Brakes Storm Back to Winning Ways

Heavy rain, which started about an hour before kick-off, kept the crowd down to 310 with most huddled together under the stand. Stacey skimmed the bar with an early strike but Borough went ahead against the run of play through Grady in the 22nd, 0-1. Shepherd, back in goal, made a good save in appalling conditions before Brakes had two golden chances, the first, in the 37th, when Gregory hit the bar and a minute later when Richard Adams’s superb run and low cross needed just a touch.

Brakes had dominated the first half but went in a goal down and the second period started with Borough in the ascendancy. Then Morgan made amends for a scuffed shot by knocking home an equaliser a minute later in the 60th after Borough’s defence failed to clear a Richard Adams drive following good work by brother Jon, 1-1.

This was now an excellent contest, end to end stuff with the weather the only dampener. Shepherd made a point-blank save in the 61st and Stacey a magnificent, saving tackle as the trigger was pulled five minutes later. Eden, who continues to perform well at the higher level, pulled up on a run with a hamstring problem and Shepherd pulled off another good save before play swung to the other end and Brakes pummelled the Borough goal as full time approached.

With the defences in the ascendancy it looked as if another goal would settle it and that fell to Brakes when a surging run by Blake down the left and a drive across the face of the goal resulted in Martin Thompson hitting the back of the net but also the ball courtesy of a Kelsall header at the far post, his first goal for the club, 2-1 in the 93rd.

But Borough had other ideas and a 104th minute goal from the boot of Wellington levelled things at 2-2 before, with the fans reliving previous penalty shootouts this season, Jon Adams forced home for a winning 3-2 in a goalmouth melee in the 120th minute to send the fans into the bar wet but happy.

Brakes needed this win even if, maybe, they don’t need all the competitions they’re still in this season. They now enter the quarter finals with a real chance of league opposition. This was a very different occasion from last Saturday but Brakes can be really pleased, both with the performance against a team from a level higher and the support which was excellent for a cup match on such an appalling Tuesday night.

Paul Vanes adds: The last time Brakes reached the fourth round of the Birmingham Senior cup was in 1984/85 after receiving a bye in the first round. Goals from David Draper and Carlo Rossi beat Oldswinford away, seven goals flew into the nets at Tally Ho! as Leamington got the four that mattered through Paul Sinnott 2, Lamin Konteh and Rossi before a journey to Alvechurch which ended on the wrong side of a four goal battering.

Leamington: Paul Shepherd; Kristian Kelsall; Tom Sidwell; Neil Stacey (Ryan Parisi 106); Andy Gregory; Morton Titterton; Jon Adams; Leon Morgan [Capt] (Alex Rodman 99); Paul Eden (Martin Thompson 77); Richard Adams; Josh Blake
Subs Not Used: Ryan Howell; Richard Morris

Solihull Borough: Shaun Hayes; Martin Crowley (Dean Wellington); Simo Kayo Bertin; Gary Moran; Pete Barry; Martin Hier [Capt]; John Grady; Craig Woodley (Craig Dutton 63); Jae Martin; Dave Pearson (Naveed Ashad 56); Ryan Mahon
Subs not used: Avun Jephcott; Jamie Petty

Attendance: 310

Players' News: Paul Eden went off felled by a hamstring, prognosis unknown but it looks fairly serious.