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LEAMINGTON 4 v ROCESTER 0
Midland Alliance
Sat 20 Aug 05
By David Hucker

Romans Crushed as Brakes Maintain Perfect Start

It's still early days, but three wins from the opening three matches can't be a bad thing. Granted Rocester were not the strongest of opposition, having not won a league match for fifteen months, but the way this Brakes side is growing in belief can only augur well for the weeks ahead.

One thing is for sure, the goal machine is still fully functioning and teams are going to have to score plenty to get a result at the New Windmill Ground this season. Like the match against Studley the previous Tuesday, this encounter was effectively all over in the first half, although a late Ryan Howell strike did compound the visitors' misery, being no more than Brakes deserved for their domination.

Rocester had the first chance when a slip by Darran Tank nearly let them in after only two minutes. However, the Brakes opener was not long in coming as Josh Blake unleashed a left-footed half volley from inside the penalty area in the 4th minute to give stand-in 'keeper Paul Gregory no chance (1-0). Then, in the 7th minute, central defender James McCarron made a timely tackle to deny Richard Adams but, from the resultant corner, Steve Smith capitalised on a failure to clear, smashing the ball into the roof of the net (2-0).

The lively Alex Rodman sent a shot into the side netting before, in the 20th minute, opening his account for Brakes when sending a free-kick high from the right to elude the grasp of Gregory and make it 3-0.

Rocester had no answer to the wave of attacks and resorted to pushing the defensive line further and further upfield to catch the eager Brakes' forwards offside. Their first real scoring opportunity came on 34 minutes when Lee Bagley went on a good run, only to send his shot over the bar. At the other end, Gregory saved a Rodman shot with his feet and Richard Adams put the ball into the net two minutes before half-time, only to be penalised for a foul on the 'keeper which only the referee saw.

Brakes could have gone further ahead within four minutes of the restart when Andy Gregory headed just wide from a Rodman corner on the left. It was Rodman's turn to strike for goal again in the 55th minute, bending a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area around the defensive wall, but into the arms of Gregory. Yet another foul by the increasingly desperate Rocester defence saw Blake step up to put his free-kick into the North Bank and then on 68 minutes a powerful Andy Gregory header from a Jon Adams corner was cleared off the line by defender Simon Walker.

With just one minute remaining, substitute Phil Bull had a golden opportunity to pull one back for Rocester, but sent his shot high over the Harbury Lane end stand. Then, right on full- time, Jon Adams, who had another outstanding match, put the perfect pass through the middle of the defence for Ryan Howell to dispatch coolly into the corner of the net (4-0). There was still time for one more and Andy Stidder could have made it five, but his long-range shot deep into injury time went just over the bar.

A satisfied Jason Cadden commented "That was a controlled performance and, after inflicting the damage in the first half, we stayed discilplined in the second. Ryan's late strike topped a fine performance."

Leamington: Richard Morris; Kristian Kelsall (Ryan Howell 54); Steve Smith; Darran Tank; Andy Gregory; Jon Adams; Alex Rodman; Leon Morgan [Capt]; Ben Usher (Andy Stidder 62); Richard Adams (Steve Thompson 60); Josh Blake
Subs Not Used: Paul Shepherd; Ryan Parisi

Rocester: Paul Gregory; Blake Hogan; Simon Walker; Carl Allen; James McCarron; Matt Hutchings; Martin Gadsey (Phil Bull 75); Ricky Black; Lee Bagley; Steve Caswell; Adam Baum (Phil Carson 46)
Subs Not Used: Dean Wylie; Chris Selby; Elliott Edwards

Players' News: Richard Adams complained of difficulty in breathing and Ben Usher had a knock on the knee. Kristian Kelsall was taken off as a precaution and expect to see him in the starting line-up on Tuesday


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