Feet stay firmly on the ground as Brakes stretch unbeaten run

With a quarter of the season gone already, Brakes sit proudly at the top of the Polymac Services MFA, having dropped only four points in an unbeaten run of eleven matches. Nobody is counting any chickens, but a few more performances like this and even the most demanding of the New Windmill faithful may be won over.

Friar Lane came into existence in 2004 after an amalgamation of two clubs and have made great strides to gain their current status. The average age of the team is only 23 and they will certainly improve as the season goes on. It was no disgrace to be beaten by a Brakes side that boasts a number of players with experience at a higher level, including the admirable Adam Cooper who stood out in a defence that was rock solid throughout.

In the first half, Friar Lane came at Brakes with some fast, fluent football, but Adam Knight, Martin Hier and Cooper looked increasingly assured. When the home side got in a shot on target, Richard Morris was equal to the task. Two strikes in the first seven minutes by Lewis Gibbons and Elliott Wright were comfortably saved by Morris and, apart from a long-range shot by Danny Gibbons, there were not too many other anxious moments.

For their part, Brakes relied a little too much on the long ball leaving Martin Thompson and Dave Pearson to chase lost causes. When they did keep the ball on the ground, a goal looked more likely and Pearson finished off a move on 25 minutes with a fierce shot that went just over the top. Pearson was booked for protesting too much after being denied a penalty, one of several appeals turned down by the referee during both halves. With the score still blank at the interval, it looked very much as if one goal would settle it for either side.

Brakes made the decisive breakthrough within four minutes of the restart, as home 'keeper Dean Matthews failed to hold a Josh Blake shot and Martin Thompson was on hand to stab the ball home. Wright had a chance to equalise shortly after, but shot straight at Morris.

Brakes gradually asserted and Matthews saved well at the foot of the post from Pearson in the 64th minute. Thompson then put Pearson through on goal, but the Brakes striker hit his shot high and wide with only Matthews to beat. Blake was then denied by central defender Mark Orton, before Dave Pearson put the game beyond the home side's reach, converting a low cross from the left by the industrious James Husband on 82 minutes.

Husband himself almost scored in added time, but his shot went agonisingly wide of the post.

Manager Jason Cadden described the match as "a good advert for the league." He added, "it was played at a high tempo, particularly in the first half, and Friar Lane were a hard working side. We needed to win again to back up our success at Romulus. Defeat would have seen all that hard work wasted and the players were conscious of that. Whilst it is good to be top, we are keeping our feet firmly on the ground and need to go on performing to our best."

Friar Lane & Epworth Dean Meadows; Josh Pitsillides; Andy Smith; Nick Brett; Mark Orton; Danny Gibbons [Capt.]; Darren Bogan (Jamie Marsh 80); Elliott Wright; Lewis Gibbons (John Chapman 61); Tangeni Nghishidimbwa; Carl Tallents (Lee Roper 76)
Subs Not Used: Michael Brookes; Ross Trevor

Leamington Richard Morris; Jon Adams; Martin Hier; Adam Knight; Adam Cooper; Craig Dutton [Capt.]; Stuart Herlihy; Josh Blake; Martin Thompson (Ben Mackey 84); Dave Pearson ( Tom James 89); James Husband
Subs Not used: Neil Stacey; Morton Titterton; Jamie Towers

Attendance 240

Author's Man of the Match Adam Cooper

Photographs from the match here»