Tired Brakes Lose Their Grip At the Last

Young Brakes slipped out of this cup against lower division Blackheath who have only 2 wins and 11 goals from their 11 league games so far. But Blackheath deserved their win, and a Round 3 home tie against Dudley Youth. They stunned a tired looking Brakes with an 88th minute goal to equalise Howell's 41st minute strike slotting the winner in time added to the 90 as extra time loomed.

Trouble with traffic meant that Brakes arrived late and the kick-off was delayed. Iain Groves netted in the 6th minute and, though it was cancelled out for offside, the evening promised a reasonably comfortable win against lowly Blackheath. But it was Blackheath who made the early running and Brakes' 'keeper Kerr performed minor miracles with three saves in the 12th, 14th and 16th minute. When another Blackheath drive was only just wide nearing the half-hour it was difficult to judge if the pressure would, eventually, tell or if Blackheath's lack of the finishing touch, plus their poor scoring record suggested that it wasn't their night.

Young Brakes were just not functioning. They looked tired and slow, nothing like the vigorous, fast-moving side we have come to expect. When I heard that one of the players, at least, had already played a full game at school earlier in the day I knew that this was going to be a battle.

Nevertheless all seemed well when McKinley had a good shot saved and Tolley's corner from the left was cleverly flicked home by Howell in the 41st to send Brakes in at half-time 0-1.

The second half was no better though Brakes had their chances to put the game beyond recall. Good runs by Howell and Tolley brought no reward though Coleman, making his debut in the 71st minute off the bench, showed some pleasing touches first with his head and then with a beautifully flighted through-ball which deserved better.

In truth, though Brakes hadn't played well they seemed to have done just enough to win it. With the temperature plummeting extra time did not appeal. Then out of the blue Blackheath notched an unlikely equaliser, 1-1 in the 88th with an excellent smash into the net from 20yds. But the nightmare scenario of another half hour in freezing conditions after a late start was replaced by an even worse scenario when, in the third minute of added time, a corner from the right, won after yet another ball was given away by Brakes, was met by a soaring header to set up a 2-1 win for an ecstatic Blackeath.

Over the 90 minutes Blackheath deserved this win which gives them another home tie against Dudley Sports. But what are Brakes going to do about the chaotic schedule of representative, school, academy and rearranged games plus the Saturday schedules of many of our young players that will endanger the youth team's progress and the role it could play in the overall club set up?

Leamington Youth: Dan Kerr; James Taylor; Martin Groves; Mark Anderson; Andrew McKinley [Capt.]; Ben Rowan (Jamie Coleman 71); Ryan Howell; Iain Groves (Ben Halstead-Smyth 82); Chris Lewis; Kyle Crowley (Alex Shaw 61); Josh Tolley