Today, sees Brentford FC Futsal Club’s ‘B’ team take the 120-mile trek to Birmingham Futsal Arena to compete in the English Football League Trust’s National Futsal finals for teams in League 2.
15 other teams from around the country will join Brentford’s scholars at the showpiece event.
Brentford qualified from South East League 2 in third place. They had to wait until the last day of the regular league season to mathematically confirm qualification with a convincing win against West London rivals, Chelsea.
The Bees recorded 7 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, racking up an impressive 75 goals in the 12 games. Defensively, Brentford ranked second in the division.
Placed in Group B, the Bees have drawn against 3 out of the 4 teams with ‘Town’ in their title; Grimsby, Mansfield and Shrewsbury.
Grimsby: Like their ‘A’ team scored an impressive 108 goals with 12 wins, a draw and a single loss.
Mansfield: They topped North Midlands Division 2 with the same league record as Grimsby.
Shrewsbury: Playing in the South Midlands division, they finished runners-up to Cardiff City with 10 wins, a draw and 4 defeats.
MEET THE SQUAD:
Charlie Rose (Goalkeeper & Captain): Charlie given the captaincy has risen well to the challenge and is very much at the heartbeat of what the team does. Excellent with his feet and good distribution from his hands, he initiates a lot of the Bees attacks. Off the court, Charlie is now coaching part-time while completing his BTEC.
Connor Miller (Sweeper/Pivot): Connor has worked extremely hard over the last 2 years and his understanding of Futsal has improved greatly. He has managed to get on the scoresheet, most notably with a spectacular goal against Chelsea. Connor is now working part-time for the Community Sports Trust and recently won a ‘Jack Petchey’ Community Award.
Humzah Karim: (Wing): Humzah is a very skillful and creative player. He has scored some inventive goals and is a difficult opponent to play against. Defensively, he has worked tirelessly to improve and this is now evident in his game. He has also qualified as a coach and has volunteered at lots of events.
Frankie Finn (Wing): Frankie known for his fast feet and lethal finishing has notched 29 goals in the 2 season at Brentford. He likes to dribble at players and relishes one v one situations. His eye for goal and clever all-round play make him a difficult player to stop.
Abas Ali (Pivot): Abas at 6’3” is a sweeper’s nightmare. With his long reach it makes him difficult to defend against. Very much a ‘street player’ which unpredictable to play against where even his own team mates don’t know what he is going to produce creatively.
Kyle O’Neill (Sweeper): Kyle, a left footer who likes to pass but also has a strong shot. He has a good defensive understanding and has made numerous interceptions throughout the season which have initiated counter-attacks. Kyle also has an eye for a goal notching 6 against Southampton at the start of the season