By Roger Vincent

Harri Hat-Trick Hits Highway for Six as Leamington Youth Stay Top

Power eventually overcame a skilful but younger, more lightweight Highway in an absorbing contest of contrasting styles. Highway took an early lead in the 15th but Stacey equalised from a free kick on the half hour. Within minutes Highway restored their lead but young Brakes equalised just before half-time with Stacey's second. Brakes took the lead for the first time in the 52nd with Harri's first only for Highway to level it in the 69th. But Brakes' power eventually told, as Harri completed his debut hat-trick and Sutton added another, with three goals in the final 12 minutes.

The first, cold spell of the season had the fans stamping their feet and an Australian, Brakes' fan cowering in the club-house refusing to believe that it got even colder in January and February. Fortunately the game was a rumbustuous, heart-warming affair with both sides looking capable of taking all three points. Brakes' debutant, Harri, showed superb individual skill and power from the start going close in the 7th and 9th minutes, the latter deflected onto a post. But in the 15th it was Highway who broke away with a defence-splitting multi-man move resulting in a low, hard shot that left Van der Heyden with no chance, 1-0.

The powerful Harri, called "Shearer" by his team mates, was making an impressive first appearance that will be even better when he learns to pass more often. But, nevertheless, he combined well with Sutton to pull back a superb ball from the line that was forced out for a corner. Continued, Brakes' pressure earnt a free kick minutes later, on the edge of the box, and Stacey drove low and hard into the net to make it 1-1 in the 30th. But Highway showed their capabilities when, with Brakes on the attack, they broke upfield for a quite superb angled, low shot into goal off a post in the 34th to restore their lead at 2-1. This was enjoyable, end-to-end stuff and Brakes equalised once more when Stacey, again, met a Claridge free kick to head, powerfully, home and make it 2-2 in the 44th.

Brakes were not at their best, too often giving the ball away and conceding all the points for skill to an impressive Highway. At times, strangely, they also seemed to lack a sense of purpose and were not striving to win 50:50 balls. They left the field for the break with strong "advice" from coach, Babs Kandola, already ringing sharp in the clear, cold air before they had reached the changing rooms. The fans fled to the warm sanctuary of the club-house; for the players there was no escape.

In the 52nd minute, Harri was finally rewarded for his efforts when he put Brakes ahead for the first time, 2-3, slotting home after a good move. A Sutton header went close minutes later before, in the 67th, Harri drove through the Sports defence with awesome power. But, almost immediately, Highway broke upfield again to drive home an equaliser in the 69th to make it 3-3 with a shot that hit the inside of both posts and was adjudged to have crossed the line by the linesman and all the Sports' fans though not by the referee (initially) or any of the Brakes' fans! The linesman won the day. In the 74th minute Highway again went close. The Sports goalkeeper, in superb form behind a young defence, was keeping Brakes at bay but Brakes seemed fitter and stronger and, eventually, their greater strength told.

In the 78th minute Harri made it 3-4 when he outpaced two defenders in hot pursuit to drive a low shot into the corner. As Brakes took control, Sutton stooped to head home a cross from Tolley in the 81st to stretch the lead to 3-5 and Harri, again, made it 3-6 in the 87th when he outstripped a faltering defence to stroke the ball past the advancing goalkeeper into the corner, a magnificent goal at any level. The referee added no injury time on an increasing cold night as Brakes looked likely to score more against a Highway side whose first 80 minutes didn't warrant such a big deficit.

Leamington Youth: Lee van der Heyden; Harj Johal; Nick Collen; Iain Groves; Lee Scott; Tim Green; Jimmy Claridge (Paul Wilkinson 70); Neil Stacey [Capt.]; Richard A Sutton; James Harri (James Taylor 90); Josh Tolley (Martin Groves 88)
Sub(s) Not Used: Phil Thompson

Team News: Lakhdeep Dosanjh was on holiday; goalkeeper Lee van der Heyden is going on holiday (next week?) but Brakes have signed a goalkeeper, Mark Moss to provide goalkeeping cover with 1st year Gary Moore; James Harri signed senior forms after the game.