Vanarama National League North
Phillips 66 Community Stadium
Saturday 22nd February 2020

Brakes marked the occasion of James Mace’s 400th appearance for the club with a win as a late goal from Joe Parker saw them sneak past Southport on a windswept afternoon at the Phillips 66 Community Stadium.

The vicious swirling gale did not relent for the duration, leading to a game which sadly was low on quality and incident, despite the best efforts of both sides.

The only real talking points came in the final ten minutes - Parker’s first goal for the club arriving in the 84th minute, while the Sandgrounders were adamant they should have been awarded a penalty with almost the last kick of the game, only to see their furious protests ignored by the match officials.

Paul Holleran made one change to his starting eleven from Tuesday’s narrow defeat at Alfreton - Coventry City loanee Dexter Walters returning in place of Kaiman Anderson after missing eight games through injury. Josh Martin and Jack Storer both kept their places and made their home debuts.

It was evident from the opening moments that the conditions were going to play a huge part in the outcome, with neither appearing to benefit from the howling gale. The visitors were first to settle however, and milestone man Mace put his body on the line early on with a brave block to deny the busy Jack Doyle as he lashed a shot in from the left inside the box.

Jack Edwards directed Parker’s right wing cross straight into the arms of Southport keeper Dan Hanford, while an almighty scramble inside the Leamington penalty area ended with Ryan Astles scuffing a shot wide of the target.

Walters was getting plenty of chances to stretch his legs on his return, and inadvertently set up Storer as he drove to the edge of the box, the striker driving a first time shot across goal and wide.

Jake Weaver was no doubt pleased to have a relatively quiet afternoon, his only real save coming when a shot from Doyle looped dangerously close to his goal, forcing him to push the ball over his crossbar.

Parker missed the chance of the half right on the whistle, when under pressure from a defender he could only scoop the ball over the bar as Edwards nodded down a swirling cross from the impressive Stephan Morley down to him.

Leamington started the second half brighter with the wind now apparently at their backs, Storer and Callum Gittings seeing shots fly high and wide, while at the opposite end Weaver was off his line smartly to gather the ball ahead of Doyle and snuff out the danger as the Southport man looked to latch on to a flick from George Newall, who engineered a chance for himself with a smart turn some 20 yards from goal only to drive his shot well wide.

Parker had switched flanks after the introduction of Kaiman Anderson and was beginning to find more space to drive in to, almost finding Storer with a cut back inside the box.

Newall wasted a decent opening for Southport when he sliced a shot over the bar from close range after Astles had flicked on a cross.

The hard working Storer saw a shot deflected over for a corner, from which Morley drove well wide as the ball was half cleared. The only goal of the game was not long in arriving however, and it came about as the result of some neat build up play down the right, Edwards sending in a cross which was directed down into the path of Parker by a combination of Storer and a defender. The midfielder was not about to pass up the opportunity to score his first goal since switching from Gloucester City in January, drilling a first time effort low into the net.

There was still time for some fraught moments before the final whistle, not least when deep into added time Southport substitute Bradley Bauress went down dramatically inside the penalty area clutching his face after he was struck by the ball as Anderson attempted to hook it clear. The view most in the ground would have had would have been of the high boot but not the contact with the ball, but Referee Dean Watson was adamant and waved away the furious protests of the visiting players before blowing the final whistle moments later.

Paul Holleran’s Reaction

‘As much as the conditions were really difficult today you’ve got to compliment the people that work up here to try and get the pitch ready. The conditions have made it really difficult. Liam (Watson, the Southport manager) must think it’s like this all the time - every time he comes here it’s blowing a gale!

‘It was a difficult game, both sets of players applied themselves well, but we were probably getting to the stage where you’d have probably taken the point. There wasn’t a lot of quality in the game but the goal was a really good quality move from us. We might have just about deserved it - maybe. I think they will be disappointed with the decision at the end - a high foot in the box - if it was the other way round we’d want it, but coming away from that obviously with where we’ve been recently with the travelling - we’ve been living on coach for the last month - we’ve had things go against us in games - Concord and Alfreton the other night, so maybe it’s just gone for us a little bit today. But the players have always applied themselves well and been in games, and have certainly come out on the wrong end of some, but something I have challenged the players - we’ve been fortunate over the last two years to have a number nine - whether it be Udoh or Stenson or Colby - and we need others to start chipping in now, so that was satisfying today. I bought Joe Parker to the club because I knew that he was capable of things like that, so it was good to see him get off the mark.’

Attendance: 458

Leamington: Jake Weaver, Josh Martin, Stephan Morley, Callum Gittings, James Mace, Jack Lane, Joe Parker, Callum Maycock (14 Joe Clarke, 90), Jack Storer (16 Connor Taylor, 88), Jack Edwards ©, Dexter Walters (15 Kaiman Anderson, 66).

Subs not used: 12 Dan Meredith, 17 Kieran Dunbar.

Southport: Daniel Hanford, Jack Sanders, Jack Doyle, Dean Winnard (13 Zehn Mohammed, 33), Ryan Astles, Russell Benjamin, Reagan Ogle, Charles Oliver, George Newell, Jack Sampson ©, Connor Woods (15 Bradley Bauress, 64).

Subs not used: 12 David Morgan, 14 Andrew Parry, 16 Charles Albinson.

Referee: Mr Dean Watson

Assistant Referees: Mr Thomas Wainman & Mr William Davies

Brakes Man of the Match: James Mace.

Photos: Sally Ellis & Dean Williams - ©