Boro nuts over Brazil ace Lucas
Samba star an internet hit with wondergoal
Farnborough Town ...... 1 Oxford United............... 2
SPENCER DAY’S hope of keeping top trailist Lucas Enrique a closely guarded secret haven’t exactly gone to plan – in fact the Brazilian wonderkid has now gone viral as the next internet sensation.
Enrique is one of several foreign players currently training withtheFarnborough squad and first gave a glimpse of his talents with an impressive display on the right wing at Sandhurst Town last week.
But that was nothing compared to the wide man’s Cherrywood Road bow against Oxford United on Saturday where he treated the home crowd to a 72ndminute wondergoal from a full 60 yards which sailed over Oxford’s bewildered trialist keeper Liam Roberts.
The moment, captured by Boro TV, has now had approaching 2,000 views on YouTube and helped cap an encouraging afternoon’s work for new-look Boro, who gave Michael Appleton a thorough workout in his first match in charge of the League Two side.
Former Aldershot Town favourite Danny Hylton – a new signing at the Kassam Stadium – was the headline act, but it was youngsters James Roberts and Josh Ashby has hit the mark for the U’s before Enrique's strike, straight from kick-off, gave the 278 fans plenty to cheer.
“It was a tremendous goal,” said assistant boss Leigh Dynan, in the absence of boss Day, currently on holiday in Jamaica. “He’s scored from 65 yards, but it just goes to show that if you don't put it in the right areas then you don't score, and then anything can happen.”
Once again, Boro’s line-up was littered with youngsters and several trailists, including Charlie Granger, the former Leyton Orient goalkeeper, ex Mansfield and Kidderminster midfielder Curtis Shaw and former Stoke City centre back Joseph Debayo.
Dynan added: “You’re never pleased when you lose but there were some good individual performances out there so we go away feeling positive. We were pleased with the way we defended and the shape and discipline that we kept.
“We had to step it up today. The trialists are fighting to get a contract here, it’s good for us and for Farnborough. There are some good players there and who give it 100% and that’s all we can ask. We’ve had four training sessions, now we can try trimming the squad down and start working intensely to the way we want to play next season.”
In an otherwise nondescript first half, Shaw went closest to breaking the deadlock for Farnborough with a lone-range effort which flew just over, while another exAldershot man, Danny Rose, struck one of his own Oxford team-mates on the goal-line with a snap shot.
Ashby went closest again for Oxford before the opener finally arrived on 71 minutes – Miles Welch-Hayeses breaking down the right and crossing for Roberts, who found the net with a firm, first-time finish.
Oxford then doubled their lead soon after with a fine curling free-kick from 30 yards, but straight from the restart, the ball was rolled back to Enrique on the edge of the centre circle, who – on spotting the keeper off his line – lifted a Beckham-esque effort goalbound, eventually beating the retreating Roberts underneath his crossbar.
Resurgent Boro then piled forward in search of an equaliser, with a thumping 30-yard free kick from Matt Ball which rattled the crossbar denying them a deserved share lof the spoils.
Next up for Farnborough is a friendly with Combined Counties neighbours Cove tomorrow night (Friday) with a trip to Imber Court, home of Met Police, to come on Tuesday night (22).
BORO: Granger, Rodgers, Treacher, Fearn, Siaw, Ferrell, Shaw, Ball, Benjamin, Taylor, Webb. Subs: Page, Enrique, Ferniola, Debayo, O’Hara, Walden, Brown, Williams, Nelson, Lucas. Att: 278.