Brentford Under-18s fell to a late 2-1 defeat to Brighton Under-18s at Wheatsheaf Park this evening in the U18 Premier League.
Jai Bansoodeb put the young Bees ahead in the first-half before Jacob Parsons levelled. Fraser Widdop won the game late on with an 88th minute strike to sink Brentford.
The Bees came within inches of a goal on three minutes, when Bansoodeb swung his corner to the back post. Jai Nwosu met it with a side-footed volley from a tight angle but Liam Doyle somehow held on to the effort as he rolled along the goal line.
The Seagulls posed an early threat too though - Mason Stephens combined with Parsons and let fly from the edge of the box with Felix Lyon flying across his goal to tap round the post.
Bansoodeb showed excellent skill on 11 minutes to forge a chance, weaving past two Brighton defenders before fizzing an effort that was destined for the far corner, but Doyle got a vital fingertip on it to make a great save.
On 20 minutes, Gary McDermott's side came close again. Left-back and skipper Nate Ogungbemi drove from his half and drew a good save from Doyle, before Dylan Danso headed on to the top of the crossbar from the resulting corner.
Eventually, the red and white pressure told and the west Londoners had the lead on 24 minutes. Bansoodeb picked up the ball in the box, feinted past a defender and flashed in a cross which Widdop turned into his own net to make it 1-0.
Lyon was called in to action on 32 minutes to keep the Bees' lead in tact, blocking well low to his left from Parsons' fierce strike.
A minute later though and Brighton had an equaliser as Finley Cooper found space on the right and put an inch perfect cross into Parsons who finished first time to level the game.
McDermott's side almost reacted instantly when Bansoodeb slipped in Nwosu on the transition, the striker's first time effort catching out Doyle but sliding wide of the far post on 35 minutes.
Josh Oladapo-Gamu bailed out his goalkeeper as the game approached the break, sliding in heroically to tackle Fin Dzekawong after he rounded Lyon.
Nwosu was so unlucky not to regain the lead on the brink of half-time, connecting with Bansoodeb's free-kick brilliantly but seeing his header drift millimetres wide of the far post.
Josh Zetter-Plummer did very well on 52 minutes to deny what looked like a certain goal for Brighton as Parsons went past Lyon, Brentford's right back intercepting just in time as he bore down on an empty goal.
Lyon then made a brilliant instinct save as Brighton piled on the pressure, reacting superbly after his own man flicked the ball on from a Seagulls' corner.
Brighton changed their press at the break and made it difficult to break out. On 65 minutes that almost led to a goal as Lyon had to smother Widdop's effort at his feet after a clever reverse pass into the box.
After a tough spell in the game, Ogungbemi had a sight at goal on 77 minutes for the Bees. Coran Madden brought down Ethan Balogun's long throw and set the defender on the edge of the box who stabbed his effort just wide with Doyle rooted.
Ollie Theobald then had a chance from the left, but his left-footed effort didn't have enough power on it to trouble Doyle.
Brighton went extremely close with eight to play, a deflected effort spinning fortunately onto the post and behind with Lyon confused by the flight of the ball.
With two minutes to play, the Seagulls found a winner, Widdop driving at the heart of the Brentford defence and picking out the top corner from the edge of the box.
Frankie Pope was sent off with a minute to play in stoppage time after a tussle off the ball in the middle of the park, but the west Londoners couldn't salvage anything from the game.
The Under-18s are next in action away at Southampton in the U18 Premier League Cup on Saturday 7 November (11am kick-off BST).
Brentford: Lyon, Zetter-Plummer (Fanoiki 61), Ogungbemi, Oladapo-Gamu (Foster-Jones 61), Danso, Cohalan, Owusu (Balogun HT), Madden, Nwosu (Theobald 61), Bansoodeb, Kasujja
Unused subs: Agyei, Noni, Roca
Booked: Danso 27, Cohalan 67, Ogungbemi 86
Brighton: Doyle, Cooper, Nneji, Evans, Nnamdi, Brennan (Hartshorn 83), Stephens (Sykens 89), Widdop, Parsons (Pope 89), Dzekawong (Condy 71), Smith (Oppong 71)
Unused subs: Wilson-Papps, Dizayee
Booked: Cooper 8, Widdop 88, Sykens 90+2
Sent off: Pope 90+5