Vanarama National League North
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Saturday 26th February 2022

Brakes erased the memory of the heart breaking injury time defeat at the Deva Stadium in December as they put Chester to the sword on Harbury Lane with one of their most impressive performances of the season.

Games between the two sides have historically been tight affairs, usually ending level or with a single goal either way, but this one was emphatically one sided as Paul Holleran’s men slammed three past their shell shocked visitors without reply.

The manager made two changes to the eleven that started up at Bradford, bringing in loan signing from Burton Albion Callum Hawkins in goal for his debut while Joe Clarke replaced Callum Gittings in central midfield.

Dan Turner ghosted past a couple of challenges into the Chester penalty area in the opening couple of minutes but was unable to get enough purchase on his shot to trouble Wyll Stanway in the Seals goal.

Jack Lane headed a second opportunity well wide of the target from Brakes’ first corner of the afternoon. Turner was then beaten to a huge kick forward from Hawkins by a confident Stanway, who stood his ground and swiped the ball from the front man’s path before claiming.

Leamington built on their promising start as they opened the scoring on 17 minutes. Jack Edwards nudged a long ball forward perfectly into the path of Dan Turner, who ran in on goal at an angle, and though Stanway did his utmost to narrow the angles Turner was calmness personified as he flicked the ball beyond the keeper with the outside of his right boot. It almost looked to be travelling agonisingly wide at one stage, but nestled neatly in the bottom corner.

Chester had struggled to make any kind of headway on the Leamington goal as the half hour mark came and went; Matt Williams sending a wild effort spiralling high over the clubhouse roof following a corner kick.

Dead balls were proving to be a big threat for Brakes, and Edwards held his hands up in apology to the home support on the car park terrace as a dangerous ball in from Devon Kelly-Evans whistled past the fair post right in front of the skipper, who was unable to react quickly enough to connect with it.

Turner sent another good cross in from the right that Kelsey Mooney stretched to head just wide, while at the other end debutant Hawkins had been a virtual spectator, but confidently held several balls into his penalty area just before half time as the visitors attacked.

Hawkins fielded an early second half strike from Rob Apter but Leamington picked up where they had left off in the opening 45 minutes, and doubled their advantage five minutes in when Kelly-Evans floated a right wing corner to the far post for Edwards to power home his second header in two games into the roof of the net.

It was no more than Leamington deserved for their performance up to that point, but Steve Watson had made two half time changes, bringing on Marcus Dackers and Okera Simmonds in an attempt to beef up the Chester attack, and Dackers sent a shot well wide after a good turn on to Darren Stephenson’s left wing cross.

Lane powered a header into the net from a delicious free kick delivery from Steph Morley only for the assistant on the near side to raise the offside flag. Within seconds Chester forged their best chance so far as substitute Rowan Roache set up Simmonds to fire in a low drive that had enough power to present a problem for Hawkins, but the young keeper watched it all the way and got down to his left well to push the ball away before it was cleared.

Brakes really forced home their advantage with fourteen minutes to play as they added a third goal, Mooney bringing down the ball and striding into the penalty area, beating two defenders before sliding a confident low strike beyond Stanway into the net.

The visitors, whose disgruntled supporters staged a mass exodus after the third goal, did at least forge more openings in the closing stages than they had done earlier in the game - Simmonds forcing Hawkins into another save low down at his near post.

Roache’s cross curled in from the left was glanced wide by Declan Weeks in the closing minutes before Stanway did well to dive at the feet of second half substitute Joe Parker as he connected well with Dan Meredith’s low right wing cross in the centre.

There was plenty to enthuse about in this game, and first team coach Chris Knott conveyed the buoyancy from the dressing room afterwards.

‘We’re absolutely delighted with the result. Performances have been up and down but we’ve had some really positive spells in games lately and just not put chances away so today, from back to front, a clean sheet and going forward taking some good opportunities, was pleasing to see.

‘We could maybe have been further in front at half time if we had made more of some of our opportunities, but second half we got the early goal and then won the midfield battle before getting the third goal late on which I think has killed them off really. Chester came out and had a go second half but we managed them well, and I think it was really positive.

‘The weather and the conditions worked to our advantage really as we wanted to get in behind them, to try and turn them and get them facing their own goal. We did that really well first half and I think we used the conditions to our advantage as well. Second half it was challenging but the back four were outstanding - Callum who came in in goal did really well to deal with that, and the second balls in the middle of the park were really good too.’

Attendance: 611

Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Stephan Morley, Joe Clarke (14 Callum Gittings, 75), Kyle Morrison, Jack Lane, Dan Turner (15 Sam Wilding, 81), Adam Walker, Kelsey Mooney, Jack Edwards, Devon Kelly-Evans (12 Joe Parker, 77)

Subs not used: 16 James Mace, 17 Junior English.

Chester: 13 Wyll Stanway, 2 Kevin Roberts (25 Okera Simmonds, 46), 3 Simon Grand, 4 Declan Weeks, 6 David Fitzpatrick, 8 George Glendon (20 Marcus Dackers, 46), 11 Darren Stephenson (33 Rowan Roache, 66), 14 Harrison Burke, 15 James Horsfield, 17 Rob Apter, 18 Harry Williams

Subs not used: 1 Louis Gray, 29 David Okagbue.

Referee: Mr Ruebyn Ricardo

Assistant Referees: Mr Stuart Richardson & Mr Ryan Williams

Brakes Man of the Match: Dan Turner.