Drillon Krasniqi set the tone for Brent U13s as they stormed to victory at home against Barnet.

Krasniqi opened the scoring after just twenty seconds - the first of his hat-trick - while Dominic D’Souza also struck three times in a 6-2 victory.

Barnet struggled to recover from the poor start, seeing the hosts through to a stunning opening day victory.

After Krasniqi’s opening-minute strike from the edge of the box, the forward then added his second from close range, swooping to head home after five minutes.

The visitors pulled one back before ten minutes were gone, however Brent created a myriad of chances and made their pressure pay with Krasniqi’s wonderful effort from range towards the end of the half.

Felix Amoah made a critical goal-line clearance just after the interval to prevent a more anxious encounter, before D’Souza slotted home – following up from his initial lobbed effort.

Barnet conceded twice in quick succession in the opening half, and history repeated itself as D’Souza scored his second minutes later, with D’Souza pouncing after a save from Krasniqi’s effort.

And the hosts weren’t done, completing the rout soon after with D’Souza finishing clinically after springing on some poor defensive work from Barnet, before a consolation strike from the away side ended the flow of goals.

Manager Keith Young was full of superlatives for how his side coped with multiple players missing,

“We were missing seven first team players, so we had to change a few things. The players that came in showed me that that deserved to be in the squad, their commitment and attitude was spot on. We knew we were going have to play at our best and we did, I'm really proud of them,” he said.

Meanwhile, the U15 sides of the above teams played in a tighter encounter, with Brent winning 2-1.

Brent dominated the opening exchanges, keeping control of possession and creating a bundle of chances before Isaac D’Andria rose highest to head home just before the interval.

The hosts switched off just after the break, however, allowing a Barnet equaliser soon after the interval– but hit back with aplomb.

Karmani Thomas-Little rescued the three points, with Barnet conceding immediately after scoring, and falling victim to the old adage.

Thomas-Little then added a sumptuous strike from range to complete the emphatic victory, leaving Brent victorious in their first match of the season.

Brent manager Kim James was ecstatic with the way the side worked.

James said: "I have told the players that if you work hard, good things will happen. They were rewarded today for their hard work on the training pitch. The unity in the team is superb.”

Barnet did manage a victory over Brent, however, with the U14s falling to a 4-0 defeat against the hosts in the Middlesex Cup.

After an even opening half, the two teams were separated by a goal at half-time after a swift Barnet counter-attack left the visitors vulnerable.

In a match of multiple controversies, Brent conceded a penalty to go two goals behind, before the referee produced a straight red card for skipper Cai Burrows after a disagreement. 

Coach Chris Ampofo admitted his side were second best, but was impressed with the spirit on display.

He said:“I’m very proud of the way the players battled with ten men. They showed real character and team spirit. We had three players who made impressive debuts and others trying different positions. Barnet were better on the day and deserved to win.”

Brent U11s earned a well-deserved victory in their first pre-season match against Hackney U11s, winning 6-2.

A neat finish from Rodrigo Marques got the goal-fest underway, before a brace from James Wall before the break, and a good strike from debutant Zak Sturge, put the visitors in a commanding 4-1 position at the break.

Wall added two more to his tally after the interval, with Rahman Yesufu cutting an influential figure as he gained four assists throughout the match.

Brent coach George Lappas was impressed with his side – most notably the all-round performance from the team.

He said: "From my perspective, what has been most impressive is the mentality of all the players. Everyone has been fully focused on improving their performance and tried extremely hard.”