By David Hucker

Brakes Beaten by Late Strike

Brakes completed their pre-season programme with a defeat against Premier Division rivals, Coventry Sphinx, in the Ron Cooper Memorial Trophy last Saturday.

Sphinx were runners-up last season to Grosvenor Park, losing only two of their forty-two league matches. Despite managerial and squad changes, they proved too strong for the home team winning with a late goal from Danny McSheffrey.

Blustery weather at the New Windmill Ground did not help either side in the early exchanges, although Josh Blake almost opened the scoring in the twelfth minute when his shot from the edge of the penalty area was tipped over the bar by the Sphinx 'keeper. However, Brakes' star striker did not take long to find the net as, on twenty-six minutes, he converted a cross from Jonny Burgess to give the home team the lead. Paul Nicholls nearly added a second four minutes before half-time but his shot was parried by the goalkeeper who was injured preventing the striker following up. Just when it looked like Brakes would go into the interval in front, Danny McSheffrey's shot went in off the post to beat Richard Morris and bring the visitors level.

Joint managers Barry Proctor and Jason Cadden took the opportunity to introduce four substitutes at the start of the second half and four more as the match progressed and the team did not perform as well as in the first period. They wasted a good opportunity to take the lead again in the fifty-seventh minute when Blake drew the goalkeeper out of position, but nobody could get a strike on goal. Seven minutes later, a fine solo run by captain Steve Thompson nearly resulted in a goal, but again the visiting 'keeper did well to push the shot round the post.

Sphinx took the lead for the first time in the match in the seventy-eigth minute when a through ball eluded the outstretched leg of Tom Sidwell for Tommy Thacker to put a shot low into the corner of the net. Brakes drew level with eleven minutes remaining thanks to a Paul Nicholls' header from a Jamie Barr cross but, just when the match looked like ending in a draw, McSheffrey struck from the edge of the penalty area for his second goal to seal a trophy win in front of a crowd of 225.

Despite the defeat, manager Cadden was upbeat after the match describing it as "a good workout". He reported no injury problems for the new season and is "raring to go". Captain Steve Thompson echoed his sentiments saying that "we have a good squad and everyone wants to start where we finished off last time"

Leamington: Richard Morris; Jonny Burgess (Jag Bahi 46 min.); Simon Walker (Andy Crabtree 46); Mark Rowland (Lee Scott 76); Tom Sidwell; Baz Shearsby (Glen Webb 46); Nick Mort (Ben Adams 46); Darren Timms (Chris Handrahan 60); Josh Blake (Neil Stacey 70); Paul Nicholls; Steve Thompson (Jamie Barr 72)