By Roger Vincent

101 Ovations as Dogged Brakes Head For Top Spot

Young Brakes made it four wins in a row to go second in the league on goal difference with two matches in hand. 101 people at the New Windmill saw Brakes go into a three goal lead with strikes from debutant Richard A Sutton, then Howell and Tolley before Marconi pulled one back on the stroke of half-time. There were no further goals as Marconi came back into the game in the second half when Martin Groves and Seb Rockcliff also made promising league debuts from the bench.

A bright, nearly full moon shone from a clear sky like another floodlight as Brakes took on Marconi Youth who had also made a promising start. In the 7th a bad back-pass was latched onto by debutant Richard A Sutton (not to be confused with Richard Sutton) who ran 30 yards before rounding the 'keeper to make it 1-0. Alex Shaw went close within minutes as Young Brakes applied the early pressure.

A brilliant dummy by Stacey, who had an excellent game in the captain's role, drew two Marconi defenders out of position in the 25th clearing the way for Howell to run in and place an unstoppable shot to make it 2-0. Marconi were a little unlucky to be two down and had a shot cleared off the line in the 30th though Stacey's goal-bound header was headed off the line 10 minutes later before Tolley drove a free kick hard and low into the net in the 43rd to make it 3-0. To Marconi's credit their young side continued to battle and were rewarded with an angled drive in first half stoppage time to make it 3-1.

With Marconi threatening to get back into the game the second half was a different affair with Brakes mostly on the back foot. After a flurry of Marconi corners Tolley did well to bring the ball out of defence and threaten the Marconi goal in the 54th, and five minutes later Stacey wriggled round three defenders before a good strike was deflected for a corner. Iain Groves came off the bench and was joined by his twin, Iain, who was making his debut, and Rockcliff also in his first league appearance. In the six minutes added to the 90 Van der Heyden made a brilliant save before Stacey turned impressively inside a defender to go close followed by another magnificent save from Brakes' 'keeper as both sides battled to the last

Leamington Youth: Lee van der Heyden; James Taylor; Stuart Poole; Ryan Howell; Alex Shaw (Martin Groves 87); Tim Green; Phil Thompson (Sebastian Rockcliff 83); Lakhdeep Dosanjh; Richard A Sutton (Iain Groves 70); Neil Stacey (Capt.); Josh Tolley
Sub(s) Not Used: Jimmy Claridge; Matt Melling

Team News: Top striker, 15 year old Chris Lewis, has badly cracked his knee cap playing on Sunday and will be out for at least eight weeks; he was to make his starting debut in this match.