By Roger Vincent

Brilliant Brakes Just Fail to Solve the Riddle of the Sphinx

Brilliant Brakes battled to the last in appalling conditions at Premier high flyers Coventry Sphinx to lose narrowly in a match between two very good teams that could have gone either way. Playing into driving wind and rain in the first half Brakes took the lead in 2 minutes through Care but turned round 2-1 down as Sphinx used the first half wind advantage to score in the 34th and 41st. Blake scored brilliantly within 10 seconds to level it in the second half but Brakes fell to the sucker punch 3 minutes later. With a strong wind behind them Brakes looked favourites to save the game but a superb Sphinx defence kept them out. It was no disgrace to lose this one and the team received a standing ovation from a large, travelling contingent in an estimated 250 crowd.

Horizontal rain driven by a strong wind was already puddling the playing surface at the start and persisted throughout the 90 minutes. The crowd huddled in the stand praying that it would survive the buffeting intact which, at times, seemed unlikely.

Brakes won the toss and elected to play against the wind in the first half to take advantage of the conditions as legs tired in the second. Survival in the first half was clearly the aim but, improbably, it was Leamington who took an early lead when Blake broke down the right and crossed for Care to head home in the 2nd minute, 0-1. Thompson drove wide in the 4th and Blake screwed the ball wide from in front of goal in the 10th as Brakes battled for every ball and unsettled Sphinx.

But gradually Sphinx came into the game and three times in 10 minutes the magnificent Morris saved the day when a Sphinx goal seemed the most likely option. This was backs to the wall stuff as Brakes fought the conditions superbly to stay in the game. Then, just as it seemed they might survive the half with an unlikely lead, a long punt out of the Sphinx defence from fully 60 yards bounced impossibly high and swirled in the wind up and over the stranded Morris for a freak goal in the 34th, 1-1. Sphinx, encouraged, broke through again in the 41st and were awarded a penalty after a player was brought down in the box. Morris got a touch but could only parry it into the roof of the net, 2-1.

With the huge wind advantage in the second half Brakes were probably favourites to save, or even win the game, and indeed they drew level within 10 seconds of the restart as Blake crashed in an unstoppable shot from 35 yards, 2-2. But Sphinx were always dangerous in attack and in the 48th they regained the lead from a breakaway, slotting home from close range, 3-2.

In the 52nd Morris showed the possibilities when he went close to scoring from a goalmouth clearance that had the Sphinx goalkeeper scambling across his goal as the ball went just wide. The cultured Sidwell, FOLFC player of the month for January, who had been struggling to shake off an injury, was replaced by Dix in the 58th. Almost immediately Dix was tested by the hard-running Sphinx forwards but the shot was off target.

Now Brakes were well on top. Dhesi drove a free kick from distance that was saved with difficulty, Blake fought to win the ball passing to Burgess whose long looping cross was headed just over by Webb and a Thompson long range drive was scrambled away for a corner. Thompson, who didn't look like "Thommo" with his rain-flattened hair and mud-caked kit, was playing a captain's role, strong in defence, breaking quickly in attack and always looking for the ball. An equaliser seemed inevitable but Sphinx were showing why they have done so well this season with a superbly organised defence and quick forwards who were always dangerous.

To their credit Sphinx tried none of the time-wasting and spoiling tactics that we have seen from some other teams even though the wind was so much against them in the second half. Indeed it was a remarkably well-fought and exciting match, extraordinarily so given the conditions, and a pleasure to watch with little bad behaviour

The returning Miyoba came on for Care in the 76th and Ariss replaced Timms in the 85th as Brakes continued to press for the elusive goal with some fresh legs. In between the substitutions Morris made yet another very good save to cap a superb performance. Brakes continued to pepper the Sphinx goal but an equaliser looked less likely as injury time approached and the players from both sides became less distinguishable from eachother resembling 22, muddy, drowned rats.

So, disappointment, of course, at not winning but no despondency at the performance and the promise that it holds for next season. The Leamington players came to salute their fans at the end and were rightly, and roundly, applauded in turn.

Leamington: Richard Morris, Jonny Burgess, Harj Dhesi, Tom Sidwell (Andy Dix 58), Liam McGovern, Barry Shearsby, Glen Webb, Daz Timms (Kevin Ariss 85), Josh Blake, David Care (Benson Miyoba 76), Steve Thompson [Capt.]