Sat, 18 Aug 2007 @ The New Windmill Ground. vs Leighton Town (1-1). British Gas Business Football League Midland Division. By D Hucker. The match got off to an explosive start when Leighton's 'keeper, Nigel Maarman, was sent off in the first minute for a foul on Josh Blake. Substitute 'keeper, Steve Root, saved Ben Mackey's free kick, but the ball ran to James Husband whose shot struck the post.
Despite being down to ten men, it was the visitors who took the lead on 13 minutes through a Bruce Wilson penalty awarded against Martin Hier, a decision that manager Jason Cadden later called "harsh".
This stunned the crowd into silence, but they came alive three minutes before the interval when former Sky Blue, Ben Mackey, finished off a fine solo run with a low shot into the corner.
Despite persistent rain throughout the second half, both sides tried to play football on an increasingly slippery pitch. The lively Blake, who had scored the first goal of the current Brakes era seven years ago, had a golden opportunity to seal a win in the 65th minute, but put his shot wide from close in.
After that, chances were few and far between and the draw was no less than Leighton, for whom captain, Peter Clifford, was commanding in the heart of the defence, deserved. For Brakes, this was a wake-up call that life in the Midlands Division is going to be a lot tougher than last season's romp.
Brakes Richard Morris, Marcus Jackson, Arron Parkinson, Adam Cooper, Martin Hier, Tom Fountain, Craig Dutton [Capt.], Liam Reynolds (Stuart Herlihy 65), Ben Mackey, Josh Blake, James Husband (Ryan Parisi 82)
Subs Not Used: Ryan Willetts, Richard Adams, Chris Gibson
Leighton Town
Nigel Maarman, Liam Howley, Charlie Cunningham, Craig Kench, Peter Clifford [Capt.], Scott Thomas, Alex McCarthy (Wes Lewis 35), Enzo Silvestri, Bilal Hassan (Steve Root 1), Gavin Jaggard, Bruce Wilson
Subs Not Used: Andrew Fagan, James McNulty
Attendance 507
- MotM Arron Parkinson.