Brakes 1 Solihull Moors 2: Moors ride their luck to deliver knockout blow at the second attempt

There was no shortage of desire, particularly after the break when Solihull struggled to get out of their own half.

But for all the talk of bad luck and poor refereeing decisions - Brakes were denied a clear penalty in the dying seconds, while there looked to be a foul by Gary Birch in the build-up to the visitors’ opener - the home side were left with a mountain to climb entirely of their own making after conceding two soft first-half goals.

A failure to make the most of the bulk of possession also proved costly, with the visitors deserving some credit for resisting an aerial bombardment which even saw Tony Breeden thrown into the mix for the final few minutes.

An open start to the game had both sides attacking at pace and it was the visitors who struck the first blow in the seventh minute when Gary Birch nodded a left-wing cross back across goal for Junior English to bravely head home.

English received a kick to the head for his troubles and the game struggled to get going again after a lengthy stoppage for his treatment.

Brakes did eventually build up a head of steam mid-way through the half, with Singh diving full-length to push away a Lee Moore free-kick and Ricky Johnson inches away from turning in a misdirected defensive header at the far post.

Jake Heath showed good strength to win two challenges on the edge of the box and after the youngster’s shot was blocked, Matty Dodd’s follow-up was saved by the keeper’s legs.

Lee Chilton then came on to an astute pass from Dodd at speed, but after skipping past a defender he blazed his shot high over the bar.

At the other end, English was unable to add the measured finish a neat lay-off from Birch deserved.

With the home bench castigating referee Jon Busby for adding only two minutes of injury time, Solihull were gifted a second.

Michael Blackwood whipped in a fine corner and James Fry headed into his own net under pressure from Aaron Wint.

Brakes emerged early for the second half and took the game to their visitors, who, two dangerous crosses apart, were happy to sit back and protect their two-goal cushion.

Heath produced a neat piece of skill on the edge of the box but failed to get any power on his shot and Paul Holleran threw on Will Green in the 63rd minute in a bid to beef up his attack.

Two minutes later it was game on as Green nodded down Stephan Morley’s dinked ball to Johnson, who drilled it between a defender’s legs and past Singh to halve the deficit.

A minute later, Chilton’s first-time volley from a half-cleared corner whistled past the upright and the midfielder came even closer in the 70th minute.

Johnson did well to win possession on the edge of the Solihull area and pulled the ball back to the six-yard box where Chilton got ahead of his marker only to see Singh produce a breathtaking point-blank save.

Brakes continued to press for an equaliser, with crosses being whipped in from both flanks and, as the pressure mounted, Singh was booked for timewasting.

With the game entering four minutes of stoppage time and Breeden now a permanent fixture in the visitors’ half, Leamington looked to have found their lifeline.

Another cross evaded everyone in the box but Chilton latched on to the loose ball and tried to return it into the danger area, only for it to strike the outstretched arm of Rob Elvins as he tried to charge down the cross.

It looked a stonewall penalty, but despite having a clear view of the incident, referee Jon Busby waved away the appeals of the incensed Brakes players, with Breeden picking up a yellow card for his particularly animated protest.