By Roger Vincent

Brakes Back on Top After Narrow Win at Griff

Griff put up a battling display against high flying Brakes and were unlucky not to be in front inside five minutes with two strikes against the bar. Brakes applied more pressure but lacked the killer punch in a goalless first half. Then three goals in seven minutes gave the crowd of 165 something to cheer. Leamington took the lead in the 66th minute with a Nicholls penalty after Eden was felled, Lee Smith equalised for Griff five minutes later and Sidwell nodded home the winner in the 73rd. Griff should have scored after a mix-up in the Brakes defence in the 87th but Brakes held on for the remaining eight minutes to deny Griff a point they probably deserved.

On a drizzly, chill, misty evening 165 fans stood on the Nuneaton Harriers running track and gazed out on the biggest pitch I've ever seen at this level. The wide open spaces, on and off the pitch, created an almost unreal atmosphere but there was nothing unreal about two strikes from Griff within four minutes that had the defence performing heroics and the bar saving the day. But another ping pong session in the eighth minute at the other end restored Brakes' equilibrium a little when Eden's shot from an Agar pull-back was blocked on the line.

Ellis was making space for himself and the irrepressible Burgess was sprinting down the pitch at every opportunity. But the one-touch, gentle skills of Agar, Eden and Timms, though a delight to watch, were making little impression on a sturdy Griff defence. Timms shot over from close range in the 37th after good work by Burgess and Ellis but Gettings had to dive low to turn a shot round for a corner minutes later and a largely anonymous half ended with Gettings, again, gathering a low shot as Griff threatened.

Dhesi started to dictate events at the start of the second half and was putting in good balls across the wide-open spaces as well as mopping up at the back. Timms received an inadvertent elbow in the face which resulted in a lengthy stoppage and, in a mostly clean game, the offender was booked though seemingly for dissent rather than the elbow. Mort and Adams came on for Timms and Agar in the 65th which provided Brakes with a bit more pace and, within a minute, Brakes had scored. Eden, making his first start this season after three appearances off the bench, was brought down on the edge of the box and Nicholls stepped up to convert the penalty, 0-1 in the 66th minute.

But despite Sidwell's heroics and Gregory's skill and strength Brakes always looked vulnerable to the quick break and so it proved when the ball was missed by two defenders and Lee Smith ran through in the 71st to make it 1-1 sliding the ball superbly past the advancing Gettings. But Brakes were soon back in front when a Mort corner in the 73rd was headed up and over defenders and goalkeeper by the rangy Sidwell, a magnificent goal, 1-2.

Tom Saunders came on for Shearsby in the 75th, moving into defence as the team reorganised, and Burgess nearly put Brakes in the comfort zone when he battled through the defence to poke his shot inches wide in the 80th. Gregory, who seems to grow in stature with every game, picked up a ball in defence and knocked a long pass through to Ellis that had the crowd applauding. Mort shot on target in the 84th before Eden, a minute later, found himself one on one with the Griff keeper and attempted to curl it into the net only to see it safely gathered. In the 87th minute Brakes nearly lost two points as Adams passed back to Gettings and he mishit his clearance to a Griff player who knocked the ball just wide with the goal at his mercy.

Leamington: James Gettings, Jonny Burgess, Harj Dhesi, Tom Sidwell, Andy Gregory, Andy Ellis, Baz Shearsby (Tom Saunders 75), Daz Timms [Capt.] (Nick Mort 65), Brian Agar (Ben Adams 65), Paul Nicholls, Paul Eden

Team News: Glen Webb, at the match as he usually is, could be out for "a year to 18 months"; Simon Walker and Myles Day getting fit; Josh Blake started his 5-week suspension; Steve Thompson on holiday.