Brakes Survive Kiss of Death With Late, Late Winner

Brakes were awarded December "Team of the Month" by the Midland Combination, normally the kiss of death for any club, and with the Marconi manager announcing that other clubs were now "only competing for second place" the auguries were not good. For the 120 called to prayer alongside the touchlines of muddy Bolehall the feeling was that, at best, this could be the first draw of the season. And for 92 minutes this seemed most likely with Jon Adams levelling the scores at 1-1, 10 minutes after Bolehall had taken an unlikely lead in the 31st. But with 30 seconds left to play Leon Morgan scored a winner that had seemed to be coming for some time though denied by the woodwork, four times, and a perverse Deity intent on making the fans suffer to the final, exultant few moments.

Leamington do not have many happy memories of Bolehall, a defeat two years ago and a 1-0 win last season when the winds were so strong that fans cowered under cover with one eye on the swaying floodlights. Maybe that's why the travelling faithful were half of recent numbers. The pitch was muddy and uneven which didn't promise well for Brakes' flowing, one-touch football. But though there was a drizzle for much of the first hour it was warm for the time of year and the fans were in good voice.

All the early pressure was from Brakes with the ball rarely leaving the Bolehall half. Howell, making a rare start in the league, was full of life up front and the Adams brothers, Jon and Richard, joined in the fun in a display of attacking football that seemed certain to bring an early goal. Ben Adams was proving a handful for a jittery defence with his speed down the right touchline with Morgan always lurking dangerously a little deeper.

Again the power base for Brakes' performance rested in good part on the competence of Tank and Smith, supreme at the heart of defence, and the growing assertiveness of Harper in goal who now has that all-important understanding with the players in front of him. Gregory, too, is in excellent form though, more often these days, he is joining the attack.

Morgan was just wide in the 18th after good approach work by Ben Adams and Howell and a minute later hit the bar from a Jon Adams cross. But Brakes' dominance proved their downfall when, with play mostly in the Bolehall half, the defence was caught by a swift break from the impressive Lee Ward who powered through the mud to set up Stuart Dawe who slotted home to give Swifts an unlikely 1-0 lead in the 31st.

Richard Adams was the second Brakes' player to shake the woodwork when he hit the intersection of bar and post in the 39th but there was a warning for Brakes a minute later when, after another swift break, a Bolehall player miskicked from a scoring position. Maybe this was a defining moment as a minute later, in the 41st, Richard Adams jinxed past three defenders before passing to Morgan; he laid off a perfect ball into the path of Jon Adams who smashed home an equaliser from 20 yds, 1-1.

Brakes started the second half as they'd started the game and could have been ahead almost immediately after Howell ran half the length of the pitch but was stopped by an excellent 'keeper. Then captain Blake linked with Ben Adams and Gregory to force a corner. A Bolehall free from a good position in the 61st briefly threatened but Brakes were dominating possession. Nicholls came on for Hanrahan in the 66th going up front with Jon Adams falling back to take the midfield role.

As time went on the Bolehall defence grew in confidence though a few continued the time-wasting that was noticeable even in the first half and was not to their advantage as it did not play to the team's strengths with two nippy forwards who were denied the momentum they needed by constant delays. But Brakes continued to press, admirably so as shot after shot was just wide, just too high or blocked. The Bolehall woodwork was rattled a third time, when Richard Adams struck the base of the post in the 88th and, unbelievably, a fourth time when Howell hit the bar a minute later as the ball refused to cross the line.

But still Brakes came forward, willed on, sucked in by the fans. And then they got their reward, technically in the 90th minute when, with 92 minutes and 30 secs on the clock a Nicholls cross was picked up superbly by Morgan who turned and drove home a low shot into the far corner, 1-2. The players landed in a sweaty heap of muddy limbs, fans kissed fans they hardly knew, at least not before the game, and the referee restarted the game playing another 30 seconds.

Leamington: Andy Harper; Ben Adams; Darran Tank; Steve Smith: Andy Gregory; Chris Hanrahan (Paul Nicholls 66); Leon Morgan; Jon Adams (Darren Timms 90); Richard Adams; Ryan Howell; Josh Blake [Capt]
Sub(s) Not Used: Tom Sidwell

Team News: Mark Anderson (Southam) joins Baz Shearsby (Alveston) seeking regular, first-team football with another club and we wish them both well; Stuart Herlihy not injured but missed through unavoidable family commitments; both Steve Thompson and Richard Morris are now available and Steve was at the match wearing some nifty headgear and kicking in.