Vanarama National League North
New Meadow Park
Sunday 26th December 2021

A patched up Leamington picked up a useful point from their Boxing Day clash with Gloucester City in a somewhat subdued National League North encounter in which neither side was quite able to produce the quality or guile in the final third to truly test either goalkeeper.

Paul Holleran was pleased with the resilience shown by his men despite admitting to having to ‘put square pegs in round holes’ again, and hailed ‘a captain’s performance’ from Kyle Morrison, who led the side again in the continued absence of Jack Edwards.

The week since the defeat to Kettering had been kinder to Brakes, and Holleran was able to welcome back goalkeeper Jake Weaver into his starting line up, while Joe Clarke and Devon Kelly Evans were also able to return to the squad and took their places on the substitutes bench along with academy graduate Jack Sang. West Bromwich Albion loanee Jamie Andrews was thrust straight into the team.

Former Brakes striker Josh March, who played his last game and scored his last goal for the club in this fixture at Leamington two years previously, was an interested onlooker from the terraces as he came to support his old team mates.

The game kicked off with New Meadow Park bathed in pleasantly uncharacteristic December sunshine, in contrast with a rather sombre atmosphere given the size of the crowd in attendance. Brakes fashioned an opening inside two minutes, debutant Andrews finding Dan Turner on the left, who played the ball in to Kelsey Mooney on the edge of the box to turn and shoot low into the arms of Tigers keeper Jake Cole at his near post. City responded, winning a corner on the right; Lucas Tomlinson’s swerving dead ball met by a looping header from Daniel Leadbitter which the returning Weaver claimed well under pressure.

Although the home side dominated possession after this it took over 15 minutes for them to create another opportunity, a right wing corner being played back into the box which was met by Bernard Mensah, who headed straight at Weaver. Unfortunately his team mate Tom Harrison was going for the same ball, and the two players clashed heads, but after treatment both were able to continue.

Mooney quickly hit a half volley from just outside the box which was again collected at his near post by Cole.

Harrison sent a risky diving header back towards his own keeper as Dan Meredith took advantage of a favourable ricochet to drive a low cross in from the left. The central defender was clearly struggling after the clash with his team mate, was replaced soon afterwards by Ben Gerring.

Six minutes before half time Dan Turner fully extended Cole when Leamington countered quickly as Gloucester queried the lack of a free kick in their attacking third. Turner’s low 20 yard strike saw Cole diving down to his right to push the ball away.

As much as Gloucester had enjoyed more of the ball during the first half, Leamington had looked largely untroubled in defence, with Morrison and Jack Lane dealing confidently with the majority of balls played in. Despite this it was interesting to note that all of City’s chances had come from aerial balls into the box.

Weaver had to be at his best to tip a long range piledriver from Tommy O’Sullivan over the crossbar early in the second half, particularly as the ball looked to have taken a slight deflection on its way through to him.

The hosts saw a couple of half chances pass them by, while Andrews put in a solid challenge in the centre of the park before setting Meredith free down the right, his low centre just evading the lunging Turner in the centre. The two sides then exchanged bookings (Gittings and Leadbitter) in what was never a dirty game by any stretch of the imagination.

Gloucester looked to have a great chance when the ball was whipped in from the right to the far post but Leamington defended well and it ended up safely in the arms of Weaver.

The hosts continued to send half chances high and wide of goal in the closing stages, with Brakes looking for an opening on the counter attack. Substitute Joe Clarke decided to try his luck from the same sort of range as he had done in scoring his wonder goal at Blyth Spartans back in November, but on this occasion although his effort was on target it was never going to trouble Jake Cole.

Weaver, who no doubt would have been delighted with a fifth clean sheet of the season on his return, held onto another low strike on target as the game entered five minutes additional time, and while Gloucester continued to rain crosses into the box they were all in vain as Brakes picked up a deserved point.

Attendance: 1,366

Gloucester City: 1 Jake Cole, 12 Daniel Leadbitter, 16 Ryan Galvin, 24 Ben Nugent, 4 Tom Harrison (23 Ben Gerring, 29), 14 Tommy O’Sullivan, 7 Kevin Dawson ©, 15 Tom Mehew (20 Jordan Young, 86), 17 Lucas Tomlinson, 11 Bernard Mensah (9 Dejon Noel Williams, 73), 8 Ollie Hulbert.

Subs not used: 21 Liam Armstrong, 18 Max Sheaf.

Leamington: Jake Weaver, James Mace, Stephan Morley, Dan Meredith, Kyle Morrison, Jack Lane, Joe Parker, Callum Gittings (15 Joe Clarke, 77), Kelsey Mooney, Jamie Andrews, Dan Turner (12 Kaiman Anderson, 86).

Subs not used: 14 Kieran Cook, 16 Jack Sang, 17 Devon Kelly-Evans.

Referee: Mr Matthew Perry

Assistant Referees: Mr Jonathan Maskrey & Mr Jake Allsopp

Brakes Man of the Match: Kyle Morrison.