Team: Gettings; Dhesi, Sidwell, Gregory, Burgess; Blake, Ellis, Shearsby, Adams (Eden); Timms, Nicholls
Brakes salvaged a draw in the second half of a game that maybe should have been called off, as the pitch was hardening before kick off, and worsened during the game.
This game could have finished 6-6, but the score was kept down due to wayward finishing by Alveston, and some outstanding goalkeeping from ex-Brakes number 1 Richard Morris.
Leamington began the game well, with Josh Blake rampaging down the left side, and an early opportunity for Paul Nicholls was duly taken in the second minute, when he took the ball off a defender and slotted it between the diving Morris and his near post. Brakes were still celebrating however, as the visitors were level no more than forty seconds after the re-start, Vernor Sleem running through to score. This wasn't in the script!
The action was happening at both ends of the pitch, and Leamington attacked again, Ben Adams making ground up the right and sending a good ball in which was put behind by the Alveston number 6. Andy Ellis sent in the corner, Andy Gregory, yet to score for Brakes, sent a good header goalwards, but it was cut out on the line, and Morris was eventually able to claim it.
On ten minutes Paul Nicholls had a darting run through the area cut short by Blake, who took the ball off him and shot just over. In another attack, some good interplay between Gregory and Blake saw him put a ball over from the left, continue his run into the box, and recieve a pass from Nicholls, from which he pushed a shot wide of the far post.
Brakes keeper James Gettings was left exposed by his defence again in the twentieth minute, and Alveston took advantage, Scott Easterlow putting them two one up. Brakes came back into the game, but there were chances at both ends before half time.
A neat overhead flick nearly put an Alveston attacker clean through, but Adams and Gregory did enough to hustle him out of possession. The resulting corner came to nothing, but the initiative remained with the visitors, and after a couple of crosses were only half-cleared, another ex-Brake, Dave Care shot over the bar on the right.
At the other end, Leamington won a corner on thirty nine minutes. Darren Timms missed his header, but the ball found its way out to Blake, who put another centre in, only for an Alveston head to put it behind. Another dead ball lead to nothing, but seconds later Brakes won a free kick on the right edge, the visiting number five cautioned. A twice taken kick was put wide of both posts by Harj Dhesi. Another free kick on the opposite side of the box, which saw another visiting player cautioned, lead to a corner, from which Morris produced an outstanding save after a brilliant header by Nicholls at the near post, for which he was rightly applauded.
The second half saw more of the same, with Leamington attacking for the most part, but Alveston looking dangerous on the break - when Easterlow wasn't being caught out by the offside trap. James Gettings took an early cross well, part of an assured second half performance by the young keeper, who saved Brakes from further embarrassment later in the match. Blake went on a marauding sixty yard run in-field, slipped a ball through for Nicholls which Morris got to first. Leamington's number ten then had a shot pushed round for a corner, the result of which was a header from Tom Sidwell, directed straight at Morris. Alveston broke, and in trying to gain a goal kick off the attacking player, Gregory succeeded in giving posession away in the box, the ball was crossed in, and found its way to the number 8, who shot just over. A real let off.
A similar gilt edged chance fell Brakes way, when a hefty clearance from Gregory found Blake, who put a perfect ball through for Nicholls, but he didn't catch his shot right, and scuffed the ball straight at Morris. An Ellis free kick was also saved comfortably by the keeper.
Brakes had the ball in the net soon after, from a scramble in the area, but, after signalling a goal, the referee realised his assistant had his flag up, and disallowed it. All this came during a period of concerted Brakes pressure. Ellis had a good sight of goal, but his shot was well saved again, and Gregory blazed well over from a distance, when he had time and space to do something with the ball. The equalising goal came from a cross by Ellis in the seventy fourth minute, a shot against the bar was nearly claimed by Morris, but Blake was on hand to stab it into the net, with a roar from the Harbury Land End.
Hearts were in mouths minutes later, as Alvestons number eight bore down on Gettings, but somehow, put his shot against the right hand post and out, much to his annoyance, and our delight!
Leamington also had chances to win in the dying stages. A cross in was headed back across goal by Burgess, and Sidwell had an over head kick cleared out for a corner. Gettings produced heroics in the final couple of minutes, first coming across his area to take from the feet of Easterlow, then saving well again at the Alveston striker's feet, and claiming the ball well from a corner.
Blake could, and maybe should have been the last gasp match winner for Leamington, but after good footwork from Nicholls he blazed over from what looked like three or four yards out, and the chance to go six points clear over Rugby was gone. Match report by Paul Edwards
NBB Man-of-the-Match: Nicholls
