Edgbaston FC ended their habit of sharing the spoils with a 3-1 victory over Kirkby FC on Sunday 2 August. It was Matchday 8, and for a Kirkby side sitting 17th, it was another afternoon of doing just enough to look competitive before the wheels drifted off.

The deadlock broke in the 30th minute. Demétrio Costa-Brasil provided the assist for Frederik Fennema to make it 0-1. Fennema has developed a knack for the decisive contribution lately, though his output is often a matter of being in the right place at the right time. In fairness, he is a precise finisher, but the goal felt more like a lapse in Kirkby's concentration than a moment of magic.

Kirkby responded in the 39th minute. Hideyoshi Ikari levelled the scoring with a header from an Armin Reck cross. It was a goal on the stroke of half-time that flipped the momentum, giving the home crowd a brief, dangerous belief that they might actually secure a result. It is a peculiar feeling, that fleeting hope, usually lasting just long enough for the referee to blow the whistle for the interval.

The second half was a stalemate of attrition until the 80th minute. Costa-Brasil, who had been the most influential individual on the pitch, turned provider into scorer to make it 1-2. The goal broke Kirkby's resolve entirely. They didn't so much collapse as they did slowly stop trying.

“It was a goal on the stroke of half-time that flipped the momentum, giving the home crowd a brief, dangerous belief that they might actually secure a result.”

Casimiro Colmenar added the third in the 86th minute, assisted by Max Foulkes, to ensure the result. In a ranking of today's performers, Costa-Brasil sits comfortably at the top, followed by Fennema and Colmenar. The others were merely passengers.

The breakdown is simple: Edgbaston had the clinical edge, while Kirkby continued their trend of being out of sorts. It was typical, really. They found a way back into the game only to forget how to stay there.

There is little time to reset. Edgbaston move on to Matchday 9 tomorrow.