Roller-Coaster Ride Ends With Three Points

Improving Shifnal looked likely to snatch a point, if not all three, in this roller-coaster of a game played before 143 spectators. They took the lead twice in the first 16 minutes, with skipper Steve Thompson notching the first equaliser, and led 2-1 at the break. Brakes equalised for the second time in the 61st when Simmonds bundled the ball home then Timms put Brakes ahead for the first time five minutes later with a penalty lashed home after the Shifnal 'keeper had saved his first strike. With memories of recent games too fresh in the memory a harsh penalty was awarded to Shifnal in the 5th minute of added time but with a sense of deja vu creeping over the silenced crowd Morris brought off a brilliant save to preserve Brakes' lead and three well-earned points.

A steady drizzle made an otherwise perfect pitch a little greasy at the start of the game with a Shifnal side who have improved considerably after an inauspicious start to the season following relegation from the Alliance. Gregory, again, stood out for Leamington and that was before the kick-off with his blue coiffeur providing an optimistic note under leaden-grey skies.

Three goals in quarter of an hour soon stirred the faithful, the first in the 4th minute from Shifnal's Woodman who headed home a long, raking cross from the right with Morris starting to come but hesitating, 1-0. Brakes knuckled down with Simmonds and Sleem providing clever touches for the other forwards and comboning well with Martin Thompson to force a corner in the 7th. Then, in the 10th minute it was 1-1 when skipper Steve Thompson lashed in a shot from a pull-back by Simmonds. This was a second goal in two outings for the evergreen Brakes' skipper who also marked his 150th appearance in competitive games for Brakes since their renaissance. Only Blake (153) and Timms (159) have played more.

But relief was short-lived when, with Brakes defence looking suspect against a side that had only scored 25 league goals before this match, a run was not picked up and Morris could only flap at a cross that was nodded home by Brown to put Shifnal back in the lead at 2-1 in the 16th. Matters were nearly worse on 30 minutes when Morris had to make a good save after a defender slipped on the greasy surface and minutes later the in-form Walker stretched to cut out a cross which would have left Shifnal with a free shot. However, Brakes were showing plenty of spirit and fight and the half ended with a Steve Thompson free kick followed by three, successive corners as Brakes threatened to break Shifnal's resolve. But the Shifnal defence were equal to the challenge.

Brakes were nearly undone at the start of the second half when a poor back-pass from an uncertain defence nearly let Shifnal through. Morris, who was having a nervous game, nearly conceded in the 52nd when he appealed for a foul rather than play to the whistle but Blake promised better things with a shot in the 54th that was high and Sleem brought a tremendous save from the Shifnal 'keeper, whose agility belied his less than athletic appearance, palming the ball round the post from a shot that would have beaten most at this level.

Then Brakes equalised, a goal that had started to seem unlikely as Brakes, lacking in confidence, pumped the ball upfield into the maw of a good defence rather than play the flowing football on the ground which they can do so well. Blake was the architect making a run down the left and crossing into the crowded goalmouth. With several players looking in all directions as the ball pinged off bodies, Simmonds kept his composure and bundled the ball over the line to make it 2-2 in the 61st.

Now it was anyone's game though a draw looked most likely. Then, one of those peculiar moments when you look for the action replay: with play moving away from the Shifnal goal Martin Thompson was felled in the penalty area by a Shifnal elbow and the linesman called over the referee who awarded a fully justified penalty but, unaccountably, only a yellow card. With Martin Thompson receiving treatment for a newly, wonky face there seemed to be uncertainty about who would take the penalty. But cometh the moment cometh the man and up stepped the fearless Timms who followed up to lash home after his first kick was pushed out by the Shifnal 'keeper; 2-3 in the 61st.

This was now a battle; several little conflagrations sparked up as the game entered its final phase. Blake, ignoring all the petty hostilities, ran from his own half to send an angled shot just wide in the 76th and Shifnal's Mark Pound received marching orders in the 85th for a second yellow. Now Brakes looked like winners: in the 90th minute of normal time a Blake drive was palmed away for another excellent save and three minutes later Martin Thompson bustled through on the left to see his strike hit the underside of the bar and drop the wrong side of the line.

But Brakes seemed to have done enough, or so the Shifnal supporter next to me thought. I recounted some last minute goals conceded in recent matches, talked him through the Studley affair. "Oh," he said "you were right", as in the 5th minute of added time the ball spun of Sidwell's boot, hit his hand and a harsh penalty was awarded. The experienced John Powell ran up in deathly silence and struck the ball hard and low to his left. Morris leaped to his right, hand to ball turning it onto the bar and away. Shifnal slumped, Brakes jumped, and the roller-coaster had reached its destination tipping its exhausted riders in the direction of the bar.

Leamington: Richard Morris; Josh Blake; Simon Walker; Tom Sidwell; Andy Gregory; Darren Timms; Mark Simmonds; Chris Hanrahan; Vernor Sleem (David Care 62); Martin Thompson; Steve Thompson [Capt]
Subs Not Used: Ryan Parisi; Niels Kristensen

Leamington Team News: Anthony Episcopo looks likely to miss the remainder of the season due to police training at Ryton; Paul Nicholls back in training; Stuart Herlihy not injured but has missed through personal reasons; FOLFC voted Josh Blake as player-of-the-month for January at last Friday's meeting with Vernor Sleem and Richard Morris joint second; Steve Thompson notched up 150 competitive appearances for Brakes, three behind Josh Blake on 153 with Darren Timms up front on 159.