By Roger Vincent

Blake's 307th Minute Goal Opens the Door

After 270 minutes without scoring against Rugby Town Brakes scored through a Blake header in the 37th after good work by Thompson and Webb then added a second in the 43rd when Thompson picked up a Morris clearance and ran in from the left to smash a superb shot low into the far corner. Rugby provided an early shock when some of their supporters were actually heard singing but they were silenced by a superb display from Brakes, who smashed Rugby's 100% record in all competitions, and the Brakes' fans who ensured that they were not heard again.

The first 20 minutes was a nervous affair, a midfield stalemate with both defences in control though there were early signs that Blake's speed would trouble Rugby when he broke through in the 12th minute only to shoot tamely at the goalkeeper. On the quarter hour mark a frisson of disbelief ran round the ground when one of those hooters that make gentle souls, like me, want to kill split the air accompanying a Rugby chant. Rugby's first shot on goal came in the 23rd, a tame affair that was easily gathered by Morris, but they looked as if they were gradually getting on top with Mort making a fine, saving tackle in the 24th and Harj Dhesi performing wonders at the back to keep the Rugby strikers from getting a clear sight of goal. Thompson was being forced back to defend on the left, robbing Brakes of one of their usual options.

Then in the 37th minute, after 307 minutes without a goal against Rugby, a trademark, long throw from Thompson on the left was touched across goal by Webb for Blake to head, emphatically, into the net, 0-1. Now the mood changed; Thompson suddenly found space on the left as Dhesi took complete control of the defence and Webb harried and probed to rattle Rugby with speed and strength. With Blake's speed panicking Rugby every time Brakes got the ball Rugby were on the rack and Brakes looked capable of scoring more.

And so it proved when, in the 43rd minute, a clearance from goalkeeper Morris put Thompson away on the left. For once Thompson decided to go it alone, ran clear of the despairing defence, cut in towards goal and drove a superb shot across the goalie low into the far corner from the edge of the box - a magnificent effort, 0-2. The crowd erupted; the hooter and the Rugby "choir" remained silent.

With Brakes on song half-time came too soon; indeed they didn't recreate the euphoria of the last 10 minutes of the first-half but, probably, played as well as they have at any time. That's not to say that it was pretty, though at times it was, or that the passing was intricate and superb, though there were moments, but they stuck to the task against a side who have taken apart most teams this season. With Morris playing as well as I have seen him play, cool, confident and authoritative between the sticks, Dhesi, Webb and Blake running down every 50/50 and even some 10/90s, Timms and Thompson making surging runs and the crisp, fair ferocity of some of Brakes' tackling making me wince from yards away, Brakes stuck to their task.

Though Rugby continued to attack their rhythm and certainties were clearly shaken and they shot tamely or wide, and mostly failed to get a shot in at all. Having weathered the dangerous 10 minutes after half-time Brakes looked like a team that knew it would win, and Rugby's heads went down as the mistakes started. Blake turned superbly in the 57th to chip just over and used his speed to go close again on 67. The bemused Darren Tank was booked in the 69th to join Brakes Eden (61) on a yellow.

Shearsby came on for the magnificent Webb in the 78th, Agar for Eden and Billington for Thompson in the 87th as Brakes played nervously for the last 10 minutes; with victory in sight, nobody wanted to give away a goal that could let Rugby back in the game. But there was still time for Blake to go close yet again when Shearsby pulled the ball back into his path after a corner on the left. Then all that remained was a mutual love-in twixt Brakes and their fans and the presentation of the Jack Mould Trophy which, lest we forget, was the purpose of the evening though often it seemed like more than that.

Leamington Richard Morris; Benson Miyoba; Harji Dhesi; Liam McGovern; Will Payne; Nick Mort; Darren Timms; Glen Webb (Barry Shearsby 78m); Josh Blake; Paul Eden (Brian Agar 87m); Steve Thompson (Ian BIllington 87m)