Star Blown Apart By Brakes' Goal Blitz

Championships are won over a season, not 90 minutes. However, should Brakes win this year's Midland Combination Premiership, the New Windmill faithful may well look back and say that the season turned in the last 23 minutes of this match.

With Continental Star 2-1 up and Brakes looking out of sorts, the goal machine that has sent the side to the top of the table suddenly sprang into life and four strikes went in to leave the visitors shell-shocked and take the season's league tally to an unbelievable 76 in just 24 matches. In the process, Brakes preserved the 100% home record that has been the springboard to their success.

With club skipper Steve Thompson on holiday, Chris Hanrahan came back into the side with leading scorer Josh Blake taking over the captain's armband. Also on holiday was goalkeeper Richard Morris and former Alvechurch shot stopper Andy Harper made his league debut.

Brakes got off to a good start with a Jon Adams free kick being palmed away by visiting 'keeper Andy Pring in the seventh minute. However, the 429 strong crowd were stunned into silence shortly after when the Brakes defence failed to clear and Italleck Powell shot low into the corner past Harper to give the visitors a 9th minute 0-1 lead. The goal celebrations were ecstatic, but the joy turned to protest in the 13th minute when Josh Blake broke clear to score off the post for his twenty-second league goal of the season, 1-1. Central defender Marcel Simpson led the protests that the ball had not crossed the line and was lucky to escape censure by the referee.

Harper was again in action on 22 minutes, making a good save under pressure from Lee James. Then Brakes had a golden chance to take the lead, but Paul Nicholls' header from a Richard Adams cross from the right came back into play off the crossbar. Stuart Herlihy should have made sure when picking up the rebound, but he spooned his shot high into the Harbury Lane End stand.

The wind that had been blowing gently from the kick-off started to get stronger and with it Brakes' play got scrappy with too many passes going astray. They paid the penalty for their sloppiness in the 36th minute as Star captain Justin Jackson stole in behind the defence to head home, 1-2. Cue more happy celebrations.

Richard Adams went on one of his darting runs as half-time approached, but his shot was deflected for a corner which came to nothing. Thus, the visitors went in at the interval a goal to the good and the Brakes players had a strong team talk to look forward to from manager Jason Cadden.

A substitution at the start of the second half saw a strangely muted Leon Morgan replaced by Ben Adams allowing Jon Adams to move into a central midfield role. There is still much criticism of the manager from a few supporters, but this was an occasion when he bit the bullet and took off a crowd favourite in what turned out to be a decisive move. There was now more life in the Brakes attack (although not before Lee James had shot into the side netting for Star when well placed) and Blake and Herlihy both had chances. The pressure eventually paid off in the 67th minute as Andy Gregory stepped up to meet a Jon Adams corner from the left to head powerfully off the underside of the crossbar for his fifth league goal of the campaign, 2-2.

Star almost struck back but Powell's free kick was well taken by Harper. However, it was Brakes who got the decisive third as good work down the right by Jon and Ben Adams enabled Nicholls to go the line and cross from the right for Richard Adams to net in the 76th minute, 3-2. It was all Brakes now and two more goals in the last minute by Jon Adams and a mightily relieved Paul Nicholls finished Star off. In fact, Nicholls' shot was struck with such power that Pring did well to get out of the way as the ball crashed against the back of the net.

The contrast between the two halves couldn't have been stronger and trying to pick out players for mention over the full 90 minutes is not easy. However, Steve Smith was as solid as always in the heart of the defence and Andy Gregory's goal capped another good performance. Simon Walker had to be helped from the field injured on 51 minutes and Martin Thompson, who had come on for Hanrahan, himself finished the match a virtual passenger.

Manager Cadden did not mince his words afterwards describing the team as "off the pace in the first half." He added "there were some harsh words at half-time and we stuck to our task with a great header from Andy Gregory to equalise. Perhaps the scoreline flattered us in the end, but we showed that we can finish off teams even when we are not playing at our best."

Leamington: Andy Harper; Jon Adams; Simon Walker (Darran Tank 51); Steve Smith: Andy Gregory; Leon Morgan (Ben Adams 46); Stuart Herlihy; Chris Hanrahan (Martin Thompson 65); Richard Adams; Paul Nicholls; Josh Blake [Capt]

Team News: Steve Thompson on holiday and will miss next Saturday as well; Richard Morris also on holiday; Tom Sidwell injury-free and available; both match injuries potentially serious but we await the expert's verdict - neither Simon Walker or Martin Thompson had any contact: Simon's calf "felt like it had been hit by a golf ball and he had to 'phone for assistance after the match to be driven home while Martin's looked like a hamstring as he stretched in pursuit of a through ball.