Independent Rs Messageboard

[Steve Russell]

Hendon created numerous chances, hit the crossbar & they must have
had at least 20 corners.

We lost both our full-backs in the 1st half & then went 5 at the back .

1-1 at ft & straight to pens....
Gabriel Oluwabusola took the 1st one which was punched away.

The next three were saved

Captain Fraser Neill scored, 1-0.

There No.10 evened things up

Kalen Brunson's hit the crossbar

Their No.9 did likewise

No problem for Rico....2-1

It was all over when Jardell Sterling's came off the crossbar.

MOM 20-year-old Joel Halliday with a succession of superb saves.

[Steve Russell]

Chris added this on our Facebook group....

Chris Hewitt
Apart from goalkeeper Joel Halliday , who is 20, all outfield players were under 18 regulars,
4 of whom are 16.

Incredible second half performance by the youngsters and they even took
the lead from the penalty spot after 16 year old centre forward Gabriel Oluwabusola was fouled
in the box by a defender and the keeper , yet only the keeper was booked .
Gabriel then took the penalty .

Hendon equalised when our keeper was impeded by a Hendon player forcing him to drop the ball and
the clown of a referee didn’t award the foul. Well done to the under 18s , next up is the quarter final.

[Conor Campbell]

Good luck to Dev Squad in next round. Penalty shootouts must have a lower conversion rate
than in-game penalties.

[Conor Campbell]

Cup draws should be settled as per street rules. Goal the winner.

[Steve Russell]

From the Club....
'PENALTY-saving hero Joel Halliday shared his delight after QPR’s dramatic win over Hendon
in the Middlesex Senior Challenge Cup on Wednesday night.
Rangers fielded no fewer than eight 16-year-olds, who produced a performance which belied
their age against the competition’s 16-time champions.

Gabriel Oluwabusola’s 72nd-minute penalty was cancelled out by a late leveller, but the Hoops
held their nerve to eventually triumph from 12 yards in Hanwell.

“It was unreal!” Halliday beamed. “You don’t get nights like this that often in football.

“I think our average age was around 17, up against a Step 4 men’s side. We knew we were in
for a long night but credit to the boys, they dug in, battled through and we got the result in the end.

“It was an unbelievable team effort.”

Rangers had Halliday to thank before and during the shootout, fashioning an array of stops to
somehow keep the visitors at bay.

Halliday was also indebted to his defence, who stood firm time and time again.

“That’s what you’ve got to do,” Halliday said. “If I’m not making a save, the centre-halves
have got to throw themselves in the way and that’s what they did.

“I knew once it went to penalties, I could hopefully make some saves.”

Halliday even had a hand in the R’s goal too.

The stopper provided the perfect long ball for Kalen Brunson to race on to, before the winger
was brought down in the box.

“I practice them in training, though I don’t usually have the nerve to pull them off in the game,”
Halliday admitted. “But I thought ‘why not!’

“Kalen did amazingly well to win the penalty and then Gabriel was cool enough to convert it.”

The real penalty drama was saved for the shootout.

Halliday repelled each of the first two as Hendon spurned four of their five spot-kicks.
Despite missing three of their own, it was Rangers who ran out 2-1 victors from the spot to #
reach the quarter finals.

“It was crazy!” Halliday remarked.

“I had a feeling I’d save a couple. I like to be a bit of a joker too and try to put them off – I think
I did that with the two which hit the crossbar.

“It was obviously a great feeling at the end!”