Evostik Southern League Premier Division
ProEdge Stadium
Saturday 24th September 2016

Brakes returned to action after a blank Saturday with an emphatic victory at the ProEdge stadium against newly promoted St Ives Town.

The hosts battled manfully throughout but while Brakes were not particularly dominant they never needed to be, taking their chances clinically when they were created while forming an impenetrable barrier in defence that very rarely looked like being breached.

Ahmed Obeng got the ball rolling with just eleven minutes played, cutting in from the left wing and driving in a low shot that looked to have taken a deflection as it found its way past keeper Tim Trebes into the net.

It only took five minutes for Obeng to bag his second with a sweet half volley across goal and into the far corner after he had latched on to Courtney Baker-Richardson’s knock down from a free kick on the right.

Scott Sinclair blazed a shot well over for the hosts, who had looked busy in the opening minutes without really providing a clear cut threat. Obeng laid the ball back for Darren Pond to strike just wide from the edge of the box, while Rob Thompson-Brown’s free kick was off target, but Leamington were comfortable and were handed the opportunity to go in three goals to the good at half time when Obeng was brought down by Lee Chaffey, who received a yellow card for his trouble. Ryan Rowe stepped up to confidently send Trebes the wrong way and complete a very satisfactory first half for Paul Holleran’s men that was only marred by a trio of frustrating bookings, James Mace and Rowe both for kicking the ball away, while Tony Breeden was left perplexed as he received a caution for being barged off the ball by St Ives striker Justin Leavers, a result of the two having charged out to the touchline in pursuit of the ball after Breeden’s attempted clearance had struck his opponent on the back.

The interval probably arrived at a good time in that respect as Brakes emerged from the dressing room with clear heads and set about maintaining their advantage. Sinclair set up Ben Seymour-Shove for a shot that was held easily by Breeden, while Thompson-Brown drove wide and Rowe was close to a second of the game when he beat two defenders to a high ball forward, clipping his shot past Trebes only to see the ball roll past the far post.

Sinclair had the hosts’ best chance of the afternoon when forcing Breeden into a good save down low to his right, but Holleran bought on young Zak Lilly to add more zip to his side’s forward play, the on loan Telford man lashing in a daisy cutter from 30 yards that was held by Trebes.

Some neat possession play from Leamington down the left ended with Baker-Richardson seeing a shot saved at the near post, while Chaffey’s afternoon got no better, the former Cambridge City man’s sliced clearance being pounced on by Rowe, who was forced wide and could only find the arms of Trebes with his cross.

Joe Magunda was introduced in the closing stages along with Ryan Quinn who was making his debut, and Brakes capitalised on more haphazard defending to add to their goal difference, picking up possession from a loose pass. Lilly saw his shot saved, an equally powerful effort from Pond was blocked but the ball fell nicely for Baker-Richardson to crash a rising drive into the roof of the net on the half volley.

There was time for the ‘old five’ to be completed in added time, the unfortunate Chaffey somehow clearing Quinn’s attempted through ball straight into the path of Baker-Richardson, who still had work to do but coolly nicked the ball past the advancing keeper, with it finally nestling in the net off one post and rolling across the goal line.

Attendance: 313

St Ives Town: Tim Trebes, Harry O’Malley, Jordan Jarrold, Charlie De’ath ©, Lee Chaffey, Jack Higgs, Joe Carden ( 14 Tiago Dias, 72), Tom McGowan, Justin Leavers, Scott Sinclair, Ben Seymour-Shove.

Subs not used: 12 Liam McDevitt, 15 Buster Harradine, 16 Andrew Phillips.

Leamington: Tony Breeden ©, Ben George, Connor Gudger, Darren Pond (17 Ryan Quinn, 85), Jamie Hood, James Mace, Courtney Baker-Richardson, Richard Taundry, Ryan Rowe (12 Joe Magunda, 82), Rob Thompson-Brown, Ahmed Obeng (14 Zak Lilly, 68).

Subs not used: 15 Tom James, 16 Lee Moore.

Referee: Mr Andrew Humphries

Assistant Referees: Mr Stuart Wade & Mr Matthew Lakes

Brakes Man of the Match: Ahmed Obeng.