Brentford B won the London Senior Cup with a 3-0 shootout victory over Hendon at Champion Hill.
The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes; Nico Jones on target for The Bees after Jayden Clarke had given Hendon the lead.
The sides couldn’t be separated after extra time, and it was Neil MacFarlane’s side who held their nerve in the shootout.
Brentford B, fresh from their recent trip to Spain, saw plenty of the ball during the opening stages, but it was Hendon who registered the first shot of the game in the seventh minute. Jayden Clarke, having advanced down Brentford’s right, laid the ball back for Samuel Corcoran who stung the palms of Ben Winterbottom with a powerful drive from the edge of the area.
Myles Peart-Harris had shown some promising glimpses in midfield, and it was he who nearly found the net with Brentford’s first effort on target. With 30 minutes on the clock, he dropped a shoulder and got a shot away from inside the area that was palmed around the post by Hendon ‘keeper Ethan Wady.
Hendon responded two minutes later. Quba Gordon rose highest to meet a corner, but his header was comfortably held by Winterbottom.
Winterbottom was tested again on 41 minutes – and this save was anything but routine. After the ball evaded Ben Hockenhull on the edge of Brentford’s area, Clarke reacted fasted to seize possession and fire a low shot at goal. His strike looked destined for the bottom corner, but Winterbottom got down quickly to make an impressive reaction stop.
Hendon created two chances in quick succession at the start of the second half. The first, a low drive through a crowd of players, was cleared off the line. The second was courtesy of Joe White who directed a cross wide of the post.
It was a warning sign for Brentford who found themselves behind on 65 minutes; Kieron Forbes released Clarke who advanced into the area and fired home via the base of the post.
Brentford were back on level terms on 79 minutes. Substitute Alex Gilbert drove a free-kick into the Hendon area that was flicked on perfectly by Jones beyond Wady.
Four minutes later, Clarke, seeking his second goal of the evening, skipped past a couple of Brentford challenges and dragged a tame shot wide of Winterbottom’s right post.
Brentford had a major case for a penalty as Nathan Young-Coombes was clotheslined inside the Hendon area, but referee Val Anekwe – to the astonishment of The Bees bench - waved away the protests. That proved to be the final action of the second half as the game headed for extra time.
Introduced midway through the second half, Gilbert had injected fresh impetus into the Brentford midfield. Four minutes into extra time he saw his low drive from the edge of the area fly narrowly wide. Moments later, having skipped past a series of challenges, he forced Wady into a smart stop at his near post.
Brentford were building momentum. In the 101st minute, Paris Maghoma concluded a mazy run by curling across the face of the goal and wide of the far post.
Gilbert was never far from the action. Showing more great footwork to advance into the area, he was pulled down by a defender but, puzzlingly, the referee whistled for a Hendon free-kick.
At the other end, Tristan Crama showed great pace and anticipation to nip in front of Clarke and halt a Hendon counter attack.
The teams couldn’t be separated after extra time, meaning the London Senior Cup Final was to be decided on penalties.
Corcoran stepped up to take the first penalty and blazed over the crossbar. Ryan Trevitt sent the ‘keeper the wrong way to put Brentford a goal up.
Christian Smith made it two misses out of two for Hendon. Over the crossbar and out of Champion Hill, it was a carbon copy of Corcoran’s effort. Gilbert then blasted home to put Brentford in the driving seat.
When White’s penalty was saved by Winterbottom, it was left to Peart-Harris to step up and win it for The Bees. He duly delivered, firing beyond Wady to secure the cup for Brentford.
BRENTFORD B: Winterbottom, Gordon, Hockenhull (Gilbert 65), Jones, Jeffries, Young-Coombes, Trevitt, Oksanen (Adedokun 76), Maghoma (Syla 106), Crama, Peart-Harris
Unused: Rees, Hercules
Goals: Jones 79
Bookings: Jones 81, Maghoma 86, Peart-Harris 120
HENDON: Wady, Nugent, Moore, Demuria (Smith 78), Gordon, Hall, Forbes (Bajja 112), Corcoran, White, Clarke, Kinali
Unused: Okotcha, Atagyamfi, Milasios
Goals: Clarke 65
Bookings: N/A