By Roger Vincent

Mort Nicks Hat-Trick For Promoted Brakes

Brakes easily overcame a poor Blackheath side before 125 fans with 2 goals in each half, a result which secures 2nd place. A 9th win in a row, and another clean sheet, was marred by an injury to Shearsby in the 2nd minute (which looks like keeping him out for the rest of the season) and Rugby Town winning again. Brakes need Rugby to slip up to have any chance of winning the championship. On-form striker, Nicholls, was unavailable for this one but leading scorer Blake notched one in the 29th and Nick Mort scored a hat-trick to finish the job, a penalty in the 38th and 2 more in the 60th and 69th.

The Blackheath ground had clearly seen better days, and was much in need of a lick of paint, but the 125 travelling fans were warmly greeted on a gusty day, dry but with threatening rain clouds. This is a wide pitch but with an alarming slope down to the goal at one end so that it looked about 6ft tall from the end where the fans entered the ground. Despite some recent rain the pitch was still bone-hard and was probably instrumental in Shearsby going down with the game barely started. After a long delay he was helped off and Tom Sidwell, who had been rested, came on.

Play was scrappy with Blackheath offering little threat up front and showing early signs of panic in defence. This does not bring out the best in Brakes for some reason as they seem to opt for the less tiring option of the long punt upfield in the knowledge that goals will come. However, the fans are well aware of how tired the team must be with all the fixtures in April, truly "the cruellest month". Blake had chances in the 11th, with a header from a Thompson cross, and a minute later with a shot deflected for a corner. Arch-assister Thompson crossed again in the 18th, this time for Agar to head at the goalkeeper. Agar was starting to show his trademark silky skills that had been missed through injury and lack of match-fitness.

Then Burgess tried a turn of speed and cut inside to strike at goal. The ball came out to Blake who prodded it home to make it 1-0 to Brakes in the 29th. On an uneven pitch Brakes were now starting to play better football and it was no surprise when they doubled their advantage. Thompson was about to strike from inside the box, though from a difficult angle, when he was felled from behind for a clear penalty. Mort crashed an unstoppable strike into the net in the 38th to send Brakes into the break 2-0 up though Thompson nearly added to the scoreline in the 44th when he headed a swirling, Mort cross just over.

A series of throw-ins and corners at the start of the second half emphasised Brakes' dominance and Thompson was unlucky when an inswinging corner was dropped onto the bar by the under-pressure Blackheath goalie. Then Brakes were awarded a free-kick a few yards outside the corner of the area in what is rapidly becoming Mort territory. Mort barely paused before striking the ball low and hard into the far corner to put Brakes 3-0 up in the 60th.

In a 62nd minute double-substitution Brakes brought on Barr for Timms and youth-team striker Stacey for Agar. There was no noticeable disruption to Brakes' command which, in the recent, impressive, winning sequence, has been built on the currently irreplaceable Walker in tandem with the equally impressive Sidwell and the enormously improved 17 year-old Gregory.

Brakes went further ahead when a powerful Blake shot after a Thompson cross from the left was beaten out by the goalkeeper for Mort to make it 4-0 with his hat-trick in the 69th when he smashed it back into the net. Brakes sought to increase their lead in the last 20 minutes and youth-team striker Stacey looked impressive going close twice with a quick turn and shot that was just over then a header from a Barr cross that was just turned round for a corner.

Leamington: Richard Morris, Jonny Burgess, Simon Walker, Liam McGovern, Andy Gregory, Darren Timms (Jamie Barr 62), Nick Mort, Barry Shearsby (Tom Sidwell 5), Josh Blake, Brian Agar [Capt.] (Neil Stacey 62), Steve Thompson 

Team News: Glen Webb injured out rest of the season; Barry Shearsby could now be similar