten minutes. New striker Tobi Joseph was inches away from getting his foot to a low cross from Yassin Moutaouakil before a Daniel Wishart corner found Luke Williams at the far post, his lay off provided a chance for Pelé who saw his volley pushed away by the diving Simon Moore in the Bees goal.

Joseph was then just off target stretching to get his head to a Jerome Anderson centre before the visitors started to push forwards themselves. Bees new striker Farid El Alagui created two openings for his side with 60 seconds, the first saw him feed the ball to Myles Weston only for James Beasant to grab the ball from his toes, the second saw the opening goal of the night as Beasant failed to hold his close range header and Bees skipper Jonathan Douglas was on hand to fire home.

A weak pass out of defence minutes later presented El Alagui with another chance but his shot for the near post went wide of Beasant’s goal. Just before the half hour mark a Bees corner fell nicely to centre back Leon Legge but he hooked his effort wide from ten yards out.

Chances in the final 15 minutes of the half were to fall in the main to the home side. Joseph fired over from 18 yards after being fed nicely by Josh Ekim before Tom Cadmore sprayed one of his trademark passes wide to Dan Spence who cut inside and forced a diving save from Moore who was quickly on his feet to touch Anderson’s follow up around the post. The resultant corner again picked out Williams at the far post but Moore grabbed his effort at the second attempt.

Ekim forced a full stretch save from Moore in the 41st minute and less than a minute later Wishart dispossessed Legge on the edge of the Brentford area, took a stride into the box before firing confidently under the approaching Moore.

The second half was to be a little more fractured for the home side as Nas Bashir threw on a totally new XI while the visitors also made 9 changes at the break. United keeper Mikhail Jaimez-Ruiz was quickly into action pushing away a close range effort from Josh Clarke and two minutes later United’s Manny Williams nicked the ball from the toes of a defender only for the Brentford man to recover and block his shot.

Jaimez-Ruiz then pushed away a Harry Forrester drive before being beaten minutes later by the same player who saw his near post shot go in off the upright after the ball dropped nicely for him 8 yards out.

Ten minutes into the second half the excellent Moore in the Bees goal pulled off a fine save to tip over a Manny Williams effort that was heading for the top corner after he was set up by Victor Osobu’s cross from the right.

Less than 60 seconds later the ball was in the United net once more. Former Staines defender Danny Gordon was caught in possession inside his own area by Forrester and despite Jaimez-Ruiz getting his fingers to the attempted chip, Clayton Donaldson was quickest to react to poach a simple goal from a couple of yards.

Both keepers continued to be worked. Moore did well again to push away a Mitchell Parker effort and at the other end Jaimez-Ruiz saved from Donaldson before getting the slightest of touches to a Forrester drive that came back off the upright to safety.

A couple of late chances came, Osobu threaded the ball through to Manny Williams but Bees keeper Matthew Gledhill was quick to grab the ball at his feet and then three minutes from time the visitors put a somewhat unfair slant on the result when Clarke made his way along the bye-line and cut the ball back to Antonio German who saw his shot palmed by Jaimez-Ruiz but the ball dropped into the net anyway.

Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Ray Peploe.

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