Brakes Take Castle To Go Back On Top

Brakes swept into a two goal lead through the strike partnership of Blake and Richard Adams, in the 14th and 22nd, but as the fog descended seemed less certain of their way allowing Vale to get back into the game with a penalty in the 62nd. The opposition lost a player to a red for the second time in successive matches, in the 75th, which stunted Vale's penetration but on a soggy pitch Brakes couldn't add to their tally before 125, mostly, travelling fans. Coleshill Town lost at home to Dudley Town but Marconi had an emphatic win. However, Brakes go back on top as Marconi have games in hand but Bloxwich could leapfrog back to the top Wednesday night after a trip to Meir.

Although Brakes had insisted on a referee's inspection before travelling, the match referee said that, had it been up to him, he would have called the match off. Vale seemed to have prepared for postponement. Once the fans, and players got in, after shouting outside in the gathering gloom on arrival, the bar and other facilities remained locked until 25 minutes before kick-off. Although the squad and team history had been sent in good time the programme, sold for a £1, bizarrely included straight lifts from an old Brakes' programme. Thus not only was the team and history a year out of date but so was the list of Leamington's Vice-Presidents and the committee of the now-defunct FOLFC, neither of which have relevance in another team's programme anyway.

The pitch had some surface water which was forked away before kick-off but was also very bare and, oddly, hard in places where the water had been. Thus the bounce was uneven making it very difficult to play a passing game. On a crisp and, initially, clear evening Brakes started off well with Blake and both Adamses, Richard and Ben, getting through a hesitant defence. Blake and Ben Adams set up Richard Adams twice, in the 11th and 12th minutes, before Brakes, deservedly, drew first blood. The estimable Tank release Steve Thompson down the left and Thompson sprinted past the defence sending a low cross into the box which Blake knelt to head home in the 14th minute, 0-1.

Brakes nearly paid the penalty for some casual defensive play but Morris dived low to save in the 21st. But a minute later, in the 22nd, Brakes were 0-2 after Blake fed a through ball to Richard Adams who outpaced the defence in hot pursuit before slipping the ball superbly past the advancing 'keeper.

The exuberant Timms added another yellow notch to his bow in the 33rd and the half ended with Brakes pursuing a third goal. Richard Adams jinxed past three defenders in the 40th before taking on one too many and losing the ball, and the powerful Herlihy turned inside to try a shot, which was blocked, in the same minute. Ben Adams was causing defenders all sorts of problems with his speed down the right and the half ended on a high with the only concern being that the fog had been steadily growing for the last 15 minutes and might cause a postonement.

It was now quite difficult to see the far-side but the fog didn't worsen thereafter. Both Richard Adams and Ben Adams threatened in the 52nd but Blake seemed to be suffering from an injury though not enough for him to go off. Vale came more into the game without looking particularly threatening but Brakes paid the price of sin when they appealed for an infringement rather than playing to the whistle which allowed a forward to run on goal where he was adjudged to have been bundled off the ball in the box by Hanrahan. The resulting penalty was duly despatched, 1-2 in the 62nd. Hanrahan received a yellow soon after as he continued to fight a lost battle.

Brakes still looked more than capable of winning, if not adding to their tally, but it was a hard half hour for their nerve-wracked fans. It was a difficult pitch which made for a scrappy game but Brakes were on top and Richard Adams had a shot deflected for a corner in the 71st and missed a golden opportunity in the 73rd with only the 'keeper to beat. Smith powered a header onto the outside of a post, from a corner in between Adams's efforts. The job looked easier when Vale's no 10 was red-carded in the 75th and this blunted Vale's goal efforts thereafter.

But Brakes couldn't put the ball in the net although Smith, who had a superb game, had another header from a corner onto the top of the bar, which looked to some over-wrought fans (including me) to have gone in. The match ended with the irrepressible Blake ploughing a lonely furrow up front as Brakes protected what they had though Sleem, off the bench for Richard Adams, did net a header in the 89th which was deemed offside.

Leamington: Richard Morris; Ben Adams; Simon Walker; Steve Smith; Darran Tank; Darren Timms (Andy Gregory 70); Stuart Herlihy; Chris Hanrahan; Josh Blake; Richard Adams (Vernor Sleem 78); Steve Thompson [Capt]
Subs Not Used: Jonny Burgess

Team News: Josh Blake's "injury" is a damaged toe-nail so should be sorted for Saturday.
Brakes had to play in black shorts as Vale made a late change playing in white shorts which meant that Brakes had to play in white and black. This had extra significance when all the spare kit was stolen from the coach during the game leaving Brakes with the top half of their change kit and the bottom half of the first.