By Roger Vincent

Brakes' Blitz Villa

About 150 people saw Brakes blitz Villa with four goals in twelve minutes of a first half marred by an injury to Webb. Timms got two, in the 12th and 23rd minutes, both from Thompson assists. Blake made sure in the 15th after a Nicholls power-drive was only parried by the Villa 'keeper and Thompson drove home in the 19th from a Nicholls through ball that had the fans seeking superlatives. Six minutes into the second half Brakes scored again through the impressive Nicholls from a Blake pass to complete the rout before relaxing ahead of Saturday's clash with fellow promotion contenders Loughborough who drew with the other contenders, Knowle, the previous night in a perfect result for Brakes.

Brakes came to the home of Bromsgrove Rovers, where Fairfield Villa play, a well-appointed ground that has seen better days and now shows signs of some neglect. Sitting in the stand it was nice, for once, to get a panoramic view of the game. Unfortunately, despite the score-line, this was not a game for the purist. Too many times, especially in the first half, the ball was hit high and hopefully, and, consequently, possession was lost. The paradox then is that the hustle and bustle seemed to work as Brakes stormed into an early, unassailable lead. Maybe, possibly, given the number of games to be played in April this route 1 approach is right in the current situation.

Certainly Brakes were fighting like demons and winning every tussle with always a second or third player to take over if the ball was lost. Simon Walker, making his first start, played an influential role and other relative newcomers, Jamie Barr and Andy Gregory, fitted in well. Gregory, in particular, played probably his best game in a hard month that has seen him improve with every match.

A Morris clearance in the 7th minute went straight to Blake who forced a corner, and Timms sent Thompson through in the 10th to drive just wide before the Fairfield defence finally succumbed under the constant pressure to concede four times in 12 minutes.

In the 12th minute Timms rose high to make it 1-0, nodding home a Thompson free kick. The increasingly influential Nicholls made a goal for 2-0 in the 15th minute when he turned beautifully and smashed a shot from 20 yards so powerful that the 'keeper could only parry it and Blake, rightly, ensured that it crossed the line although it was almost certainly going in anyway. A slightly longer wait, 4 minutes, for the next goal saw the arch-provider, Thompson, grab one for himself to make it 3-0 in the 19th minute when he drove a low, hard shot into the corner after a through ball from Nicholls that had hardened Brakes' fans comparing him favourably with heroes of yore, including some in the Football League Premiership. Fanciful? I wonder. Then Webb put through Blake who won a corner for Thompson and Timms to combine yet again when Timms made it 4-0 in the 23rd sweeping the ball in at the far-post from Thompson's corner.

Nicholls, showing superb skills, went close three times before the half closed. In the 26th minute a hard drive went wide and as the half ended a run on goal took him past two defenders and a shot from distance was, again, just wide. But, in the 43rd minute, the powerful and influential Webb came down awkwardly on an ankle, which later swelled up, and had to be helped from the pitch being replaced by Wickson.

I had to check my notes to remind myself that Nicholls hadn't actually scored, so influential had he been; but that was put right within six minutes of the restart. Blake broke through on goal with three defenders in hot pursuit and, unselfishly, slipped a cross ball to Nicholls who stroked it home in the 51st to make it 5-0.

It is to Fairfield Villa's credit that, astonishingly, they didn't give up or even try to contain what was starting to look like a cricket score with the crowd baying for more. Indeed they started to play some good football largely wasted by an inability to finish. McGovern came on for Gregory in the 77th as Villa continued to attack. It was clear, though almost certainly not intentional, that Brakes felt that they had done enough with such a busy April. In the 83rd Fairfield came close to spoiling a clean sheet when an overhead kick from in front of goal was well tipped over by Morris who must have been stiff from inactivity.

Promotion chasers Knowle and Loughborough drew 1-1 the previous evening in a perfect result for Brakes and Rugby won 1-0 against bottom club Kenilworth Town, a result that augurs well for their eventual, inevitable slip-up to leave Brakes as champions for the second year running.

Leamington: Richard Morris, Jonny Burgess, Simon Walker, Tom Sidwell, Andy Gregory (Liam McGovern 77), Glen Webb (Simon Wickson 43), Jamie Barr, Darren Timms, Josh Blake, Paul Nicholls, Steve Thompson [Capt.]
Subs Not Used: Barry Shearsby

Team News: Brian Agar unwell; Barry Shearsby aggravated injury in warm-up.