Brakes Blitz Sphinx In Front Of Season's Best Crowd

The best crowd of the season so far at the New Windmill saw Brakes end Sphinx's unbeaten run and consolidate their own position at the top of the Midland Combination Premiership. A hat-trick from Leon Morgan was the centrepiece of the show, but a 35 metre stunner from Chris Hanrahan and a penalty by goalkeeper Richard Morris added to the entertainment for the 454 spectators.

On a blustery and at times showery afternoon, Brakes opened well with Blake's speed causing problems for the visitor's defence. However, the best of the early chances fell to Sphinx's Paul Woods who rose to meet Jamie Towers' cross from the right and send a header just over the bar. Brakes opened the scoring in the 16th minute when a free kick out on the right by Ben Adams was headed home by Leon Morgan, 1-0. In the 21st, Morgan was again in the right place to rifle home a shot from a pass by Richard Adams and make it 2-0.

Adams himself was having a testing time as he was being closely marked by the Sphinx defenders and not always within the rules. He retaliated for a tackle by Terry Ward on 28 minutes lashing out at the Sphinx player and was lucky to receive only a booking when other referees would not have been so lenient. Three minutes later, Sphinx thought that they had pulled one back only for Woods' header to be ruled offside. However, they scored for real in the 34th minute when a cross from the right found Chris Harris unmarked on the edge of the penalty area and he made no mistake in beating Richard Morris, 2-1.

Richard Adams had a golden opportunity to open up a two goal gap again five minutes from half-time when Sphinx failed to clear a Ben Adams cross but, with time and space to score, he put his shot over the bar. As it was, Brakes went in 2-1 up with all to play for in the second half.

With goals needed to pull the game out of the fire, Sphinx attacked from the restart and pinned Brakes back in their own half. On 54 minutes, Steve Smith went off with a bruised left hip, but not before he had made a wonderful saving tackle to deny the visitors a scoring chance. However, the match turned against them when Hanrahan stepped up to collect the ball fully 35 metres out and strike a stunning shot past the helpless Ian Brooks to make it 3-1 in the 63rd. From then on, Sphinx seemed to lose their shape and their composure and when Morgan met Blake's low cross from the left in the 70th minute to complete his hat-trick and net Brakes' fourth, it was effectively all over, 4-1.

Morgan's topless goal celebration brought him a booking (taking your shirt off is deemed to warrant such a response these days) but it wasn't the end of the action by any means. As full-time approached, a goalbound shot by Richard Adams was handled on the line by Adrian Fisher (who was duly sent off) and up stepped 'keeper Richard Morris to put the resultant penalty away sending Brooks in the wrong direction, 5-1 in the 90th. Jamie Towers, who has joined Sphinx this season from Coventry Marconi, was then sent off for elbowing Simon Walker thus leaving the visitors to play out the remaining seconds with only nine men.

At one stage of the second half, there were three players named Adams on the pitch and with the three goals from Leon Morgan, I fully expected the Three Tenors to put in an appearance. As it was, the North Bank had plenty to sing about and, as the sun shone, the team was warmly applauded off the pitch by a large contingent of fans who had stayed behind at the final whistle.

Manager Jason Cadden was understandably pleased with the performance saying "that was a great result against a strong side. They tried to put us off our game, but we defended well when needed and scored some fine goals. We are very happy with our position at this stage of the season, but there is a long way to go and we will take each match as it comes."

Leamington: Richard Morris; Ben Adams; Simon Walker; Steve Smith (Harj Dhesi 54); Darran Tank; Lee McBain; Leon Morgan (Jonathan Adams 76); Chris Hanrahan; Josh Blake (Vernor Sleem 72); Richard Adams; Steve Thompson [Capt]
Subs Not Used: None

Team News: Niels Kristensen has some arthritis in his knee after last season's operation, which needs medication, so won't be playing in the near future but hopes to be involved again at some level soon. Several players, again, turned out for Whitnash.