Blake scores his 150th goal as Brakes just edge home

This was the match that had everything. The fastest goal scored at the New Windmill in just 12 seconds, Josh Blake's 150th strike for the club and a Stuart Herlihy winner four minutes from time to maintain Brake's good start to the season.

Any latecomers will have missed an explosive start that saw Jon Adams head Brakes into the lead virtually from the kick-off following a defensive mix-up between central defender Anthony Rivett and his goalkeeper, Jon Pugh.

If that wasn't excitement enough, Josh Blake brought the crowd to its feet in the 7th minute when his long-range shot took a deflection and went wide of Pugh's outstretched hand for his 150th goal for the club. Blake scored the very first goal at the New Windmill back in August 2000 and he has continued to be a model player, always giving of his best and scoring at every level that Brakes have played at over the last six years.

However, the excitement was not over yet as, in the 9th minute, a long Westfileds clearance caused confusion in the Brakes defence and Paul Burton stole in to lob Jason Pearcey to bring the score back to 2-1. Within two minutes, Brakes could have scored again when Martin Thompson shook off his marker to go clear, but put his shot just wide of the post.

Pearcey was making his debut for the club and, having had little to do in the first half, pulled off a number of saves in the second, notably to brilliantly turn a deflected free-kick around the post on 55 minutes. Westfields had returned after the break in determined mood to level the match, although Brakes had plenty of possession without making their chances count. The nearest that they came was when a goalbound Herlihy header from a Jamie Towers corner was stopped on the line in the 61st.

It looked very much as these missed opportunities would cost Brakes dear when substitute Derek Craddock capitalised on some defensive uncertainty to make the score 2-2 in the 77th minute.

However, in a storming finish, Stuart Herlihy drove the ball home through a crowded goal area four minutes from time to secure victory and keep Brakes up with the early-season pacesetters.

Westfields had sent Racing Club Warwick out of the FA Cup last Saturday and provided Brakes with some tough opposition; their direct and, at times, robust style of play causing a number of problems. Rivett was booked for a foul on Ben Mackey in the first half and there were also bookings for Martin Thompson and Westfields' Matt Morris for an incident which neither the referee or his assistant saw. Finally, Herlihy got a yellow card when looking the innocent party in a clash with Morris.

Manager, Jason Cadden, left all his substitutes on the bench, trusting the starting eleven to finish the job which they did with some purpose and determination.

Assistant manager, Darran Tank, summed it all up as "a close run thing". He added, "after getting off a to a cracking start and going two goals ahead, we lost concentration and were caught out by a long ball over the top. There was not a lot in it in the second half, but we didn't drop our heads when they levelled and showed a lot of character to get back in front and win."

Leamington Jason Pearcey; Jamie Towers; Tom Cudworth; Adam Cooper; Martin Hier; Craig Dutton [Capt.]; Stuart Herlihy; Jon Adams; Martin Thompson; Ben Mackey; Josh Blake
Subs Not Used Andy Gregory; Adam Knight; Morton Titterton; Tom James; Richard Morris

Westfields Jon Pugh; Matt Morris; Kevin Jinks; Alex Winstone; Anthony Rivett; Adam Bridges Jamie Cuss 34); Ashley Day; Mark Hibbard [Capt.]; Chris Jefferson; Mark Davis; Paul Burton (Derek Craddock 72)
Subs Not Used Paul Jones; Darren Lynch; Rory Hollingshead

Attendance 441

Author's Man of the Match Jon Adams

Photographs from the match here»