Report

Vanarama National League North
Phillips 66 Community Stadium
Saturday 13th October 2018

Non League Day may have brought a few interested new observers to the Phillips 66 Community Stadium, but they would probably have left as perplexed as the regulars as Brakes slipped to a second consecutive home league defeat without scoring.

After a largely disappointing September it was hoped that an enforced two week break only punctuated by the Birmingham Senior Cup win at Sutton Coldfield Town would have the players reinvigorated and ready to try and work back towards their early season form, but sadly this was not the case.

There were other contributory factors to an incredibly frustrating afternoon but ultimately the bottom line is that Leamington failed to put the ball in the opposition net. ‘We’ve got to take a long hard look at our performance today, it wasn’t good enough, certainly in the first half,’ said manager Paul Holleran after the game. ‘I think after the start we made to the season one or two of us have got a little bit complacent and expected things to just happen for us. It doesn’t work like that in this league.

‘In a first half performance here when conditions are so difficult and we’re second best everywhere; we’re out fought, we’re outplayed, that’s a real worry for me. We had a little bit of a shake up at half time and the second half was more of what we’re about. It was a game of limited chances but we had a couple of really good openings and sadly we haven’t taken them. There may have been a couple of things in the penalty box that didn’t go our way, but overall it was a very disappointing afternoon.

The tone was set from the opening minutes, the Referee’s whistle punctuating play while the type of howling gale which makes the stadium a very difficult place to play in such conditions was rattling the fixtures and fittings all afternoon.

With play having twice been halted for apparent head injuries to visiting players which did not require treatment, a contentious penalty was awarded with five minutes played. Jamie Hood was adjudged to have fouled Ryan Brooke as the two players went shoulder to shoulder for the ball. There were claims the challenge took place outside the box and that the visiting player went down far too easily, but whatever your view the only one that counted was that of the Referee, who awarded the spot kick. Adam Morgan stepped up to confidently sweep his side in front and give them the perfect start to the afternoon.

Brakes simply could not get going, twenty five minutes passing before they managed to put a worthwhile sequence of passes together, and half an hour before Callum Gittings’ sharp turn on the edge of the box saw him lash in a low drive that was unfortunately directed straight at Curzon keeper Ben Purdham.

Things could have been worst for Leamington before half time had it not been for the strong arm of their skipper, Tony Breeden, diving to his right to deflect Oliver Crankshaw’s shot behind as it headed towards the bottom corner.

Brakes did at least make a fist of things in the second half, but their frustration was as evident as it was in the stands. Matt Stenson fired wide and Jack Edwards directed a weak effort straight at Purdham. It was all one way traffic in first ten minutes, but Morgan almost doubled his and Curzon’s tally by forcing Breeden into another good block from his low shot.

Holleran threw on Reece Flanagan and Connor Taylor with an hour gone to try and swing the game in Leamington’s favour but they just couldn’t find a way through. Stenson worked his way into space on the right inside the box and drew back his right boot to strike for goal, only for centre back Daniel Shaw to appear from nowhere and hurl himself into a potentially goal saving block.

Taylor’s attempted right wing centre was then blocked, the ball poked back for Kieran Dunbar to fire into the box where it was half cleared to Edwards, whose low strike flew just the wrong side of the post.

Leamington’s number ten came even closer to a leveller when he got on the end of Flanagan’s free kick into the box, his looping header dropping towards the net until Cameron McJannett somehow got back to head behind from underneath the bar.

Breeden was required to somehow keep the ball out once more as Curzon Ashton looked certain to put the game to bed late on, while Morgan went close again, picking up a good crossfield pass to advance and drive a shot across goal and inches wide of the far post.

One bright spot for Brakes was that they at least saw out injury time without conceding a goal. They will have much to work on in the two weeks before the next fixture at home to Darlington, in which they will need to be much improved to prevent a third straight defeat.

Attendance: 705

Leamington: Tony Breeden ©, Junior English, Connor Gudger (16 Reece Flanagan, 60), Joe Magunda (14 Connor Taylor, 60), Jamie Hood, James Mace, Kieran Dunbar (15 Anthony Dwyer, 73), Callum Gittings, Matt Stenson, Jack Edwards, James Bowen.

Subs not used: 12 Jack Lane, 17 Colby Bishop.

Curzon Ashton: Ben Purdham, James Baillie, Cameron McJannett, Jonathan Hunt ©, Daniel Shaw, Chris Rowney, Joe Guest, Oliver Crankshaw, Ryan Brooke (12 Niall Cummins, 82), Adam Morgan (14 Mason Fawns, 90+1), Connor Hughes (15 Mohamud Ali, 71).

Subs not used: 16 Jack O’Leary, 17 Louis Khoury.

Referee: Any Fearn

Assistant Referees: Mr Tim Walker & Mr Mark Billingham

Brakes Man of the Match: Tony Breeden.