Vanarama National League North
Spiers & Hartwell Jubilee Stadium, Evesham
Wednesday 1st January 2020

On a cold and cloudy afternoon in Worcestershire, Brakes kicked off a new year and a new decade with a narrow defeat against Gloucester City, who ended a run of over two months without a win in the process.

Paul Holleran kept faith with the same starting eleven from the Hereford game, while bringing in Callum Gittings and young keeper Josh Allen on the substitutes bench,

Gloucester looked eager and hungry to both avenge their Boxing Day defeat and pick up their first win under new manager and former Brakes striker James Rowe, and were well on top in the opening exchanges, forcing two early corners that came to nothing.

Zac Kotwica drove a dangerous ball across the face of goal with nobody in a red shirt able to capitlise. The striker worked himself into a good position moments later but blazed his shot high over the bar.

Brakes first corner of the afternoon saw goalkeeper Niall Maher fail to claim the ball, but they were similarly unable to take advantage.

Liam Daly came close to a goal against one of his former clubs as Gloucester continued to force the pace, meeting a corner with a powerful header that whistled just over the bar.

Callum Maycock continued to show his recent good form as he was involved in what looked like a perfectly good opening goal of the afternoon for the visitors, recycling possession on the left for fellow Coventry City loan man Dexter Walters to cross to the far post for skipper Jack Edwards to head home, but the officials deemed him to be offside - something that both players and supporters vehemently disagreed with.

Gloucesters’ front two looked lively as they had done in spells on Boxing Day, and Marlon Jackson did well to keep the ball in play on the left, bending in a cross from which Josh Thomas thumped in a header that Jake Weaver needed to get his body behind well to block.

The sense of injustice at the disallowed goal deepened moments later when the hosts took the lead. Junior English had given away a free kick right on the edge of the box on the left, and it was from the dead ball that Jack James curled in off the far post to give his side the lead.

Nine minutes before half time Gloucester doubled their advantage when Jackson lifted the ball over the advancing Weaver inside the box before stabbing it home despite there being defenders back trying to cover.

There were further chances for goals at both ends before half time, Jordan Murphy presented with two in quick succession. His first effort was blocked, and when the ball was delivered back to him at the far post he was only able to direct it into the grateful arms of Maher.

Thomas then stole into the box unchallenged at the other end from a corner to hit a first time volley over the bar.

English missed an early chance to halve the deficit for Leamington in the second half, scooping his shot over the bar following a corner, but the hosts continued to look more likely to add to their tally. Joe Hanks forced another save from Weaver with a powerfully struck free kick from distance, while Jack Senior crashed in a fierce first time drive from Kotwica’s half cleared right wing cross that the Brakes keeper got down well to push away from danger.

Kotwica headed Senior’s left wing cross over the bar, but just when it was starting to look like it might be an afternoon to write off for Leamington they hauled themselves back into the game. Walters laid the ball back for Steph Morley to cross to the far post and Edwards was not going to be denied this time, powering his header past Maher.

Brakes were immediately back on the offensive, Walters forcing Maher into a save from a shot inside the penalty area, but their momentum was short lived and the home side were soon back on the offensive, Kotwica again firing wide as he was played into space by Senior on the left.

Edwards saw a second goal chalked off when the offside flag was raised once more as he turned to fire home inside the box.

English was denied by a superb block when he looked odds on the level things up in the closing stages, but up against a side determined to see the game out and claim the win Leamington were simply unable to create another opportunity.

Managers’ Reaction

‘When we look back we’ll be disappointed with the goals. With the first one the free kick should have gone our way, and then how it has looped into the net God only knows. The second one we’ve slipped on the pitch defensively.

I had a good view of Jack Edwards’ run and found it difficult to see how he could be offside (for the first disallowed goal) because he ran late - we work on that one - the ball from Steph and he peels on the back post and gets on the full back… but with the 2-0 at half time… it’s been a real tough slog for us over Christmas, and on a pitch like this, again… it really kills the players, but I thought we played some good football, created some really good opportunities, and we’re disappointed that for all the chances we’ve created first and second half, we’ve only put one in the net - that’ll be the disappointing thing from today.

‘There’s one or two crying wolf about the Referee and I’m sure when he looks back on it, he'll be disappointed with his performance. A couple of key decisions have gone against us but at the end of the day we’ve had ample opportunities to get something out of the game and we haven’t, so it’s disappointing.

‘I said on Boxing Day that Gloucester weren’t a bad side and they showed it again today. I think we probably just edged the game - I think we had more chances. It’s harsh on the players, but I think the fans could see lots of commitment, we really had a good go second half, but the immediate reaction is that we’re bitterly disappointed not to get something out of the game. I think we deserved something but three or four key decisions in the game have all gone against us - the two goals ruled offside, the free kick for their first goal… the players feel a bit hard done by, but sadly that’s where we are at the moment. There’s probably been three or four games like that where things have gone against us but hopefully it will spin round.

‘We showed good levels and there were some good individual performances. It’s not the result we wanted but I can’t be too disheartened with the performance. This has been a real tough spell of games coming into Christmas and we’ve got one more now in three days against a good possession based team (in Altrincham) so we’ve got to make sure we get right for that. We’ve got a few knocks and bruises in there, but we’ll take it from there.’

On Josh March’s absence:

Josh’s hamstring issue is something we’ve been trying to get right. Personally I don’t think he will be fit until the eleventh of January. People have seen the speculation, it’s out there in black and white. Obviously we get a lad like him, who does what he does, and there’s going to be interest in him - there is interest in him. Whether anyone 100% follows it through, we don’t know, but he’s been absolutely fantastic for us. There’s a part of me that hopes he hasn’t played his last game for us but there’s a part of me that thinks we’ve picked another lad up from lower league football, he’s been brilliant for us, and if we can help get him into full time football then it’s part and parcel of what we have to do in this game. At the moment there’s a bit of this and that but nothing concrete.’

Attendance: 370

Gloucester City: Niall Maher, Jack James, Jack Senior, Josh Thomas, Spencer Hamilton ©, Liam Daly, Joe Parker (16 Fabien Robert, 75), Joe Hanks (15 Sam Avery, 79), Marlon Jackson, Zac Kotwica, Luke Maxwell.

Subs not used: 12 Cameron Ebbutt, 14 Dan Sweeney, 18 Ross Johnstone.

Leamington: Jake Weaver, Junior English, Stephan Morley, Callum Maycock (14 Callum Gittings, 88), James Mace, Jack Lane, Jordan Murphy (12 Kieran Dunbar, 69), Joe Clarke, Kaiman Anderson (16 Connor Taylor, 69), Jack Edwards ©, Dexter Walters.

Subs not used:  15 Josh Martin, 17 Josh Allen (GK)

Referee: Mr Peter Shacklady

Assistant Referees: Mr James Cook & Mr Mark Pearson

Brakes Man of the Match: Jake Weaver.