By Roger Vincent

Blake's Brace Wins It For Battling Brakes

Blake put Brakes 1 up in the 24th minute slipping the ball in the corner after a bad defensive error from Old Hill's goalie but Brakes then made a defensive slip of their own to concede a soft goal in the 42nd. Brakes could well have been four or five up but had to settle for parity at half-time. Then in the 53rd Blake sealed the points with a superb goal as he dribbled past four defenders and the goalie to walk the ball into the net. There were some anxious moments but Brakes were generally well on top though the winning margin could well have been much greater.

The crowd of 123 (est. 120 Leam!), on a day with the vital England match televised live, was just 22 short of equalling the best gate in Old Hill Town's history. Despite heavy rain on the journey and elsewhere during the day, the match was watched in warm, late-summer sunshine. The pitch was "OK" but a little rough and it was noticeable that the ball on the ground was not always true. Brakes applied the early pressure with Dhesi providing control at the back and Thompson, Miyoba and Blake frightening the Old Hill defence with their speed. Shearsby's fee-kick was saved on 8 minutes after Miyoba was floored and the referee missed a clear hand-ball in the area on the quarter hour.

Blake went close twice before putting Brakes ahead in the 24th picking up a bad clearance from the goalkeeper and slipping the ball in the corner, 0-1. Timms drove over soon after from 35 yards but a good Morris save gave Brakes an early warning of what Old Hill could do on the break. Brakes were well on top with Thompson supreme down the left and went close through Thompson, Timms, Payne and Mort when, with the crowd wondering why we weren't 5 or 6 up, almost inevitably Old Hill broke away to take advantage of a defensive slip and level it in the 42nd, 1-1 at half-time.

In the 47th Blake broke free on the left and crossed superbly to leave Mort and Eden in front of goal with only the goalkeeper to beat; unaccountably they managed to leave enough space for the goalie, somehow, to keep it out. But in the 53rd all was forgiven as Blake scored a magnificent goal jinxing through a packed area past the despairing tackles of at least four defenders before rounding the goalkeeper to tap the ball into the net, 1-2. Then in the 60th he turned two players and drove just wide when the hat-trick seemed a formality.

Now, at last, when it seemed that Brakes could score several more to make their first-half superiority count, Old Hill looked increasingly dangerous on the break. But Brakes showed that they can battle when necessary and kept themselves in the game. The 75th saw the welcome return from injury of Agar who came on for Shearsby but although two further chances fell to Blake, one after a superb back-heel from an otherwise strangely anonymous Eden, and the rampaging Thompson was scythed down again (and again) there was some relief from the fans when the final whistle went for another good, three, away points maintaining their 100% record away from the New Windmill.

Footnote: A particularly nice touch was seen AFTER the game when Harj Dhesi organised a collection amongst the players, and some others, to replace Brakes' fan, young James Derbyshire's lost ball. James had left his ball somewhere near the dugouts and it had disappeared. Nice one lads.

Leamington Richard Morris; Benson Miyoba; Harji Dhesi; Will Payne (captain); Adam Ball; Barry Shearsby (Brian Agar 75m); Darren Timms; Nick Mort; Josh Blake; Paul Eden; Steve Thompson
Unused subs: Neale Perry, Ian Billington