By Roger Vincent

Too Little, Too Late as Brakes Lose Unbeaten Record

Playing in borrowed green, because of a mix-up over shirt colours, and with Harj Dhesi sporting a crimson coiffeur, Brakes looked, and played, like another team with a touch of the blues and lost their unbeaten league, and 100% away, record before 160 fans. Going 2-0 down to goals through defensive errors in the 34th and 51st Brakes pulled one back through a Timms header in the 78th but otherwise posed little threat to a staunch Mile Oak defence and, with the defence uncharacteristically error-prone, could have conceded more.

The opening half-hour was a scrappy affair with Brakes unable to establish any rhythm. Playing downhill on a narrow pitch they seemed incapable of adapting to a ball that ran on and were knocking long balls down the middle into the jaws of a competent defence, always a bad sign. However they still seemed to have the edge and some good interplay between Care, Blake and Agar, saw Thompson drive over in the 17th and a long ball from Dhesi minutes later sent through Blake who went close.

With hope born from past experience that Brakes would settle once their first goal went in it was Mile Oak, who had threatened little up front, who scored first. The ball was lost by Ariss on the right as the defence dithered and came clear for a Mile Oak forward to run past a split defence in the 34th and crash the ball home, 1-0. However, there were some hopeful signs. The best feature of Brakes' game was the way that Sidwell and Dhesi played together at the back and, with Care showing pace and skill (and Rugby 2-0 down), the large travelling support hoped for a better second half.

It was not to be. Clearly Brakes had a scrap on their hands as Mile Oak grew in confidence and fought for every ball against a Brakes' side who seemed curiously ill at ease and lacking in the usual fight. Then in the 51st minute the uphill struggle became a mountain after another defensive error. A ball was played back to Morris and he mis-hit his clearance to a Mile Oak forward who slotted home, 2-0.

Cue the usual fight-back, the late surge, the equaliser, the winner, ecstatic fans mobbing the players? Not this time. Timms came on for Mort in the 60th and the crowd bayed for the strength and commitment of Webb who replaced Shearsby in the 71st. In between Blake drove over after a good cross from Agar. Brakes were making some progress but a let-off in the 73rd when Morris saved well and some further defensive frailty threatened to widen the margin. Then, in the 78th, a Thompson throw on the left went back to Dhesi who curled a beautiful cross into the box for Timms to head, powerfully, home for 1-2.

Care ran through with a powerful surging run in the 81st to drive just over and Perry came on for Blake in the 85th to briefly add some threat to a tired attack, but it was all too little, too late. In truth, unusually and worryingly, Brakes seemed to have conceded the game long before. A useful Mile Oak side hustled and fought when necessary and started to play some good football in the second-half as their confidence grew. They were ecstatic at the end, like a team that had won the cup-final. They were clearly (as they say) up for this one; Brakes, clearly, were not. And Rugby Town came back to win 4-3.

Leamington: Richard Morris, Jonny Burgess, Harj Dhesi, Kevin Ariss, Tom Sidwell, Barry Shearsby (Glen Webb 71), Nick Mort (Darren Timms 60), David Care, Josh Blake (Neale Perry 85), Brian Agar [Capt.], Steve Thompson

Team news: Liam McGovern has a slight injury; Will Payne is, erm, talking things over with the managers.