Studley comeback in vain as Brakes hold on to win again

Brakes maintained their 100% record for the new season with a win at the Beehive but, after being in control and seemingly cruising to victory, they were forced to hang on in the dying minutes in the face of a Studley onslaught.

Jason Cadden's men had much the better of the first half and looked to have scored after only three minutes when Adam Knight's header came back off the crossbar and was put into the net by Jamie Towers. However, the referee disallowed the goal for a foul on the 'keeper, Alastair Lewis, who had called for the ball and then failed to gather.

Both Towers and James Husband were causing trouble down the wings just as they had done in Saturday's seasonal opener. However, Brakes couldn't relax at the back as Shane Benjamin was proving a bit of a handful with Knight having to keep close watch and the Studley striker was to get his name on the scoresheet before the night was over.

The rejuvenated Martin Thompson went close on 16 minutes when his header from an inswinging Husband corner was cleared off the line. A good move involving Jon Adams, Thompson and Towers was ended when James Beauchamp made a timely interception, cutting out the ball for a corner which Brakes failed to capitalise on.

All the pressure did eventually pay off when James Husband slotted the ball home into the corner of the net through a crowded penalty area to give Brakes the lead in the 35th minute. Studley could have levelled with a minute of the half remaining, but Tom Cudworth cut out a dangerous cross from the left before any of the forwards could set up a shot.

Brakes turned on the style at the start of the second half with Blake firing over the top after good work by Adams and Dave Pearson. Then, on 52 minutes, Towers found Martin Thompson with an accurate pass into the penalty area and the striker poked the ball into the net beyond the reach of Lewis.

The third came in the 58th minute, thanks to an Andy Gregory strike from the edge of the penalty area and it all looked plain sailing for Brakes from then on. However, Studley had come back from a three-goal deficit in their first match against Barwell and did it again here.

First, Anthony Savery found himself unmarked at the far post and easily put his 77th minute header beyond Morris. Then, Shane Benjamin was too quick for the Brakes defence scoring in the 88th to make for a final few anxious minutes for players and supporters alike.

Jon Adams made his 80th consecutive appearance in league and cup matches and stamped his authority on the midfield from the outset. He received some rough treatment, particularly from Andrew Johnson who seemed to have committed one foul too many in the 27th minute, but escaped with just a lecture from the referee.

However, there were bookings for Martin Neath and Daniel Styles of Studley and for Richard Morris who kicked the ball out of the ground after conceding the second goal.

Manager Cadden was pleased with the result, but not with all the play saying "It was a bit nerve-wracking at the end, but we did the damage in the first 70 minutes and deserved to win. We played some good football, but have to learn not to give the ball away in the final third of the field. We are happy to have six points and encouraged by the efforts of the whole team, although there were some good individual contributions from the likes of Craig Dutton, Jamie Towers and Martin Thompson."

Studley Alastair Lewis; Keiran Cross; Daniel Styles; Quentin Townsend; James Beauchamp; Anthony Savery; Paul O'Brien; Gary Choi (Robert Ager 55); Andrew Johnson; Shane Benjamin; Mark Neath [Capt.]
Subs Not Used: Vincent Rattray; Jason Dyer; Leon Kandekore; Richard Strain

Leamington Richard Morris; James Husband (Martin Hier 70); Tom Cudworth; Adam Knight; Andy Gregory; Craig Dutton [Capt.]; Jon Adams; Josh Blake; Martin Thompson (Ben Mackey 63); Dave Pearson; Jamie Towers
Subs Not Used: Adam Cooper; Daniel Burke; Jason Pearcey

Man of the Match Andy Gregory

Attendance 260