By Wind Braker

Champagne On Ice

A crowd of about 150 went to Burman, some with high hopes that Brakes would get the 3 points necessary to clinch the championship and turn Saturday's game at home with Kenilworth Wardens into a celebration. Others looked at Burman's recent form, an 8-3 win over County Sports and a 2-1 defeat of Rugby Town at Webb Ellis, both this month, and felt less sure.

The pitch was perfect for good football, flat, green, just a little moist, and springy enough to make even this old codger feel that he could leap as high as the crossbar. Josh was back after his recent suspension though, ominously, Brian Agar (whose skills would surely have been demonstrated on such a surface) was stuck in traffic in Oxford. Although Bagar did make it before kick off, by then he had been left off the team sheet along with Baz Shearsby who was working.

The early auspices were good. Burman were clearly a big, physical side with a desire to win but Brakes had several opportunities with Josh Blake and Liam McGovern both going close. In the 21st minute Burman broke away and scored with our defence standing still but there was a feeling that we had been here before and would put things right in the 2nd half.

However, it soon became clear that all was not well. With the exceptions of Billo, especially, and Thommo and Jonny B the team never performed. Several players looked very jaded and maybe something has to be done about extra games played for Sunday clubs when there are so many Brakes' games being played. Our tactics seemed to be pumping high balls into the area, meat and drink to a tall, physical side. And though there were periods of intense Brakes' pressure they seem to have lost their shooting boots as well. In fact, with 15 minutes left, Burman had the ball in the net again though, thankfully this was given offside.

As frustration grew they also allowed themselves to be wound up, playing into the hands of a Burman side for whom this was clearly a tactic, and both Liam and Billo were booked. To add to the misery, though maybe I'm alone in this, though giving the team good support some of our travelling fans seem hooked on anti-Rugby Town songs and this gets worse when we're not playing well. What is the point? I don't see how it encourages our players and it just sounds petty and vindictive for no clear purpose.

There was a good deal of glumness afterwards, not just because we had lost but because we didn't perform and also, I have to say, because some of our travelling supporters did not behave as well as they might (just like Cadbury). To be a great team with good support is to be magnanimous in defeat, to recognise when the other team plays well and to accept that, like all teams, we are fallible. We have no need to blame the referee and unfair tactics by the opposition every time we lose as the only possible reasons for defeat.

So, put the championship champagne on ice and let's hope we can wrap things up on Saturday, or maybe grind out 3 0-0 draws in our last 3 games. That'll do it as well and if we play like tonight maybe it's the best we can hope for.

Leamington Richard Morris; Kevin Ariss (Adam Ball 73m); Will Payne; Liam McGovern; Stuart Hepburn (captain); Darren Timms; Glen Webb; Jon Burgess; Josh Blake; Ian Billington; Steve Thompson
Unused subs Martin Beeston, Guy Rippon