Pre Season Friendly
Saturday 12th September 2020

Leamington faced an impressive looking Solihull Moors squad in an early afternoon kick off and were given their toughest workout of pre season so far by Jimmy Shan’s side.

It had been some five years since the two clubs had faced each other in any kind of fixture, and the visitors had been transformed as a club in that time, coming very close to reaching the Football League in 2019. They brought a squad large enough to field two teams to Harbury Lane, with plenty of professional experience and promising youngsters. Just as there had been regularly when the two sides faced each other regularly there was a familiar face in the Moors ranks, this time on the bench in the shape of Richard Beale.

The game kicked off in a high octane, physical fashion as Brakes let their visitors know very early on that they were not going to be intimidated. Indeed it was Danny Waldron who registered the first shot on goal of the afternoon inside the opening five minutes, sending a very well struck effort whistling past the frame of the goal after Simeon Maye had robbed Stephen Gleeson some 25 yards from goal.

Ten minutes in Moors opened the scoring with their first effort on goal, Jamey Osborne side footing a first time strike past a wrong footed Jake Weaver into the bottom corner after being picked out by Joe Sbarra from the right. It was a disappointing goal to concede from a Brakes perspective, a little too easy for the visitors to carve them apart.

Junior English did well to block an attempted shot by Adam Rooney on the edge of the box, while a free kick from Osborne struck the defensive wall.

Leamington began to settle more into the game after this, breaking up the Solihull monopoly on possession, though the next effort on goal still came from the men in blue, Cameron Coxe this time finding Sbarra from the byline on the right, but the man who set up the opener could not get enough purchase on his shot to trouble Weaver.

Just past the half hour Joe Parker did very well to prevent the ball going out play and winning a corner on the right, delivering the ball to the far post where Maye rose highest to clatter the bar with a powerful header.

Weaver held a well struck effort from Gleeson, while English did well to deny Rooney after his loose pass across the box had initially surrendered possession in a dangerous area.

Waldron did have the ball in the net for a challenge which was not immediately apparent, but Referee Sarah Garratt ruled the goal out.

A minute before half time the gap in class between the two sides produced a second goal for Solihull. Josh Martin’s throw was picked up just inside the Moors half and the ball was sent forward to Sbarra, who ignored Weaver’s call that the ball was his to lift a first time shot over the stranded keeper from the edge of the box, the ball entering the net off the inside of the post, much to the annoyance of Paul Holleran. It was a disappointing way for Brakes to end the first half as they had worked hard to stay in the game.

To their credit Brakes did not let the setback affect them, and picked up where they had left off as the second half began. Some nice movement produced a chance for Connor Taylor which did not trouble Ryan Boot in the Moors goal.

The visitors utilised their squad to the full as the hour mark passed introducing all of their remaining substitutes, including Callum Maycock, who impressed at Leamington on loan from Coventry City last season.

Brakes attempted to take advantage, and possibly should have had a penalty when English appeared to be hauled to the ground inside the box, but nothing was given.

A good cross from Ben Usher Shipway was met by a flying header from Jake Beesley that wasn’t too far wide of the target, while late on Leamington came close when substitute Jack Edwards headed down well from a right wing cross by English to fellow sub Dunbar, who had to work hard to bring the ball down only to be denied by a fine last ditch block to send the ball behind.

Leamington halved the deficit with three minutes remaining, and it all stemmed from a superb piece of defending from Maye, who did brilliantly to win the ball back deep inside the Leamington half. It was played high into the Solihull half and lost temporarily until a fine block challenge from Leamington's trialist led to Kaiman Anderson getting the better of a defender to get goal side and  advancing before rolling the ball under Niall Clayton into the far corner.

Unfortunately within a minute their hard work was undone as a sloppy pass in midfield allowed Maycock to pick up possession and slide the ball through for Jake Beesley, who was caught by Kyle Morrison as he attempted to side step the Brakes substitute, and a penalty was awarded from which the Moors man sent Weaver the wrong way to complete the scoring.

Leamington: Jake Weaver, Josh Martin ( 14 Kyle Morrison, 46), Stephan Morley, Joe Clarke (16 Jack Edwards, 72), Junior English, Jack Lane, Joe Parker (Kieran Dunbar, 68), Dan Meredith (15 Callum Gittings, 68), Danny Waldron (17 Trialist, 77), Simeon Maye, Connor Taylor (12 Kaiman Anderson, 59).

Subs not used: GK Josh Allen, 18 Jordan Murphy.

Solihull Moors: Ryan Boot, Tyrone Williams, Mitch Hancox, Kyle Storer ©, Callum Howe, Alex Gudger, Cameron Coxe (12 Ben Usher Shipway, 46), Stephen Gleeson, Adam Rooney, Jamey Osbourne (Nick Clayton Phillips, 46), Joe Sbarra.

Substitutes - all came on after 61 minutes: 13 Niall Clayton, 14 Lewis Miccio, 15 Callum Maycock, 16 Jordan Piggott, 17 Darren Carter, 18 Jerome Slewe, 19 Jordan Cranston, Melis Bushaj, Jake Beesley.

Referee: Sarah Garratt

Assistant Referees: Ben Wilkinson & Mitch Cartwright.

*Check our Social Media channels for a short montage of our best moments from the game -many  thanks to Solihull for these
**Photos by Sally Ellis & Dean Williams