‘Adders Sting is in the Tail’ was the headline in the Courier in August 1975. ‘Brakes turned in what must be their best phase of attacking soccer this season to go two up against Premier Division Atherstone on Tuesday … and then let victory, and revenge, elude them as the Adders clinically took their defence to pieces.
Playing a fine brand
of open soccer they got off to a sizzling start, with Micky Boot picking up
where he left off at Banbury to have a finger in every tasty slice of AP action
in this Southern League Cup first round first leg. Supplying some immaculate through balls to
Stewart, Boot terrorised Adders’ shaky defence, who lacked pace in an
entertaining first period.
That rear guard broke after only five minutes when Boot sent
a beautifully judged through pass to Stewart who flew past Preston to plant it
in the net. The same movement consistent
ly found out Atherstone’s lack of speed on the turn, and Boot, at the heart of
everything good, made it two in the 28th minute when he fired in a
low drive which went in off the post – but with Mellor stood offside the
referee disallowed the goal.
There was no whistle three minutes later, however, as Boot
hammered a full volley into the top corner after receiving a shrewd cross field
pass from terrier Taylor. Once again,
AP allowed themselves to drift out of the picture – a fault which looks like
being a fatal error unless corrected this term – and Ernie Hunt pulled back the
leeway with a cracking goal just five minutes before the interval.
Atherstone sensed that the advantage was theirs, and within
four minutes of the restart, the scores were level as Vincent got round the
back to drive a hard cross which Griffiths bundled into his own net. As the pace quickened, Brakes lost their
hold, and in the 67th minute, Jennings, surely Atherstone’s find of
the close season from Solihull Borough, sold Kavanagh a perfect dummy to cross
to substitute Ray Usher who cut inside and left footed it home.
Eight minutes later, Franklin got an all-important touch to
push home Adders’ fourth as the disjointed Brakes’ rear guard stood and
watched. John Brady almost made it 4-3
two minutes later as a scorching run took him past five men only to see his
angled shot blocked on the line.
The headline for the return leg in the Courier was ‘Gutsy
show shocks Adders.’ Brakes lost just
7-6 on aggregate. ‘AP Leamington went
out of the Southern League Cup on Tuesday evening – but not without giving
Premier Division outfit Atherstone the fright of their lives. Trailing 4-2 from last week’s first leg,
Brakes – without regular first teamers Doug Griffiths, Roger Brown, Steve Lee
and Gerry Kavanagh – began the game as virtual write-offs.
But in a gutsy display, with 100 per cent effort from the
whole side, they shocked Adders to win 4-3 on the night. Atherstone, unbeaten so far in the Premier
League, sparkled at the beginning of each half, but once Brakes steeled they
exposed all that was uncertain in the home defence. Micky Boot, taking over the skipper’s role,
kept AP ticking over in midfield and rounded off a perfect display with two
set-piece goals that stunned the home crowd. ‘ (681). The other two Brakes goals were scored by
Adrian Stewart.
