Brentford 5 PNE 0
A hat-trick from Scott Hogan and goals from Harlee Dean and an own goal from Chris Humphrey gave Brentford the points at Griffin Park.
The first goal came against the run of play, ten minutes before the break, when Hogan collected a simple through ball from Romaine Sawyers and placed it into the bottom left hand corner from 15 yards out.
And likewise, the second half goal was also with North End as the dominant force in the game, but it was home skipper Dean who scored, firing home a loose ball after a deep corner with 16 minutes left.
However, the three remaining goals Hogan’s second and third sandwiching an own goal from Humphrey, all came as North End were reduced to ten men due to an injury to Marnick Vermijl, when they had already used all their substitutes.
The yellow had started the game brightly, creating all the chances before the goal. As early as the third minute Callum Robinson cut in from the left after a short corner from Paul Gallagher; but saw his shot deflected over the bar for another corner.
Ten minutes later Robinson fired a cross-field ball from the right and found Jordan Hugill, but home keeper Daniel Bentley did brilliantly to spread himself and deny the frontman the opener.
But on 34 minutes Scott Hogan beat the North End line to stay narrowly onside and run onto Romaine Sawyers’ slid ball through into the left hand corner of the penalty area and curled a low ball to Anders Lindegaard’s left, in off the post.
On the stroke of half-time Marnick Vermijl cut in from the right and fired from the edge of the box with his left foot towards the top right hand corner, only for Bentley to push the ball behind for a corner.
The second half saw North End on the attack from the off and Bentley pulled off a world class save to deny Eoin Doyle an equaliser, as the Irishman volleyed Aiden McGeady’s cross towards the top right hand corner only for the former Southend United man to dive at full stretch and somehow tip the ball around the post for a corner.
But with just over a quarter of an hour left the home side secured the points. A deep corner from the right was headed back across goal and Harlee Dean fired the ball into the bottom right hand corner.
The arrears were almost immediately reduced when Aiden McGeady received the ball just outside the box and saw a shot fired towards the bottom left hand corner deflected just wide for a corner.
Matters were made worse for the Lilywhites in the closing stages, as they were forced to play with ten men after Marnick Vermijl appeared to suffer a hamstring injury as he made a sharp run up the right hand side with seven minutes left.
And immediately after that happened the home side made it three as Scott Hogan raced onto a backward pass from North End, rounded Lindegaard and slid the ball into the empty net.
It became four when Chris Humphrey slid the ball into his own net from substitute Josh Clarke’s right wing cross into the six yard box and then Hogan completed his hat-trick with a shot from the left corner of the box to make it five.
Brentford line-up: Bentley, Colin, Macleod, Bjelland (Barbet, 76), Dean (c), Yennaris (McEachran, 63), Hogan, Egan, Woods, Sawyers, Kaikai (J Clarke, 82). Subs not used: Bonham, Saunders, McCormack, Vibe.
PNE line-up: Lindegaard, Vermijl, Cunningham, Browne (Makienok, 69), Clarke (c), Baptiste, McGeady, Gallagher, Doyle (Humphrey, 77), Hugill (Johnson, 69), Robinson. Subs not used: Maxwell, Wright, Pringle, Welsh.
Attendance: TBC (TBC PNE fans)
Referee: Mr K Stroud
The first goal came against the run of play, ten minutes before the break, when Hogan collected a simple through ball from Romaine Sawyers and placed it into the bottom left hand corner from 15 yards out.
And likewise, the second half goal was also with North End as the dominant force in the game, but it was home skipper Dean who scored, firing home a loose ball after a deep corner with 16 minutes left.
However, the three remaining goals Hogan’s second and third sandwiching an own goal from Humphrey, all came as North End were reduced to ten men due to an injury to Marnick Vermijl, when they had already used all their substitutes.
The yellow had started the game brightly, creating all the chances before the goal. As early as the third minute Callum Robinson cut in from the left after a short corner from Paul Gallagher; but saw his shot deflected over the bar for another corner.
Ten minutes later Robinson fired a cross-field ball from the right and found Jordan Hugill, but home keeper Daniel Bentley did brilliantly to spread himself and deny the frontman the opener.
But on 34 minutes Scott Hogan beat the North End line to stay narrowly onside and run onto Romaine Sawyers’ slid ball through into the left hand corner of the penalty area and curled a low ball to Anders Lindegaard’s left, in off the post.
On the stroke of half-time Marnick Vermijl cut in from the right and fired from the edge of the box with his left foot towards the top right hand corner, only for Bentley to push the ball behind for a corner.
The second half saw North End on the attack from the off and Bentley pulled off a world class save to deny Eoin Doyle an equaliser, as the Irishman volleyed Aiden McGeady’s cross towards the top right hand corner only for the former Southend United man to dive at full stretch and somehow tip the ball around the post for a corner.
But with just over a quarter of an hour left the home side secured the points. A deep corner from the right was headed back across goal and Harlee Dean fired the ball into the bottom right hand corner.
The arrears were almost immediately reduced when Aiden McGeady received the ball just outside the box and saw a shot fired towards the bottom left hand corner deflected just wide for a corner.
Matters were made worse for the Lilywhites in the closing stages, as they were forced to play with ten men after Marnick Vermijl appeared to suffer a hamstring injury as he made a sharp run up the right hand side with seven minutes left.
And immediately after that happened the home side made it three as Scott Hogan raced onto a backward pass from North End, rounded Lindegaard and slid the ball into the empty net.
It became four when Chris Humphrey slid the ball into his own net from substitute Josh Clarke’s right wing cross into the six yard box and then Hogan completed his hat-trick with a shot from the left corner of the box to make it five.
Brentford line-up: Bentley, Colin, Macleod, Bjelland (Barbet, 76), Dean (c), Yennaris (McEachran, 63), Hogan, Egan, Woods, Sawyers, Kaikai (J Clarke, 82). Subs not used: Bonham, Saunders, McCormack, Vibe.
PNE line-up: Lindegaard, Vermijl, Cunningham, Browne (Makienok, 69), Clarke (c), Baptiste, McGeady, Gallagher, Doyle (Humphrey, 77), Hugill (Johnson, 69), Robinson. Subs not used: Maxwell, Wright, Pringle, Welsh.
Attendance: TBC (TBC PNE fans)
Referee: Mr K Stroud