By Roger Vincent

Timms Brace and Another Clean Sheet Win the Day for Brakes

A crowd of 512 saw Brakes play good football in a dominating first half performance with Timms slotting 2 goals in the 19th and 41st. Brownhills came more into the game in a largely anonymous second half but made no impression on a Brakes' defence in superb form with Walker and Sidwell outstanding. Agar "scored" in the 76th only for it to be ruled out for offside but Brakes were comfortable winners for another 3 points on a day when fellow championship contenders, Rugby Town, were held to a 1-1 draw. Brakes' notched over 10,000 home spectators at this one with the 10,000th, Tim Bott, presented with a match ball by Chairman Mick Brady on the pitch at half-time.

Brakes made all the early pressure against 5th placed Brownhills and went close through Blake and Nicholls (3 times), with Thompson and Miyoba providers, before making it 1-0 in the 19th when Timms side-footed home after a perfect, angled cross from Miyoba. In the 25th Brakes might have gone further ahead when they were awarded an indirect free-kick in the area after the goalie picked up a back-pass but Thompson drove against a solid wall.

The speed of the Brakes' forwards, Blake in particular, was unsettling an increasingly panicky defence and there followed a period of sustained pressure when Brakes forced several throw-ins and corners as Brownhills found it difficult to escape from their own half. In the 39th minute yet another Thompson corner was met by Blake with a soaring header but, with the goalie well beaten, a defender headed off the line.

With Brakes well on top, and deserving positive, vocal support, some of the North Bank, unaccountably, chose to sing a song about hating Rugby Town. Why?

Then, in the 41st, Brakes and Timms doubled their scores to 2-0. Yet another Thompson corner was chested down by the hard-working Nicholls and Timms controlled the ball before smashing it into the roof of the net. On a pitch made slightly less hard by some heavy rain the previous day Brakes were stroking the ball around to good effect and, as the half ended, Nicholls smashed a drive just wide after good work by Miyoba.

Brakes started the second half as they'd finished the first and Blake was put through 1 on 1 with the Brownhills goalkeeper in the 47th after good interplay by Thompson and Agar but it was well blocked. Brownhills then started to show some self-belief, or maybe Brakes tired (understandable with the number of fixtures they are playing in April and the beginning of May), but whatever the cause the rest of the match was largely anonymous.

Brownhills certainly had more possession but they never looked as if they were going to score. Walker and Sidwell were magnificent in defence. Both are deceptively fast and win the ball most of the time but, most impressively, especially at this level, their distribution is a different class. With Gregory coming on in leaps and bounds Brakes seem to have the basis for success at a higher level.

Brakes brought on Wickson for Shearsby in the 64th and Barr for Miyoba in the 75th as they, and the game, ran out of steam. In the 76th Nicholls slipped a ball through for Agar to run on and strike a sweet shot into the corner of the net. Referee Needham had a superb game so I feel obliged to accept his decision to rule it out, I believe for offside, but it looked OK to me. The game ended with Brakes' twin-strikers both having chances saved in added time.

Leamington: Richard Morris, Benson Miyoba (Jamie Barr 75), Simon Walker, Tom Sidwell, Andy Gregory (Liam McGovern 80), Darren Timms, Barry Shearsby (Simon Wickson 64), Paul Nicholls, Josh Blake, Brian Agar [Capt.], Steve Thompson
Subs Not Used: Liam McGovern

Team News: Glen Webb injured and may be out rest of the season; both Nick Mort and Jonny Burgess unavailable but not injured; Harj Dhesi fully recovered and at the match as a spectator.