Having won their previous Youth Alliance Cup Group match, Yeovil had given themselves an outside chance of clawing their way back into contention prior to this match being played at Brentford first team's training ground, situated in a residential area of Osterley, about two miles west of the rolling skyscrapers of Brentford itself and the M4 Elevated Section. From the surrounding trees and houses, it was certainly difficult to believe we were that close to that part of London. If the Glovers were to progress, they would have to do it against one of the toughest oppositions in their group - Brentford had won their previous home match by six goals and had conceded just two in the competition so far.

The first quarter hour underlined what kind of efforts the Glovers were going to have to go to in order to in order to win the game. Although they managed to get the ball up to the Brentford penalty box, their backline was firm and organised and there was little happening that amounted to definitive clear cut chances coming their way. At the other end though, Brentford had carved the Yeovil back line open with some incisive passing, and it if wasn't for the legs of keeper John Steele, who saved from Brentford's No.10 and No.9 in quick succession, the Glovers would be behind. That said, the latter attempt did seem to benefit from a slightly charitable decision by a linesman to decide not to raise his flag for a pretty clear looking offside decision.

Brentford eventually took the lead on the half four mark after the Yeovil defence went to sleep from a throw-in. Brentford's No.7, a tricky midfielder with a weaving manner that the Glovers were having problems closing down was gifted 5 yards of space from the throw-in and he took the ball on, had time to tee it up onto his favoured foot, and then took a shot from the edge of the box that took a deflection, wrong-footing keeper John Steele and putting the home side 1-0 up.

After Brentford's No.9 put a header wide of goal, Yeovil created their first clear-cut chance of the half. A quick throw-in set Jamie Morgan down the left flank and he cut inside from the wing, firing in a shot at the near post that the goalkeeper saved, with Brentford probably rightly furious that Yeovil were given both 'advantage' and a free kick on the edge of the area for a trip on Morgan as he ghosted past the Brentford defence. From that free kick, Brentford half cleared but Yeovil went close again with Danny O'Brien hitting the loose ball from the edge of the box with a fierce volley that went just wide of the target.

Two minutes before the break though, Brentford doubled their lead in what was a sublime bit of control at this level of football. It wasn't quite as good as the goal many years ago that Southampton's Matt Le Tissier scored against Newcastle many years ago, but it was that sort of thing - a control on the volley that looped the ball neatly over the top of an advancing Yeovil defender, and then a volleyed smash past keeper John Steele. Not much you can do about those when they come other than applaud them.

Overall though, Yeovil were making it a little bit too easy for Brentford. The home side were passing the ball around in a manner that you don't often see in Youth Team football; playing the ball right along the back line, letting the ball do the work and making the Yeovil players sweat for it. Towards the end of the half, you just sensed that the Glovers were almost giving up on winning back possession - inviting Brentford to come at them, and probably the home side should have tried that a little more often. The end result was a display of pretty triangles from the home side with no end result, and then a slightly senseless up'n'under from the away side during the brief moments that they did regain possession, which given that their main physical strength in Phil Ormrod was playing a deeper role for this game, did not play to Yeovil's strengths at all. A definite half time team talk was needed!

Seven minutes into the second half, Yeovil declared their intent to try and get back into the game when Tom Clarke received the ball with his back to goal inside the penalty box, turned his man, and created room for himself down the left channel before firing a low angled shot to the near post. The Brentford keeper parried but only across goal and with the ball merely a yard from the line, there was an almighty scramble of bodies, but a Brentford defender managed to hack the ball away, receiving a bash on the shins for his pains as Phil Ormrod and Liam Hoarder charged in.

Brentford's No.5 was booked for a fairly cynical foul on Jamie Morgan, upending the Yeovil player in a brutal fashion after the wideman had beaten him for pace. This was pretty typical of the second half - Yeovil were far more threatening and Brentford's defence were having to resort to some fairly physical stuff to keep the Glovers away from their goal.

The danger of pushing bodies forward though was the chance of the counter-attack - particularly with Brentford's No.7 looking dangerous every time he was able to get the ball at his feet. On one occasion, Jamie Morgan over-committed himself, allowing a breakaway but Gary Bowles produced a superb blocking tackle to stop the move turning into any great danger.

As the game wore on, Stuart Housley sent on three pairs of fresh legs to try and beef things up, with the majority slotting into midfield where the Glovers had found going particularly tough during the game. But despite the second half showing a fair more impressive showing overall, Yeovil couldn't battle their way back into it, and perhaps ominously from one of their few second half chances, Brentford hit the outside of the post with a deflected shot as the game closed out.

Sods law then from that better 45 minutes that the Glovers should concede with the last kick of the game - hardly what their efforts during the second period had deserved. A Brentford substitute received the ball in the penalty box with his back to goal, and was allowed to turn and shoot from 10 yards out to finish the game off. A slight bit of rough justice given that Yeovil had regained their composure during the latter half of the game and created their own chances that could have made the game interesting - particularly if the scramble that had followed Tom Clarke's shot early in the half had produced a comeback goal.

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