Frustrating away draws for Brakes

Brakes faced table topping Burton Albion away in March 1975 and both sides found the 0-0 draw frustrating.   Roger Draper commented: ‘Brakes must be feelng sick at the surrender of so many senseless points this season.   For the brisk performance against the division’s leaders proves they have the pedigree to bring Premier Division football to the Windmill Ground.   And but for their charitable dropping of needless points they would now be entering the finishing straight of the championship race with a great chance of going up.  This was never a classic.’

The report from the Burton paper complained about ‘a tough uncompromising AP Leamington defence.’   They referred to ‘an amazing scene in the Leamington penalty area just before the interval both Annable and the Brake’s Foster could count themselves very lucky not to be sent off.   The incident came after tempers had frayed following several niggling fouls from both sides.’

Naylor and Annable raced to grab a loose ball, Annable just got to it, Naylor fell down with a leg injury and Foster tangled with Annable.  ‘The first blow came from the Leamington player but he came out on the worst side of the deal but recovered after treatment.   Burton were always in command and pushed forward relentlessly against a Leamington side prepared to pull everyone back and to give away a free kick if real danger threatened.’ 

The crowd of 696 started to barrack one of their players who was said to forge forward ‘like a tank’.  However, a loudspeaker announcement revealed that Stourbridge were losing 2-1 at Tamworth and the crowd started to get behind their team.  ‘Then Leamington almost snatched both points when they were gifted a great chance by a dreadful George back pass.   Foster nipped in but Robinson capped a great performance with a fearless drive.’  Burton had held a special training session in the morning, but this was the first time they had failed to score all season.

Leamington also drew 1-1 away at Bury.  Bury goalkeeper Mel Davies ‘jumped around like a cat on hot bricks, scarcely gathered a shot cleanly, mistimed numerous dashes from his goal-line, and altogether conveyed an air of impending disaster.   Not until the closing stages of the game did Davies at last settle down to something of the form of which he is capable, with a couple of useful saves.

Yet he was beaten only once by Ivor Talbot after 30 minutes when Goodfellow’s right-wing corner was headed down by Bowden, and strangely enough it was Davies’ opposite number Dave Jones who made the most serious error of the afternoon.  With 20 minutes left, Jones advanced from his goal to cut off David Smith’s cross from the right, missed the ball completely, and Barry Gray coolly took advantage to score his 16^th goal of the season. 

Until then Leamington had been the more impressive of two-ordinary looking sides.  Now it was Bury’s turn to put on the pressure and they had a couple of chances to record their first win since January 5’, one created by ‘another faux pas’ by Jones.   But overall a draw was a fair result for Leamington – who surprisingly relegated 27-goal striker Norman Foster to substitute – also had their chances.   Lee missed three good ones.’  Leamington were 5^th in the table, 11 points behind second placed Stourbridge but with games in hand over the two teams immediately above them.

Brakes overcome World Cup player

In March 1975 Brakes played Dunstable Town at home.  ‘Chirpy AP front-runner Dave Scriggins stole the limelight from former World Cup striker Jeff Astle with an ice-cool hat-trick.   And as AP extended their remarkable unbeaten run to 21 matches they came of age as a promotion force.  Now you have to believe it, Brakes are poised to surge on to the Premier Division.  

Trailing by two goals after 38 minutes of Dunstable dominance, the Leamington teams clawed back to be on terms at the interval.   They then punished Town with an explosive second half effort to have the club crowd on their feet.   It was a fabulous encounter with third placed Dunstable seemingly intent on putting the smile back into soccer, displaying a refreshing 10-man attacking formation that is bound to win friends. 

For a time this forward thinking influenced AP’s back four as Astle’s talented threat exposed alarming defensive flaws.  The former West Brom star slammed home the first goal with a 20 yard rocket – powered by his left foot – the foot that won the 1968 cup final but failed to stop the 1970 Brazilians.   And 10 minutes later AP fell further behind when leading scorer George Cleary displayed his ruthless finishing.   

But Brakes refused to buckle under the weight of this fluent Dunstable start and only two minutes into the second half they were ahead on their way to a superb victory.   Teenage goalkeeper Dave Ounsworth was sadly at fault for the first and third goals scored by Mick Keeley and Scriggins but he stood no chance against Adrian Stewart’s defensive equaliser. Scriggins’ second goal on the hour was an incredible effort with the home No.10 running half the length of the field with the Dunstable defence hopelessly caught in the AP half.   

Still Town came back with Astle forcing a mistake that saw Lou Adams pounce to attack a fine goal but AP had the perfect answer in the form of Scriggins’s third goal only a minute later.   This time Scriggins took advantage of a shocking back pass and he cheekily walked the ball into the net with the Dunstable rearguard hopelessly exposed.  “It was magic,” said the scorer who doubled his season’s tally in this one match.’  In case you have lost count the score was 5-3.

Unfortunately, ‘Jimmy Knox’s AP juggernaut shuddered to a halt along the road to glory’,  losing 0-1 at home to league leaders Bedford Town.  ‘But this Windmill defeat after a sparkling sequence of 18 wins and four draws stretching their way back to early December, was less than fair.  Bedford were  subjected to tremendous pressure that produced several amazing close shaves, but agonisingly for the “double average” 719 crowd, no AP goals.  

Three times the ball smashed against the ironwork.   And just to rub salt into the wounds the visitors stole away to snatch the points and virtually seal their claims for a rapid return to the premier division.   It was a frustrating ending for an AP side that has scaled the heights in the last four months but manager Knox took the blow in his stride.  “I suppose we had to lose sooner or later and it doesn’t seem so bad going down against the leader.  With Worcester and Cheltenham also losing, the reverse may prove not to be too damaging.”’

Crucial win in 1975 at Kings Lynn

Fifty years ago in March 1975 AP Leamington faced ‘their biggest test in recent weeks when they travel to Kings Lynn – a side whose consistency during the last three months has catapulted them on to the fringes of the promotion race.  The Norfolk club, like Brakes, are enjoying a successful spell – and in the last 17 games they’ve only been beaten on three occasions. 

AP manager Jimmy Kmox acknowledged yesterday that the game will be tough: “Obviously, it will be hard one.  But they will all be hard from now on. “ Despite Ivor Talbot’s fine game in midweek for the Youth outfit against Leicester Boys’ Clubs – where he scored both goals – Knox is likely to name an unchanged side, providing all players report fit in the morning.  It’s surely this ability to keep a winning side together that has much to do with Brakes’ surge up the table.’

The Kings Lynn paper reported: ‘On Saturday Lynn met a team who matched them stride for stride – and that hasn’t happened very often.   It was Leamington who struck the killer blow in the closing minutes with the winning goal which gave them two points to continue an amazing surge up the Southern League table. While there can be criticism of Lyn n’s overall performance, nothing should detract from Leamington’s play.  They did not get rattled when falling behind to an early goal, but continued chasing and harrying Lynn into mistakes.

In particular Leamington pulled midfield men Boot and Lee into wide positions to keep an eye of Lynn wing men Easthall and Reynolds.  Not very often did Lynn get behind the defences to test reserve keeper Garrett.  It was in the first quarter of the game that Garrett did look shaky.   In the seventh minute he made a nervous attempt at punching a low centre from Rudd.  The ball went straight to Lindsay whose shot was blocked and when Reynolds tried his luck, Garrett finger tipped the ball away for a corner.  

Lynn did take the lead in the 12^th minute with a penalty following a handling offence.  Then it was Leamington’s turn and there were anxious moments in the Lynn goalmouth before Boot slotted in a 21^st minute equaliser with a high low shot.’   Garrett made an impressive reflex save and ‘Any nerves the goalkeeper may have had before now disappeared and he gave a competent display for the rest of the game.    Centre half Brown was booked for a foul on Rudd.   The longer the game progressed the more unhappy Lynn seemed to get in their inability to score.  The points seemed to be shared until Brown went up for a 87^th minute free kick rom Lee which he met with a powerful header which sizzled into the net.’

In the following week Jimmy Knox announced that he was shelving his ‘controversial rota system for goalkeepers Dave Jones and Dave Garret.  Knox is happy with both goalkeepers.  “Jones has the advantage of far greater experience and in recent matches he has played better that at any previous time with the club.   But Dave Garrett is a tremendous prospect.   It is difficult to separate then but that is a problem I am prepared to live with.  I am lucky to have such strength in a key position.”   Ironically, Jones was out of the reckoning due to injury.’

Knox defends Scriggins

Congratulations to Hollers on his 750th game with the Brakes

Jimmy Knox leapt to the defence of Dave Scriggins when he was questioned by Roger Draper in February 1975.  ‘When Jimmy Knox signed Dave Scriggins during the close season the AP Leamington manager enthused that the former Enderby striker “would score a lot of goals.”  But in 31 games the chirpy Leicester-based forward has managed to find the net just once – and that was in his latest appearance in the 4-1 thrashing of Gloucester City on Tuesday.  

Knox is far from disenchanted, however.  “Dave is doing fine,” he says, ‘He has played a prominent part in our recovery this season.” Scriggins played several games in midfield when Knox was struggling to solve his problem department in the middle of the park.  But since switching back to the front, Scriggins has worked overtime to add zest to an attack that had struggled previously.  And Knox is certain the goals will start to flow from a likeable sort who has emerged as a real character in the AP dressing room.

“David started to do stupid things when he failed to put away the goals and this unsettled him for a time. But there has been a steady improvement in recent matches and now that his confidence has returned he will do us a power of good.   Scriggins is currently keeping the fit-again Ivor Talbot out of the side and Knox believes that this fact alone underlines the striker’s worth.  “Ivor is a great player but Dave is in on merit.  He is doing a marvellous job.”

Unfortunately, Brakes did not shine in a home Birmingham Senior Cup semi-final tie with Coventry Sporting. ‘The 1-1 draw ‘was no fluke result.    The West Midlands League fully deserved ther “success” after an admirable 90 minutes of disciplined defence.   For Brakes the game proved frustrating and they will need to raise their tempo if they are to win next Saturday’s replay at Kirby Corner.  They could be in for a shock. 

Sporting ran, harried and tackled their way in a generally disappointing encounter and proved a well-drilled combination capable of containing Brakes’ jaded raiders.’    On 78 minutes Lee saw the Sporting goalkeeper off his line and put a 30 yard free kick over his head to see the ball nestle in the corner of the net.  But five minutes from time Sporting equalised after a cross struck defender Roger Brown for an own goal.

  In the replay ‘Jimmy Knox pulled off a shrewd tactical move’ to win the game.   With the Brakes 1-0 down at half time against a tight-marking Sporting, Knox decided to switch Mick Keeley from the left to the right flank.  And the move worked perfectly.  Quick-running Keeley gave Sporting defender Bob Mundy a “nightmare” second half.’   On 54 minutes a move by Keeley set up the equaliser for Dave Scriggins. .  Then in the 78^th minute Keeley set up the winner for Horne.   ‘Leamington, with Scriggins and Stewart working hard up front, and Boot and Horne dominating midfield, clinched their place in the Highfield Road final through sheer experience.’

Meanwhile at the AP factory management urged supervisory staff to end their strike.   Members of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staff went on strike over pay.   Production and despatch had not been affected, but the management warned that the 6,000 other workers at the plant could be affected if the dispute continued.