Sam Coles’ late goal kept Brentford’s hopes of qualifying for the Dale Farm Milk Cup final alive after a 1-0 victory over Strikers in Limavady this lunchtime.

After yesterday’s defeat to County Down The Bees needed a win to have any hope of progressing to the final and could have scored in the opening three minutes but Showkat Tahir saw his penalty saved by David Calva.

It looked for a long while like that miss might prove costly but three minutes after Strikers captain Arturo Chavez saw red for an ugly kick on Rachid Balde, Coles got the vital touch to turn home from eight yards.

Victory was almost snatched away from The Bees at the death as Leanzy Valdez was brilliantly denied by Marco Tavares with Zeno Rossi on hand to head the rebound away from under his own crossbar.

The Bees made four changes from a lacklustre performance against County Down with Jesus Cruz, Rossi, Harry Francis and George Maxwell coming into the starting XI.

Strikers, who hail from America, won their opener and knew that a win would leave them on the verge of making the top four.

It was a frantic start to the match as both sides played attacking football from the off.

Taveres denied Lance Barker inside the opening minute while Taymar Fleary’s joy was cut short by a linesman’s flag as he rolled home Ian Carlo Poveda’s square ball.

Brentford were handed a golden chance to take the lead after three minutes as Tahir was felled in the box but his penalty was turned onto the post by Calva.

The chances continued to come with Poveda dragging a shot wide, Francis missing the target when well-placed 12 yards out, Coles had a shot bravely blocked by James Neville and Poveda then saw another shot deflected over.

Tavares had to be alert to tip over a dipping Bryan Martinez shot before making an even better stop flying away to his left to turn Martinez’s effort behind.

Martinez was the American side’s main outlet with his strong running but neither side could carve out a goal as the rest of the first-half descended into a midfield battle.

With both sides playing 24 hours earlier fatigue started to tell in the second-half and it was a very quiet start to the half.

Calva made a regulation save from a Poveda free-kick but aside from that neither goalkeeper looked in much danger of conceding.

However the match burst into life with seven minutes to go as a moment of madness from Strikers’ captain Chavez saw him kick out at Balde as he ran towards the edge of the box – the referee had little option but to show the red card despite the protests from the Strikers’ bench.

The man advantage breathed new life into Brentford and they found the elusive breakthrough with four minutes to go as Coles broke forward from left back and continued his run into the box where he got the final touch on a low cross to steer it into the bottom corner.

Strikers threw everything forward in the dying moments to try and rescue a point with all 21 players in Brentford’s half for most of the eight minutes of added time.

Brians Duarte volleyed over from 15 yards before Taveres produced an instinctive save to brilliantly turn Valdez’s header up into the air with Rossi completing the clearance by heading out from under his bar with Strikers’ players flying in.

Calva was playing as a makeshift centre-forward and he could have rescued a point late on but he headed over from six yards from a deep corner.

After what seemed an age the referee blew the final whistle meaning a heavy win against Plymouth Argyle could see Brentford qualify for the overall Milk Cup final on Thursday and Friday.