Vanarama National League North
Your Co-op Community Stadium
Tuesday 6th December 2022
By Paul Edwards
Brakes were back to their defensively solid best as they frustrated league leaders Brackley on a biting Tuesday evening on Harbury Lane as the first signs of freezing winter temperatures began to appear.
The game was marked as a Former Players Day, with a healthy turnout of former Brakes right through from the late 1960’s to more recent seasons, and while they did not witness any goals they saw the kind of stubborn rearguard action that has seen Leamington lose only six of their twenty two league games thus far.
Skipper Jack Edwards headed a corner wide of goal early on, but it was the visitors who came closest to breaking the deadlock, James Armson’s piledriver forcing Callum Hawkins into a flying save to help the ball over his crossbar.
Riccardo Calder was next to go close just prior to the half hour mark when his shot across goal looked to have taken a deflection to send it wide of the far post.
Brackley skipper Gareth Dean headed a right wing corner comfortably over the bar as the Saints continued to ask all the questions in attack, with Shep Murombedzi sending another effort wide of goal as half time approached.
Brakes went close at the beginning of the second half through Devon Kelly-Evans, who initially completely miskicked as he attempted to shoot, but was able to get hold of the ball again to drill a shot just wide.
Hawkins was alert to parry a decent strike from Cosmos Matwasa, while in a rare Leamington break Northampton Town loan man Liam Cross drove across goal and wide of the far post.
Giant Brackley number 9 Levi Amantchi forced Hawkins into another good save from his low strike; Joe Clarke completing the clearance as the ball spun loose inside the box.
A more wayward effort from Murombedzi drew comparisons with former England Rugby player Johnny Wilkinson as his free kick sailed so high over Hawkins’ goal it landed in the top of the hedge on the North Bank. Another effort from former Brakes youth player Jordan Cullinane-Liburd also went over the bar following a neat build up from the visitors.
Substitute Callum Stead had the ball in the net in added time but Referee Will Davis had already stopped the game for a foul, much to Brackley’s frustration, and they were denied again moments from the whistle, Hawkins saving from Adam Rooney before another effort was cleared off the line in a late scramble.
The leaders maintained their position at the National League North summit, but will have been disappointed not to have taken all three points, while Paul Holleran will have been much more satisfied with what he saw from his team after Saturday’s defensive horror show at Boston. This was a well earned point that Leamington can hopefully build on as Christmas approaches.
Attendance: 523
Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Louis Hall, Joe Clarke, Theo Streete, Jack Lane, Liam Cross (12 Rackeem Reid, 69), Adam Walker, Dan Turner (14 Charlie Williams, 89), Jack Edwards ©, Devon Kelly-Evans.
Subs not used: 15 Connor Taylor, 16 Junior English, 17 Jack Sang.
Brackley Town: Danny Lewis, George Carline, Jordan Cullinane-Liburd, Jordan Richards, Riccardo Calder, Gareth Dean ©, Cosmas Matwasa, James Armson (15 Martin Woods, ), Levi Amantchi (12 Adam Rooney, ), Wesley York (16 Callum Stead, 52), Shepherd Murombedzi.
Subs not used: 14 Josh Flanagan, 17 Twariq Yusuf.
Referee: Mr William Davis
Assistant Referees: Mr Luke Lazenby & Mr Nigel Genner
Brakes Man of the Match: Callum Hawkins.
