By Roger Vincent

Young Men, When They Are Old, Shall Say: I Was There

Brakes went to league leaders Rugby Town, who had won 21 out of 22 and drawn the other one, and before 560 (mostly Leamington) ecstatic fans smashed 5 goals past a side who had conceded only 13 all season. Blake scored in the 25th minute for a 1-0 half-time lead then Brakes ran riot scoring through Miyoba in the 65th, two Mort penalties, in the 82nd and 90th as the Rugby defence disintegrated, and a Blake screamer 6 minutes later with 4 minutes still to be played. Rugby were allowed 2 shots on target and had conceded the game long before they lost a player and all the bench to red cards in the 85th minute of normal time.

The Brakes' fans gathered, noisily, mostly under the stand at the far side of the ground. Cameras flashed as the teams ran out. Rugby Under-6s ran out with their team adding to the carnival atmosphere for this clash of the Titans. Driving rain 1/2 hour before kick-off had cleared but there was rain in the air as well as tension; the pitch, though heavy, was in good condition given the recent, heavy rain.

There was a tentative start as nerves jangled. The first 20 minutes were fairly even but a pattern emerged with Rugby trying to play down the wings and Brakes through the middle. Neither really succeeded as both defences quickly closed down any attacks and the tackles started to bite. But Brakes went close twice, in the 11th and 12th minutes, firstly with a 30yd Dhesi free-kick which was pushed round the post by Rugby goalie Neil Leach and again when Dhesi sent Miyoba through on goal for the admirable Leach to run out and block his shot. The rain, which had started again, suddenly became a hailstorm which, though brief, raised the spectre of a dour 0-0 draw with both teams fighting the conditions.

But all that changed in the 25th when Timms passed to Miyoba who drove at the Rugby goal from a deep position before slipping a perfect ball for Blake to smash into the net, 0-1. The fans, and the team, were now on song; the rain stopped; the wind dropped. If anything Rugby had more possession in the rest of the half but Brakes' defence was playing superbly, with Dix a revelation, and their strength and determination to chase every half-chance prevented the Rugby forwards from any clear shots at goal. Conversely, Brakes were starting to make chances as Rugby were worn down and a Blake break on the right in the 39th, which led to a series of corners, was a portent of what was to come.

The Brakes' fans were sanguine at half-time; 1-0 was clearly not enough given Rugby's record and there were doubts about maintaining such a high level of commitment in the heavy conditions against some hard, Rugby tackling. But, within a minute, McGovern had put minds at rest as he rode the tackles of 3 Rugby players, lost the ball, recovered, lost it again then got it back to release Agar who drove just wide. Rugby were rattled as Brakes battled. The Brakes' defence, marshalled by Dhesi, were now in control as Rugby became disheartened.

Gradually, now, Brakes started to play the ball around in a display of cultured football as the Rugby resistance started to crumble. Agar's creativity, Miyoba's powerful runs, the speed and guile of Thompson and Blake and Mort having the best game I've seen him play, started to create chances. In the 62nd Agar went close from a Thompson cross then in the 65th Miyoba sent the fans wild when he ran through from a deep position and chipped the Rugby goalie for a superb goal, 0-2.

Brakes took control. Rugby still had some possession but never really progressed or looked like scoring. Somehow, their brief forays upfield seemed like mere intermissions between Brakes' attacks, a tiresome bee with its sting pulled and readily swatted. In the 66th Burgess turned the Rugby defence inside the box to see a strong drive just beaten away and in the 69th he went close again. The crowd sang, happily, "Super Super Jonny B" as a 2-0 lead which should have been vulnerable started to look unassailable. Burgess set up Blake to miss narrowly in the 74th and a measured Mort pass saw a Burgess shot just kept out in the 78th.

Inevitably the pressure told and Blake was brought down in the area when closing on goal for what should have been, arguably, more than a yellow card. Mort crashed home an unstoppable penalty to make it 0-3 in the 82nd minute. Brakes were rampant and in the 90th minute Mort smashed another penalty into the roof of the net after what some say was a foul and others a handling offence in the box but which, given the disorganised melee that was now the Rugby defence, could well have been both.

With several stoppages and the unedifying spectacle between penalties of a Rugby player being red-carded, followed by the protesting Rugby bench, there were still about 10 minutes to play. Brakes brought on their subs with Webb, Shearsby and Gregory replacing Agar, Miyoba and Dhesi and standing out like beacons in their gleaming white, clean strip. Morris, who had gathered cleanly all night but had only had one, real save to make now dived brilliantly to save a well-taken Rugby free-kick before Shearsby broke down the right in the 6th minute of injury time and slung over a cross for Blake to run in from the left and blast home, 0-5.

Blake took off his shirt (girls fainted); the crowd bayed for more and sang "Can we play you every week?" But there were no more goals, just the 5 this time. The team ran to the fans and saluted them; the fans responded with hoarse voices and repaired to the bar. Before we left the goal-posts at the far end had already been replaced by rugby posts. I remembered that the closest Rugby came to scoring at that end probably would have cleared them.

Leamington: Richard Morris, Jonny Burgess, Harj Dhesi, Andy Dix (Andy Gregory 90), Liam McGovern, Daz Timms, Nick Mort, Benson Miyoba (Barry Shearsby 90), Josh Blake, Brian Agar [Capt.] (Glen Webb 90), Steve Thompson

Team News: Tom Sidwell and David Care missed this one through injury, thigh strain and hamstring. Kevin "Rugrat" Ariss has gone to Whitnash and we shall miss him.