Report

Pre Season Friendly
Phillips 66 Community Stadium
Saturday 6th July 2019

The Phillips 66 Community Stadium was a hive of activity as Coventry City brought their first team squad to Leamington.

Brakes have faced a variety of different teams representing the Sky Blues over the years, but this was the first time the first team had visited Harbury Lane and the visiting fans made the most of the short trip and the chance to see their heroes and new arrivals at closer quarters than usual by swelling the crowd to over 1,500. To add to the rather surreal atmosphere given it was pre season, Sky Sports cameras were in attendance, with the veteran Midlands reporter Steve Lee providing regular updates to viewers of the news channel.

Mark Robins was true to his word and brought enough players to field a fresh XI in each half, along with substitutes. The first half eleven contained at least seven of his summer signings, and looked threatening as they gave Leamington the runaround for large periods.

Paul Holleran admitted after the game that he had to place a few square pegs in round holes as he was missing five players, but despite that he would have been pleased with the effort and endeavour shown by his players against a professional side three levels above them in the football food chain.

One of Brakes’ new arrivals Josh March found himself in the Referee’s notebook after a rash mistimed challenge on Sam McCallum that would probably have seen him take the early walk in a league game. The youngster was fortunately able to continue after treatment.

Leamington were forced to defend in depth early on but were coping reasonably well prior to the opening goal. City were often looking to play in their strikers with quick through balls, and Jamie Hood got in well to clear one such pass from Jamie Allen intended for Connor Chaplin.

James Mace cleared from the Coventry number 10 again as Josh Pask looked to play him on the right, and the striker had a couple of efforts fly just wide of the post before the opener on 16 minutes. Winger Wesley Jobello certainly looks a shrewd acquisition on this evidence, and the quality of his balls into the box were superb at times. He fired in an early left wing cross that gave fellow new boy Gervane Kastaneer the chance to crack in a powerful effort that deflected off Pask to completely wrong foot Ben Newey, starting a game for Leamington for the first time in the absence of Tony Breeden.

A timely sliding challenge from Junior English prevented Kastaneer from getting through on goal, before Mace went into the notebook for a robust challenge on the right edge of the penalty area. Fortunately the free kick was deflected behind and from the resulting corner kick Newey handled a header directed straight into his arms.

Brakes were inevitably having to do a lot of chasing, but enjoyed a brief spell inside the Coventry half when they won a corner on the right from which Mace headed Callum Gittings’ delivery wide.

The visitors seemed to be afforded an awful lot of time to move the ball in and around the Leamington area, and when the Brakes defence failed to get the ball clear just past the half hour, Leamington lad Jordan Shipley drilled a precise low drive into the bottom corner to double the Sky Blues lead.

Colby Bishop certainly looked up for the challenge of taking on the professionals, and he beat a defender to deliver a dangerous low cross into the penalty area that was hurriedly put behind. From Connor Taylor’s corner English powered the ball back across goal but wide of the upright. Bishop then fashioned probably the best Leamington effort of the half when he worked some space for himself on the right before bending a shot just over the bar.

Shortly before half time Pask trebled the visitors advantage, the giant former West Ham United youngster stealing in at the far post virtually unchallenged to meet a low left wing cross and drive it back across goal into the far corner.

Perhaps not surprisingly the second half lacked the pace of the first, and Leamington came so close to getting through it without conceding. Paul Holleran took the chance to utilise all of his substitutes, including Kian Taylor, drafted in from Shrewsbury Town to help cover for the absentees, and goalkeeper Matt Hill, who spent last season with Rugby Town but had previously been in the Brakes youth set up.

March almost found Kaiman Anderson with a looping left wing centre, the substitute almost getting in ahead of Brandon Mason, but keeper Marko Marosi claimed the ball.

Another of the Sky Blues’ new arrivals, Fankaty Dabo, seemed to have all the time in the world as he danced across the Leamington penalty area before skewing his shot well over the bar.

Bishop’s backheader from March’s long throw was claimed by Marosi, before a strong run on the right by trialist Gift Mussa saw him sling in a superb deep cross which was met by an equally fine diving header from Bishop which fully extended Marosi, the Slovenian stopper diving to his right to push the ball to safety.

Newey pulled off a decent stop down to his left before being replaced by Hill for the final eight minutes or so, the youngster being drawn into the action almost immediately as he saved well from a low shot after a pass across the box had put Leamington in trouble.

The visiting supporters had given Maxime Biamou a noisy reception when he was introduced, the striker making his first appearance after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ACL injury, and he was given the opportunity to make the perfect comeback in the final minute when Hill, who had initially made a fine save but was then adjudged to have brought Tom Bayliss down. Biamou crashed the penalty high into the net to loud cheers.

This was a useful workout for Leamington, and while the manager admitted that in their three friendlies this week they will probably spend more time without the ball, their fitness levels will certainly benefit as the build up to the big kick off continues.

Attendance: 1,552

Leamington: Ben Newey (18 Matt Hill, 82), Junior English, Cieron Keane (14 Reece Flanagan, 65), Joe Clarke, Jamie Hood ©, James Mace, Josh March (16 Connor Carson, 80), Trialist (17 Shay Nicholson, 86), Colby Bishop, Callum Gittings, (15 Kian Taylor, 58) Connor Taylor (12 Kaiman Anderson, 58).

Coventry City (1st half): 13 Ben Wilson, 16 Josh Pask, 5 Kyle McFadzean, 4 Michael Rose, 31 Sam McCallum, 8 Jamie Allen, 38 Josh Eccles, 26 Jordan Shipley, 22 Wesley Jobello, 33 Gervane Kastaneer, 10 Connor Chaplin.

2nd half: 1 Marko Marosi, 23 Fankaty Dabo, 37 Morgan Williams, 15 Dom Hyam, 3 Brandon Mason, 20 Tom Bayliss, 6 Liam Kelly, 25 Zaine Westbrooke, 40 Jonny Ngandu (16 Maxime Biamou, 70), 11 Jordy Hiwula, 21 Amadou Bakayoko.

Subs not used: Jordon Thompson, Jordan Ponticelli, Dexter Walters

Referee: Mr Robbie Dadley

Assistant Referees: Mr Ian Croston & Mr Mitch Cartwright