Pre Season Friendly 
The Tony Horley Cancer Charity Cup
Townsend Meadow
Tuesday 10th July 2018

Brakes kicked off their pre season fixtures with a victory in the annual fixture at Racing Club Warwick.

The two clubs compete for the Tony Horley Cancer Charity Cup and raise money for the Myton Hospice and while the trophy was shared last year after a draw it was won outright on this occasion, though the scoreline perhaps didn’t reflect the game as the hosts were the better side in the second half but just couldn’t find a way past Tony Breeden.

Ultimately the game was a tale of two penalties. Martin Slevin had the chance to equalise after Kieran Dunbar’s stunning strike had edged Leamington in front, but his spot kick was comfortably saved by Tony Breeden, while a second half penalty won by a substitute Trialist was put away by the same player for Paul Holleran’s side.

Of the new additions only Kieran Morris was out on the pitch, goalkeeper Brad Caswell being on the bench, with one of two trialists starting on the left wing, and striker Ryan Harkin introduced as a second half substitute.

Brakes made a rapid start, Jack Edwards’ low drive proving more difficult than it should have been for the Racers’ goalkeeper, who spilled the ball behind for a corner.

Dunbar opened the scoring on 23 minutes as he connected sweetly with a volley from a half cleared corner, the ball flying in off the post.

Little was seen of the hosts as an attacking force in the first half an hour, with former Brakes striker Ben Mackey being well shackled by the new central defensive pairing of Morris and Jamie Hood, but it was Mackey’s strike partner Trea Bertie whose pace will surely cause more than a few defences problems in the Midland League this season, who won a penalty for his side, drawing a foul from Connor Gudger.

Slevin stepped up to take the spot kick but it looked a relatively straightforward save for Tony Breeden, who guessed the right way and held on to the ball comfortably.

A free kick from the edge of the area was directed straight at the Brakes skipper, while at the opposite end Edwards angled a header across goal and just wide from Dunbar’s right wing corner. The midfielder directed another effort straight at the keeper from Gudger’s free kick to the far post.

Racing Club were far more of a threat in the second half, one of their substitutes firing a low effort straight at Breeden before Martin Hutchcox powered a header just over the bar after Hood had given away a corner.

The hosts had former Brakes outfield player Neil Stacey in goal in the second half, apparently this is a position he now plays in Sunday football, and he dealt with most of what was thrown at him very well, holding a good effort from Joe Clarke after he had dispossessed a defender.

Warwick substitute Sam Beesley saw Breeden hold his well struck shot under his crossbar, and Stacey saved well from Dunbar’s accurate free kick before Leamington’s second half trialist was fouled in the box, stepping up confidently slam home the resulting penalty with 11 minutes to go.

Harkin almost scored a spectacular third when he robbed one of the home side’s central defenders around 20 yards from goal and struck a bending half volley towards the top corner that a well placed Stacey was able to field comfortably.

The goalscoring trialist almost bagged a second when he met Ahmed Obeng’s right wing cross, but Stacey held the ball under his crossbar.

Leamington: Tony Breeden, Junior English (Kurtis Revan, 82), Connor Gudger (16 James Mace, 55), Joe Clarke (Kieran Dunbar, 75), Jamie Hood, Kieran Morris (Tom James, 82),Trialist (14 Ahmed Obeng, 46), Joe Magunda (18 Shay Nicholson, 70), Kurtis Revan (12 Ryan Harkin, 46), Jack Edwards (15 Callum Gittings, 55), Kieran Dunbar (Trialist, 46).

Sub not used: 19 Brad Caswell.