Vanarama National League North
Your Co-op Community Stadium
Saturday 23rd April 2022

Brakes will be glad to see the back of Alfreton Town this season as Billy Heath’s side continued their late chase for a play off place with a third consecutive National League North victory and their third over Leamington this season.

Worryingly, the last goal scored in open play came 8 games ago in the win over Guiseley, and with three league games and the Birmingham Senior Cup Final to play, the season is in danger of fizzling out in a very disappointing manner unless a source of goals can be found.

With no fresh injury concerns Paul Holleran named an unchanged starting eleven for this game, and they started pace. Joe Parker fired a cross into the side netting seconds after kick off, while a corner was also forced in the opening minute or so.

Lewis Salmon picked up the first booking of the afternoon for a high boot into the midriff of Brakes skipper Jack Edwards, while Joe Clarke cracked a half volley not too far wide as Leamington pushed forward again. Alfreton’s first effort was somewhat wayward; as Josh Clackstone connected first time with Salmon’s cut back from the left but sent the ball high over the hedge into the field behind the stadium.

Two penalty shouts at either end within a matter of seconds fell on deaf ears - Salmon falling to the turf far too easily under a challenge from Dan Meredith, while Devon Kelly Evans and the Harbury Lane End were insistent that an Alfreton defender had used his arm to shepherd the ball back to keeper George Willis, but with Referee Dale Baines just yards away, the decision Leamington wanted was not forthcoming.

It was Edwards who forged the first clearcut opportunity for either side a few minutes before half time when he won a free kick on the right a few yards inside the Alfreton half. Meredith delivered the ball into the penalty area and the skipper lost his marker to meet it with a powerful header which produced a sprawling save from Willis.

Leamington continued to do the majority of the forward pressing, winning five corners during the first half, but they were unable to make them count.

However, the visitors hit the front with their first effort on target on 44 minutes. Brakes were aggrieved as they felt Adam Lund should have been penalised for meeting the ball with his arm as he challenged Edwards by the touchline in front of the main stand, but a throw was awarded, handing Lund the opportunity to utilise his tremendous long throw into the box. Leamington could only clear to the edge of the box, where Conor Branson connected with the ball so powerfully on the half volley that it flashed into the net and back into play off the advertising board behind the goal before anyone could move. The goal arrived somewhat against the run of play, but these kinds of circumstances are all too frequent when two sides are experiencing such contrasting form.

Veteran striker Matt Rhead lofted the ball onto the roof of the Leamington net early in the second half, while Dayle Southwell clipped a short cross into the centre for Bailey Hobson to direct straight at Callum Hawkins.

Southwell’s right wing corner was well directed towards goal by the head of Rhead, but Hawkins watched it all the way to make the save.

The visitors moved two goals ahead on 64 minutes when a right wing corner into the six yard box appeared to be diverted into his own net by ex Alfreton man Jack Lane, who insisted he had been pushed as he did so..

Salmon headed just over as the visitors looked to add a third to seal the game, with Leamington struggling to deal with their aerial deliveries.

With the game looking to be heading to inevitable conclusion the pendulum swung the other way with 14 minutes to play. Substitute Junior English had only been on the pitch a matter of moments when he went down under a challenge from Wiley, and the Referee awarded a penalty which Dan Turner thundered into the net to score his sixteenth goal of the season.

It was not enough however, as Leamington failed to put any further pressure on the visitors’ goal. Rhead almost added a late third when his header dropped inches wide of the far post, while Salmon glanced a header straight at Hawkins from another exocet long throw from Lund.

The manager was understandably downbeat afterwards, saying ‘We’re frustrated, obviously. I think when we look back at the goals we will be even more so. Two long throws that we haven’t defended well. Conditions meant that kicking down the pitch it was probably easier for us in the first half - we got the ball in good areas but probably overran it too much. We had a couple of good half chances; a penalty which, i’m not sure how that isn’t given - but on the stroke of half time we go behind.

‘Alfreton are a very very good, functional team. Very experienced - It’s the second time they have come here this season and deserved to beat us - that’s the bottom line - and they’ve got all types of weapons in their armoury. They’ve got a great target man, lots of legs, lots of experience, pace in wide areas, good goalscorers. They’ve got a threat, and they’ll be a threat to anybody if they get in the play offs, but you wouldn’t expect any more. The manager is a serial winner, and so are their players.

‘I’ve got no issues with that, but we’ve got to defend that set play better before half time. They’ve come out with their tails up, but we’ve got to hang in there. The biggest thing about us today is that we haven’t defended our box well enough. We haven’t defended set plays enough - it’s as simple as that. The second goal is a farce - we’ve made umpteen mistakes.

‘The game itself was difficult. We can’t be giving goals away like we are because teams like Alfreton give nothing away. We gave ourselves a glimmer of hope with the penalty, but it’s difficult to get the ball down and get it into wide areas. There’s no way of me glossing over it really other than to say it was a tough afternoon. The best team won and we’ve got to do better.’

Attendance: 532

Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Stephan Morley (15 Melis Bushaj, 46), Joe Clarke (12 Callum Gittings, 67), James Mace, Jack Lane, Joe Parker (16 Junior English, 71), Adam Walker, Dan Turner, Jack Edwards ©, Devon Kelly-Evans.

Subs not used: 14 Charlie Williams, GK Jake Weaver.

Alfreton Town: George Willis, Josh Clackstone, Dwayne Wiley, Conor Branson, Richie Sutton, Dominic Smith, Lewis Salmon, Adam Lund, Matt Rhead ©, Dayle Southwell, Bailey Hobson.

Subs not used: 12 Elliot Reeves, 14 Danny Preston, 15 Bobby Johnson, 16 Milan Butterfield, GK Alfie Smith Eccles.

Referee: Mr Dale Baines

Assistant Referees: Mr Sam Olhausen & Mr Brandon Scaife

Brakes Man of the Match: Adam Walker.