No Response to Bulls' Charges from Statuesque Brakes

In truth this was a sorry performance by young Brakes, and the less said the better. One word sums it up: "statuesque". I'd like to leave it there, and do something useful, but duty dictates that I fill in, at least, some of the detail.

Hereford Bulls looked eminently beatable but they charged through Brakes defence for 1-0 in the 4th minute, again in the 12th for 2-0 and slammed in another in the 20th to make it 3-0.

Ball-watching implies a level of activity that wasn't there. There was no movement off the ball, and very little on it with the honourable exceptions, maybe, of Kyriacou, Howell and Crowley who battled forlornly against overwhelming odds. Brakes' weren't just slow to the ball but seemed surprised when it went past them. Too many players posed like alabaster statues, gazing straight ahead as if trying to remember why they were there only knowing that they were not part of today's events.

Astonishingly Brakes got one back in the 28th when Rowan met a cross from Howell to make it 3-1 but that, and a good free-kick from Tolley that went just wide two minutes later, was it. Lewis improved things somewhat in the second half when he came off the bench, and Howell occupied a midfield that was previously non-existent. The game was summed up in the 86th as Howell ran past 4/5 defenders but with no-one to pass to, and no other options, lost it to the 6th defender. The statues looked on in admiration.

Potentially this year's youth team is said to be better than last year's but the attitude and commitment are all wrong. Skill is good, nobody wants the frenetic movement that implies fitness is more important and, certainly, aggression in its nasty form is not needed. But Brakes' Youth need to "get stuck in"; I hate to use such a hackneyed phrase but relegation looms unless they start to believe that they can be, and behave like they are, winners - a little more like last season's youth and less like yesterday's men.

Leamington Youth: Luke Cole; Andrew McKinley [Capt.]; Martin Groves; Iain Groves; Alex Shaw; Mark Anderson (Chris Lewis 46); Kyle Crowley (Thompson 46); Ben Rowan; Nik Kyriacou; Ryan Howell; Josh Tolley (Alex Taylor 65)
Sub(s) Not Used (3 From 5): Ben Halstead-Smyth; Jamie Coleman

Team News: Three players: Andy McKinley, Martin Groves and Josh Tolley, have been selected for the Birmingham County FA representative side to play Herefordshire County FA this coming Sunday 19 October, ko 2:30, at Kington Town FC, Herefordshire.