QPR U18s 4 Brentford U18s 6: Roca’s brace leads young Bees to PDL Cup win | OneFootball

Brentford Under-18s made it two Professional Development League Cup wins from three group games with a 6-4 victory over QPR Under-18s on Saturday afternoon.

Enrique Roca led the charge with a second-half brace, with Beau Redknapp, Domeiro Bobb-Semple, Coran Madden and Jacob Hanson also netting in the impressive win.

In wet and windy conditions at TSG Elite Training and Performance Centre, the young Bees started the better of the two sides, dominating possession inside the opening 10 minutes.

Opportunities were and far between early in the game, until Josh Zetter-Plummer’s chance on 12 minutes. The right-back took possession on the edge of the box, turned to his left and fired at goal, but it sailed past the outside of the left post.

Despite the visitors' early dominance, it was QPR who scored against the run of play on 25 minutes. Pouncing on a Brentford turnover, Cory Adjetey-Brew wasted little time in firing the ball into the top-left corner to open the scoring.

The lead was doubled for QPR on the half-hour mark. Brentford goalkeeper Felix Lyon made a superb initial save, but Ashley Trujillo was there to tuck the rebound home.

Despite a swing in momentum, the Bees continued to play and were rewarded on 37 minutes. A Redknapp corner fell off the pack to Staitham Bowen, the centre-back doing well to keep possession before crossing back across goal to Redknapp who headed it home.

Brentford stayed on the attack as the momentum continued to swing in their direction, Bobb-Semple taking advantage on 44 minutes as he tapped home from an Otis Honor assist.

The Bees nearly had a third in the final minute before half-time as Madden crossed from the right side to Jovan Kasujja breaking through the middle of the pitch, however his effort was saved by Kasey Taylor in goal for the hosts.

Brentford took that momentum into the second half and started with a bang. On 48 minutes, Bobb-Semple played a dangerous cross from the left side to Madden, who tapped it home at the back post.

It was 4-2 two minutes later, Roca running onto a Kasujja cutback in the middle of the box and smashing it into the roof of the net.

Roca was at it again as the hour mark approached with a long-range free-kick. After Kasujja was taken down outside the right side of the box, Roca stepped up to take the set-piece and the ball curled perfectly into the left side of the net to make it 5-2.

As 60 minutes ticked past, Lyon was called into action again. Rico Kennedy's cross from the right side found Gabriel Oluwabusola for a tap-in, but Lyon did brilliantly to scramble back and make a superb save.

It was short-lived momentum, however, as the hosts added two goals in the space of three minutes through Joshua Wright and Kalen Brunson to make it 5-4 with 20 minutes to play.

The game continued at a frenetic pace as the ball moved up and down the pitch. It was Brentford who took advantage though through Hanson.

After Yerime Ouattara’s shot was saved, Hanson was there to smash home the rebound, securing an important three points for the Bees.

Brentford now turn their attention to the London Senior Cup, with a trip to Dulwich Hamlet awaiting them on Tuesday night.

QPR U18s: Taylor, Tang, Adjetey-Brew, Street, Balogun (Sandiford 64), Wiles, Kennedy, Neill (Brunson HT), Oluwabusola (Wright 64), Neziri, Trujillo (Scarlett 82)

Subs not used: Fittall

Brentford U18s: Lyon, Zetter-Plummer (Cohalan HT), Ogungbemi, Golding (Oladapo-Gamu 62), Bowen, Honor, Madden, Redknapp, Kasujja, Roca (Y. Ouattara 62), Bobb-Semple (Hanson 62)

Subs not used: Nicholls

Booked: Bowen 75