By Roger Vincent

Mere Draw is Not Enough

Meir KA are the current form side in the Premier with 20 wins and only two losses in the last 25. Their proud boast is that they have beaten every side in the second half of the season that they lost to in the first when they took just eight points from a possible 39. Against these criteria Brakes did well to draw but the loss of two points, when the other three front-runners all won, leaves Brakes with only an unrealistic, mathematical chance of the Championship and a more likely third, or even fourth, place. On a surface ideally suited to a footballing side Brakes struggled to break down a packed defence and were 1-0 down in the 40th after a swift Meir break. The equaliser, another crashing drive from distance by Adams, salvaged a point in the 86th minute then Brakes pummelled a faltering Meir defence forcing corner after corner but failed to capitalise.

Brakes' groundsman Idris Elms, with considerable assistance from Director Nigel Hodgkins, won the BCFA (Birmingham County FA) region award for the NWG pitch and came second in one of the four national areas. The awards were presented by the FA in a Birmingham hotel last week. But it was a surprise to Nigel when he realised that Stone Rangers, whose pitch pipped Brakes into 2nd place in the national award, shared their pitch with Meir KA. So, unlike many other pitches Brakes have played on lately there was no excuse for not playing football on this one.

Agar, in particular, found the going to his taste and played like a player used to a higher level which, indeed, is the case. He will be a sad loss if he retires at the end of the season. In the seventh minute he released Blake on goal, though to no avail, and was involved in most of the creative work up front as Brakes showed early promise. There was certainly no lack of effort, maybe because Brakes would be too scared to return to the changing room at half-time with nothing to show, as one fan observed who had overheard the pre-match "talk" from co-manager Cadden by straying within 50 yds of the team's room.

McFarlane was dominating the defence as Brakes poured forward in waves. Thompson sprinted down the left to force a corner in the eighth and Burgess ran on goal from the right in the 14th skipping past despairing tackles to see his drive on goal blocked by a packed defence. Then, in the 16th, Adams ran at speed on goal and slipped an inch-perfect pass to Blake whose effort was tipped over the bar. Brakes were well on top and Agar and Thompson combined well to go close though Gettings gathered well in the 29th as Meir showed they still had something to offer.

And then, not for the first time this season, with a little despondency creeping in at the lack of any reward, Meir broke away and scored. With the defence pushing up and no danger apparent, a break on the left resulted in a perfect cross for Borthwick to slot home to make it 1-0 in the 40th minute. A Dhesi free kick was turned round for a corner in the 42nd but Brakes went into the break undeservedly in arrears.

This was a team ill at ease with itself, lacking in confidence despite a magnificent season overall but now needing a goal or two to settle them down into the confident, free flowing outfit of earlier in the season. A sense of rush and urgency translated into hurried shots or long balls where a more measured approach may have reaped dividends.

But there were chances, notably from Burgess in the 50th and Blake in the 53rd after more good work by Thompson and Dhesi, though another save with his feet from Gettings showed that it was not all one way. Adams looked to be a potential match-winner as he strove time and again to get behind a packed defence. In the 68th he crossed for Timms to blast over. But there was a feeling of acceptance from the team as a whole. When Burgess shouted in the 71st minute "It's still there, come on!" it reflected perfectly a feeling by the 167 fans that the team, as a whole, needed to be reminded of that fact.

And they did "come on". Substitutions replaced some tiring legs as Brakes moved up a gear and started peppering the Meir goal. A succession of corners in the 79th and 80th minute showed the pressure being applied but also that the solid Meir defence was managing to stop everything. Then the industrious Adams, at last, reaped some reward for a totally committed performance. After yet another flurry of corners, taken by Thompson, Parisi knocked the ball out for Adams to drill into the corner from 25yds to equalise at 1-1 in the 86th minute.

Another flurry of corners in the 88th and 89th minutes ended when Timms diving header went just wide, then Thompson was denied into added time when a thundering shot was tipped over. This resulted in another succession of corners, with Brakes throwing everything at the Meir goal, but the whistle blew for a creditable result on the day that was not enough for the season.

Brakes must now get themselves together for the final match, next Saturday, against Bolehall Swifts at the NWG when they will be looking to secure 3rd place, finish the season on a winning note and prevent Bolehall Swifts doing what no other team has done against them this season, the double. In fact only one team, Marconi, has taken a majority of the six points over the two league games.

Leamington: James Gettings, Jonny Burgess (Ryan Parisi 75), Harj Dhesi, Nick McFarlane, Andy Gregory, Ben Adams, Nick Mort (Barry Shearsby 70), Darren Timms, Josh Blake, Brian Agar, Steve Thompson [Capt.]
Subs Not Used: Chris Hanrahan

Team News: Nicholls absent on a work-related course