By Roger Vincent

Tired Brakes Just Do Enough, and the Caterpillar Walks

An excellent crowd for a mid-week, 6pm start of 414 saw Brakes cruise to a 2-0 lead through headers from Blake in the 22nd and Timms in the 27th but their 3rd game in 5 days took its toll as Kenilworth came back in the second half to run the midfield without ever looking like scoring. The return of Simon Wickson after a long injury, and first-time appearances for Simon Walker and Jamie Barrie, were the main points of interest in a second half that was an essentially dull affair lightened by a Brakes caterpillar walking to all parts of the ground in near total darkness when the only beacon was co-manager, Jason Cadden's, new hair style.

For the first time in months no wind turned at the New Windmill and the sun shone with early summer promise. Co-manager Jason Cadden sported a new, spiky, honey-coloured hair-do; fellow manager Barry Proctor and several of the bench wore sunglasses.

The game was marred in the 7th minute when a Kenilworth defender suffered what seemed like a severe injury and was stretchered off in considerable pain after 5 minutes stoppage. Brakes were threatening to take control against an, understandably, shaky defence and Nicholls brought a good save from a superb shot in the 14th with a Burgess header from a Timms cross looping off the top of the crossbar 2 minutes later. Burgess, Blake and Nicholls again all had chances before Brakes took a 1-0 lead in the 22nd through Blake who rose majestically to head home after a superb run and cross from Thompson on the left.

The influential Thompson made a second goal 5 minutes later with 2 long throw-ins, the first hacked away for another throw which was flighted perfectly onto the head of Timms who powered it home in the 27th, 2-0. A Timms drive from distance in the 33rd marked the end of Brakes' dominance as Kenilworth moved the ball around in midfield with a tired Brakes chasing shadows. Nevertheless Blake still had the speed to unsettle a nervy defence and was unlucky not add to his tally when the ball was scrambled away at the close of the half.

It was clear at the start of the second half that a third game in 5 days had taken the steam out Brakes. Sidwell, uncharacteristically, was left for dead and the defence was not getting the ball clear in dasngerous situations. Fortunately Kenilworth seemed to be a team of midfielders with a powder-puff attack and nervy defence so, although they dominated large tracts of play, they never really looked like making it count. Brakes still had their moments; Blake lobbed just over in the 60th with only the keeper to beat and Thompson drove straight at the keeper a minute later when he had done the difficult work to get in a shooting position.

Wickson replaced Timms in the 66th for his first game in months while new signings Simon Walker and Jamie Barr replaced Sidwell and Shearsby in the 78th. But as darkness descended neither side looked like scoring though in stoppage time Gregory slotted a superb ball through to Nicholls which was wasted and Thompson shot wide after a good through ball from Barr was touched on by Blake. In between these 2 efforts Dix cleared off the line to save the fans from another nail-biting finish.

In near total darkness up to 60 Brakes' fans, men and women, answered a call from PA man and Media Officer, Craig Barnes, to carry the 8 floodlight stanchions from a corner of the ground to lie next to their positions around the ground. As the slow-moving Brakes' fans criss-crossed the pitch someone was heard to remark that they looked like giant caterpillars. With fans like these it sometimes seems as if anything is achievable - except, perhaps, getting Caddsie to change his hair-style.

Leamington: Richard Morris, Jonny Burgess, Andy Dix, Tom Sidwell (Simon Walker 78), Andy Gregory, Daz Timms (Simon Wickson 66), Nick Mort, Barry Shearsby (Jamie Barr 78), Josh Blake, Paul Nicholls, Steve Thompson [Capt.]

Team News: Benson Miyoba injured, hopes to be back Saturday; Brian Agar, Harj Dhesi and Glen Webb rested - Glen also has a slight strain.