Brakes On Cruise Control Into Round Three

Brakes secured their place in round three of the Willie Knibbs Memorial Cup with a comfortable win over old rivals Alveston thanks to an early Vernor Sleem goal and a brace from former youth team striker Ryan Howell.

Manager Jason Cadden rang the changes from the side that had chalked up six consecutive league wins to give as many of his squad as possible the chance of an outing. Jonathan Adams made his club debut and there were a number of positional changes with Harj Dhesi donning the captain's armband.

In the fifth minute, Ryan Howell just failed to connect with a Vernor Sleem cross from the right and, almost immediately, Sleem himself popped up in the penalty area to convert a low cross from the left by David Care and score against his old club, 0-1. The impressive Leon Morgan then headed over the top and it took until the 13th minute for the home side to mount an attack which ended with a tame shot wide of the post.

Leamington were having most of the possession and another goal seemed inevitable. However, it took a mistake from former Brakes youth team 'keeper Lee Van Der Heyden whose attempted clearance on 28 minutes hit Ryan Howell and the young striker reacted quickly to steer the ball home, 0-2.

Jonathan Adams then hit a low shot wide of the target and David Care did the same after good work between Morgan and Howell. Just when it seemed that Brakes were well in control, a cross from the left was headed home by Bradley Rees in the 39th to pull a goal back for Alveston 1-2. Right on the stroke of half-time, Morgan again had a chance to score, but he could not net that elusive first goal for the club.

The second half was very much like the first with Brakes dominating for long periods, but seemingly unable to turn their territorial advantage into goals. A third looked on the cards on 66 minutes when a cross from the left was knocked back by Sleem for Morgan to send a curling shot which went tantalising just wide of the post. The players and spectators were then drenched in a heavy downpour typical of the weather just now and, as the clouds cleared, a rainbow rose like the Wembley arch to illuminate the sky.

Any nervousness was, however, calmed by Ryan Howell who got his second on 82 minutes rising to meet a Steve Thompson cross with a fine glancing header into the corner 1-3. This was just reward for the young striker who was on the receiving end of some rough treatment, but kept getting up to and doing what he knows best, putting the ball in the back of the net. As full-time approached, Richard Morris was adjudged to have carried the ball outside the penalty area, but the resultant Alveston free-kick came to nothing. Then, Van Der Heyden blocked a goalbound Phil Daly shot before Baz Shearsby got himself booked for dissent in the dying minutes.

Manager Cadden was delighted with the win, saying "We created plenty of chances and could have had six or seven goals. Alveston raised their game to make life difficult for us, but all the new players coming into the team fitted in well which shows the strength and character that we have in the squad now. Jonathan Adams made a good debut and we were pleased to come out winners in what could have been a difficult tie."

Leamington: Richard Morris; Mark Anderson (Steve Thompson 70); Harj Dhesi [Capt]; Steve Smith; Phil Daly; Lee McBain; Leon Morgan; Jonathan Adams (Baz Shearsby 80); Vernor Sleem (Paul Eden 77); Ryan Howell; David Care
Subs Not Used: None

Team News: No attempt; too many players left out to give others a run out who haven't featured regularly for me to know who was elsewhere for other reasons.