By Roger Vincent

Nicholls Hat-Trick Unlocks Sphinx Riddle to Send Leamington Top

Paul Nicholls did an Owen by grabbing a hat-trick after a barren spell, for him, of five games without scoring. This had followed goals in the first seven games, six of them league matches. Sphinx took an early lead and, despite losing a man when Brakes equalised with a penalty, came back to lead at the interval with the game's second penalty. Brakes equalised through Agar after a goalkeeping error on the hour then took the lead for the first time through Nicholls seven minutes later with Nicholls grabbing his third and Brakes fourth in the last minute to send most of the 320 crowd home happy.

A slight drizzle at the start on a very dry pitch made conditions slippery and early mistakes nearly cost Brakes with goalkeeper Day making an important save with his feet in the 2nd minute. But Sphinx were equally vulnerable as Adams ran through minutes later and Nicholls latched on to a through ball to drive against the bar in the 9th. Against the run of play Sphinx took a 1-0 lead in the 18th when a defence-splitting pass found Callender who drove low across Day into the corner.

But Sphinx self-destructed when, with their bench appealing for a penalty, Brakes broke away and the impressive Agar was flattened in the Sphinx area. Sphinx's Ray Downing was dismissed for what seemed like a 2nd yellow and Nicholls smashed the penalty into the roof of the net to make it 1-1 in the 34th. But in added time at the end of the 1st half, 10-man Sphinx made it 2-1 with a McSheffrey penalty for handball.

Despite conceding two goals the defence was again magnificent on the back of four clean sheets with Day and Walker in commanding form and Adams, seemingly, everywhere. With the match starting to look stale the Sphinx goalkeeper made a rare error dropping a cross which came out to Agar who cleverly back-flicked it home to bring the scores level 2-2 in the 65th. Webb came on in the 65th for the returning Hammond, who had again shown impressive skills, and within minutes Brakes were in front for the first time. Agar strode superbly through the Sphinx defence and managed to slip the ball to Nicholls as he was fouled. The referee did well to play the advantage and Nicholls drove home to make it 2-3 in the 68th.

As Sphinx pressed for the equaliser Adams and Nicholls both rounded the advancing goalkeeper to go close but a saving tackle kept Sphinx out in the last five minutes as Brakes struggled to make headway. But Agar and Nicholls combined well to earn a corner in the 88th before Nicholls made the game safe at 2-4 in the 90th minute when he slid in a Hanrahan cross at the back post.

Leamington: Myles Day, Ben Adams, Simon Walker, Mark Rowland, Andy Gregory, Chris Hanrahan, Chris Hammond (Glen Webb 65), Barry Shearsby, Brian Agar, Paul Nicholls, Steve Thompson [Capt.]
Subs Not Used: Jonny Burgess, Daz Timms

Team News: Simon Wickson, Nick Mort and Josh Blake slight injuries - Josh should be available next match (Wednesday 9 Oct.); Tom Sidwell was rested and was at the match.