Team: Gettings; Adams, Saunders, Gregory; Thompson, Timms (Hanrahan), Mort, Eden, Shearsby; Agar (Tolley), Nicholls (Harri)

Leamington arrived at another unimpressive ex-Southern League ground, in deepest Bloxwich, to take on the division's basement boys Cheslyn Hay.

With the vocal element of the travelling support taking residence in the low stand along the halfway line, Brakes were given a wake up call inside the first minute, as a Cheslyn attacker threatened. James Gettings raced to the edge of his penalty area to make a challenge, and was booked.

The playing surface was slippy and uneven, but Leamington made a promising first foray on the home side's goal when Steve Thompson shot wide from a cross from the right. Gettings was again involved in another home attack, but on nine minutes Brakes were a goal up. A ball in from Nick Mort on the right was headed back by Brian Agar to Barry Shearsby, who got a foot to loop the ball into the bottom corner past the diving keeper.

In the next attack a home defender very nearly put through his own net when challenging a run in the box from Darren Timms. On thirteen minutes what looked like a good opening was spurned when Agar burst clear on the left, but put his cross behind a well placed Paul Nicholls and out of play. Seven minutes later an equally good attack brought the same results. With Timms, Agar and Nicholls bearing down on an undermanned defence, Nicholls placed his cross behind his team mates.

Leamington were putting the home side under some sustained pressure, and only a combination of luck and good goalkeeping kept the first half score at 1-0 to Brakes. A brilliant cross in by Agar was met by the keeper, who pushed the ball out into his area. Fortunately for him there was no-one to follow up. Brakes regained possession and from a left wing ball by Mort, Timms went up for a header which hit the keeper on the knee before he claimed it!

A Cheslyn attack at the other end resulted in a tame effort along the floor which Gettings claimed comfortably. Another effort saw him scrambling across his goal to cover a shot which was not far wide, to be fair. On the half hour a quickly taken free kick saw Paul Eden, who had a quiet game, slip a ball to Agar outside the box, and although he did not quite have his balance, he hit a good enough shot for the keeper to have to push the ball round for a corner. A number of flag kicks were wasted during the first half, pumped high into the box, and the keeper was always first to them, exposing the lack of height in the Brakes attack.

Tom Saunders strode forward from defence to send a good deep ball in from the right which Agar nodded into the path of Eden. From about eighteen yards he tried to curl a left footed effort into the corner, but it was eventually put behind. Cheslyn nearly caught Brakes out with a three on two attack, but the attacker somehow passed the ball to Ben Adams's backside, and the ball fell kindly for Brakes to play it clear.

The miss of the game came from a right-sided ball in from Adams, headed back to Eden by Agar, whose cross was somehow put over from very close in by an out of sorts Paul Nicholls. To be fair to him though he was still getting in the right positions, and he almost put a perfect ball in with Agar and Eden waiting, but it was cut out by a defender. As half time approached, Brakes looked for a two goal cushion, trying a short corner routine. From the ball in Mort had a good volley well saved by the keeper, who was keeping his team in it. Nicholls was played away on the wing just before the whistle, and played it across the box for Shearsby to put it over from about three yards out, though he was under pressure from a defender.

At the beginning of the second half Andy Gregory showed his undoubted class as he caught and dispossessed Cheslyn's number nine, who had broken clear on the left. Mort volleyed home from a corner kick, but the linesman on the far side, who made a number of dubious offside decisions against Leamington during the half, ruled it out. A pinpoint centre from Agar found the head of Nicholls, but the keeper was there again, injuring himself in preventing the goal. Nicholls was to get his goal, as on fifty-two minutes. Thompson was bought down on the left of the box for a penalty. His dad couldn't watch, but Brakes top scorer despatched the ball in the corner for his twentieth league goal of the season.

On sixty minutes the home side had probably their best effort, as from a right wing cross, their number three sent Gettings flying across his goal to tip over a good shot. The home side had several minutes of play inside the Leamington half, without ever really threatening. Eden then played Nicholls through with a brilliant ball, only for the flag to be raised, with a third goal surely on the cards. It was a tight decision, and the travelling support let the linesman know it. Another glaring miss came minutes later, from corner the ball fell invitingly for Nicholls in the six yard box. He tried to turn and shoot, was blocked, the same happened to Gregory, before Eden somehow shot wide from two or three yards out.

James Harri replaced Nicholls to add pace to the attack, and Adams was sent sprawling by a late challenge in midfield as he surged through. The ball ran on for Harri to strike wide from twenty five yards, and the referee pulled the defender back to caution him. Leamington searched for a third goal, and a ball in from Thompson saw Shearsby try to volley first time, but he mis-cued to Harri, who tried the same trick, but the shot was wide.

Agar had a fine effort saved after a pass from Adams, and Mort looped a header over from the resulting corner. Josh Tolley, another product of the Youth set up, came on for his first team bow, and immediately accpeted a throw from Thompson, and went on a darting run, trying a shot that was blocked. Harri was causing problems with his pace when given the ball in good positions, and was annoyed with himself when crowded out by keeper and defender after being played through on the right. No doubt, if he is given a chance, the goals will come for him.

With almost the last kick of the game, Eden scored his first goal since his return with a lobbed eighteen yard effort past the keeper after a mis-kick in defence. So ,another three points, and a second clean sheet in a row. The poor surface perhaps restricted Brakes passing game a bit, but it was a workmanlike performance, and they were always in control.

NBB Man-of-the-Match: Gregory

Match report by Paul Edwards