More Mackey Magic

Brakes made it 13 consecutive league wins but had to be at their best against a nippy Market Drayton and conceded more than one goal in a league match for the first time since 9 September, when they also won 4-2, at Tipton.

Six of the 10 scheduled MFA matches fell foul of the wet, blustery conditions as did others in the area, including league club Northampton Town, and a fair sprinkling of faces in a healthy 568 crowd were old friends whose own matches had been called off.

Kicking with the strong wind towards the North Bank, Brakes made the early running with Market Drayton finding it difficult to clear their lines. But when they did their speed unsettled a resolute Brakes defence and Dutton’s smart header back to ‘keeper Pearcey in the 6th relieved a potentially dangerous situation.

Both sides were having difficulty controlling the ball in the strong wind and Brakes’ studied approach work was spoilt more than once by an overhit final ball. Husband was influential in the early stages earning a free kick in the 13th when he was brought down on the edge of the box. And he got his reward after a period of pressure that saw Town struggling to clear when he made it 1-0 in the 20th with a ball flighted into the far, top corner from way out on the left.

Blake set up Towers shortly after for a chance that would have warmed the fans stamping their feet in the cold wind had it gone in but instead it was Market Drayton who spoiled Brakes three consecutive clean sheets when Martin Davies made it 1-1 in the 24th after a wind-assisted comedy of errors in the Brakes’ defence.

Market Drayton, heartened, started to make inroads in a Brakes’ defence that was looking vulnerable for the first time in a long while and Pearcey had to get down sharply to save the day in the 35th. But Mackey restored the lead in the 44th when he turned superbly and drove an unstoppable shot past the despairing Price after a desperate defensive clearance had come to him off Towers, 2-1 at half-time. Mackey has now scored in eight of his last nine matches.

For half-an-hour after the break Brakes dominated the game, playing into the wind, with Mackey turning on the skills to delight the crowd. Brakes seemed stronger and fitter than a relatively lightweight Market Drayton with Knight and Herlihy pushing and prompting behind the front runners and Gregory starting to roam upfield to join in the fun.

But with only one goal in it and playing into the wind there was an element of frustration creeping in as Mackey, Blake and Towers were all denied by some dogged defending. So it was with some relief that the crowd greeted another piece of Mackey magic when he fastened on to a superb pass by Martin Thompson and chipped the ball past the advancing ‘keeper after riding the tackles of two defenders, 3-1 in the 75th.

It had been a good performance by a Market Drayton side that matched the best to appear at the NWG this season but for a while, at this point, it seemed that they might crumble and lose by a bigger margin than deserved on their overall performance. Mackey progressed down the left touchline with mesmeric control and crossed for Thompson to hit the side netting before Jon Adams set up Gregory who headed home from close range for 4-1 in the 78th.

With the remaining substitutes for both sides entering the arena, seemingly en masse, the game seemed to lose its structure and Brakes, who had looked like scoring more, were on the back foot. Knight joined the visitors’ Gary Anslow in picking up a yellow and a minute later, in the 87th, Market Drayton made it 4-2 when Richard Croker slotted home after Pearcey had beaten away a previous shot.

Briefly it seemed that Brakes could succumb and concede again which would have made the added three minutes of stoppage time interesting. But they prevailed to gain another three valuable points and move 10 points clear at the top of the table.

Manager Cadden said afterwards: “We had to grind out a result against one of the best sides that we have played at home so far this season. I thought that we were fortunate to be 2-1 up at half-time, but we stepped up a gear in the second half to put the match beyond doubt. To have got 50 points before the halfway stage in the season is great, but there are still 24 matches to play and a lot of hard work ahead of us.”

Martin Thompson left the field hobbling but only from a touch of cramp and Tom Bates should be back in contention for a place in the squad next week.

Leamington: Jason Pearcey; Jamie Towers; Tom Cudworth; Adam Knight; Andy Gregory; Craig Dutton [Capt]; Stuart Herlihy; Josh Blake (Jon Adams 73); Ben Mackey (Dave Pearson 82); Martin Thompson (Scott Darroch 79); James Husband
Subs Not Used: Adam Cooper; Richard Morris

Market Drayton Town: Andrew Price; Neil Cartwright [Capt]; Gary Anslow; Paul McMullen; Paul Bowyer; Stuart Timmis; Craig Ryan (Neil Edwards 76); Jason Francis; Tom Ward (Paul Tomlin 81); Martin Davies; Oliver Williams (Richard Croker 81)
Subs Not Used: Mark Evans; Dale Williams

Attendance: 568

Photographs from the match here»