By Roger Vincent

Promoted Brakes Finally Run Out of Steam After 12 Straight, League Wins

Knowle are a tough, uncompromising side and finished clear in 3rd position; probably not ideal opponents then for Brakes' 15th game since the beginning of April. Knowle went ahead after a free kick in the 15th and looked like spoiling Brakes' long, unbeaten run in a dour, niggly first half played in cold, dark, drizzly conditions before a low crowd of 352. But Brakes found some inner resources they had no right to have, equalised through Timms in the 61st, and then outplayed Knowle for 1/2 hour without being able to make it 13 straight, league wins, settling for an unbeaten, league run of 18 instead.

There was an end of season feel about this one not helped by the lowering clouds and the realisation that a truly, magnificent run hadn't resulted in the championship. In the 15th minute Knowle took the lead when the ball was headed home following a free kick, 0-1. Agar headed just over from a Thompson corner within minutes but Knowle came back with a huge, Tommo-type throw-in into the box and a soaring header that just missed the target to remind Brakes why they were the main threat for the 2nd spot for so long.

Brakes started to come back into the game but there was a niggly feeling about this one that suggested that there would not be 22 players on the pitch at the end. The hobbling Nick Mort received his long overdue trophy for February's FOLFC player of the month at half-time as did Richard Morris for March's.

Thankfully the 2nd half started, and continued, in a better spirit. Gregory made an excellent, saving tackle in the 50th but Brakes were much more in the game with Dhesi spraying long, accurate balls to good effect and the forwards forcing errors in an increasingly erratic Knowle defence. In a 5 minute spell Brakes forced 3 corners and Blake was unlucky to have a well-struck drive turned round the post in the 53rd with Timms heading onto the bar from an Agar free kick minutes later.

Eden replaced Nicholls in the 59th and Brakes equalised in the 61st when a Dhesi free kick found Timms in the box who rose magnificently to power home a header, 1-1. Within a minute they nearly repeated the process but this time Timms was just wide.

Now Brakes found some strength from somewhere and a Knowle side that had looked big, strong and well in command defensively started to hit the ball anywhere as Brakes strove for victory. With the leaden skies threatening to bring events to a premature end Eden earnt a free kick in the 82nd and Thompson ran through to drive just wide minutes later. As Blake scooped the ball over the bar the referee blew early with a minute of normal time left and the chance of a 13th straight league win had gone.

A shame, but, as far as I could see, nobody was that despondent. The niggling of the first half from both teams had gone and it was, on the whole, a reasonably enjoyable game. OK, so the title chance had gone on Monday but it would have needed a miracle to overtake Rugby Town, 21 points ahead at one time due to their magnificent start, especially with the number of games that Brakes had to play in April and May. That they got so close was nearly a miracle in itself and the crowd rose to applaud their heroes as they left the darkening plain of the New Windmill for the last time this season.

Leamington: Richard Morris, Jonny Burgess, Harj Dhesi, Tom Sidwell, Andy Gregory, Daz Timms, Stuart Hepburn, Brian Agar [Capt.], Josh Blake, Paul Nicholls (Paul Eden 59), Steve Thompson
Subs Not Used: Andy Dix, Simon Walker

Team News: Umbi Sidhu has a leg injury, not too serious; walking wounded Nick Mort and Glen Webb were in the crowd; Si Wickson back at University.