By Roger Vincent

Young Brakes Turn It On - For 45 Minutes

This amateur hack studiously avoids hackneyed expressions, like "a game of 2 ....", nearly said it, but in (another) cold, rain-swept game at Kenilworth (do they have their own micro-climate?), as the puddles formed on the crippled chairs strewn around the leaking stands, 46 stalwarts were warmed by 4 goals in the first half and driven to cold despair in the second by a half more noted for fisticuffs than football.

Within 5 minutes young Brakes were 2-0 up, both by Stacey, as they threatened to run riot against a team who seemed to have little knowledge of eachother. In 2 minutes a long ball split a static defence and Stacey ran on to waltz around the goalkeeper and 3 minutes later he broke clear again this time driving it hard past the advancing goalkeeper who parried the ball but couldn't stop it.

Brakes were stroking the ball around to good effect and Wilkinson headed just over from a Claridge cross shortly after a Bloxwich forward managed to miss from 2 yards. In 27 minutes Brakes were three up when a magnificent, killer through ball from Stacey saw Claridge run through and, with a defender in hot pursuit, slide the ball superbly into the far corner, 3-0. In the 41st a 4th goal, and Claridge's second, came when Stacey, spotting the goalkeeper well out of his area, tried a long shot which fell to Claridge who calmly slipped it home, 4-0.

A curious second half was notable for a change in attitude by Bloxwich who, having conceded the game, reacted in two distinct ways. The defence seemed to relax, talking and joking amongst themselves, which, paradoxically, resulted in a less static performance. Their attack seemed to lose control and the two-footed tackles and niggling threatened, and ultimately succeeded, in destroying the game. Grainger came on for Claridge in the 62nd and Dosanjh for Webster in the 74th but Brakes made little headway and Stacey had a penalty saved in the 73rd after a handball which was the closest they came to scoring.

At the other end Lee van Der Heyden played well and seems to have established himself as number 1 with this his first clean sheet for the club. Lee Scott was, once again, superb but the game deteriorated with the referee having difficulty in controlling some wayward behaviour which resulted in a Bloxwich sending-off late in the game and fists flying near the end and after the final whistle as the fans left 45 minutes too late.

Next round: away to Willenhall (Black Country outfit, not Coventry).

Leamington: Van Der Heyden, Mellings M, Poole, Green, Scott, Mellings J [Capt.], Wilkinson, Webster (Dosanjh 74), Claridge (Grainger 62), Stacey, Collen