Report

Vanarama National League North
Your Co-op Community Stadium
Monday 26th December 2022

By Paul Edwards

Brakes notched up their twelfth league draw of the season as the first of the festive fixtures with Gloucester City ended in stalemate.

Both sides will feel they could have taken all three points from what was an entertaining Boxing Day clash, but the draw preserves Leamington’s record of being undefeated in home games on this date under Paul Holleran’s stewardship.

While the visitors may feel that they edged the first half, Brakes were the better of the two sides in the second, despite Gloucester arguably creating the more clear cut chances.

There was just one change to the starting eleven from the FA Trophy defeat at Tamworth; Rackeem Reid coming in to the striking role, while Dan Turner moved out to the left and Devon Kelly-Evans dropped the bench.

Brakes engineered the first half chances of the afternoon with five minutes played. Louis Hall’s free kick from just inside the Leamington half after Reid was fouled was headed down by Jack Lane for Liam Cross to crack a half volley that was blocked at source by a red shirted defender. From the resulting corner Theo Streete arrived unmarked but could only poke the ball harmlessly wide, much to his dismay.

Turner saw a shot blocked in the next foray forward before Gloucester attacked, and Callum Hawkins was swiftly off his line to pluck the ball away from City’s top scorer Matt McClure on the edge of his penalty area.

Cross then had an even better effort as Jack Edwards and Lane helped the ball on to him inside the box, but his low drive was well held by Tigers keeper Billy Johnson.

Despite the promising start Brakes found themselves behind as the visitors scored with their first real attack of the game on 12 minutes. Lane led the protests as he and his team mates believed there had been a foul in the build up, but these were waved away. It was Michael Gyasi who did the hard work on the right, beating his man and laying the ball on a plate for McClure, who took two attempts to stab the ball home from inside the six yard box, as his first effort was superbly saved by Hawkins.

It was a blow for Leamington as they had started brightly, but they immediately came close to levelling things up as Turner’s shot took a deflection as it flew inches past the far post from the left. The ball did not travel too far wide from the next corner either.

Visiting manager Steve King found himself the first name into the Referee’s notebook, presumably for something he had said. He watched on as Dom McHale’s effort was deflected behind for a corner, which came to nothing for the visitors.

Gyasi looked a threat for Gloucester with his pacy direct running, and he sent a shot into the arms of Hawkins after a good run.

Gloucester were reacting quicker and breaking whenever the ball ran loose in their half, and they powered forward from their own penalty box up the right, Gyasi finding Jacob Agyepong, who fired low towards goal but straight at Hawkins.

The goal looked to have extinguished the early fire from Leamington, but they Cross provided an excellent opportunity for Reid as they found themselves with an overload down the right, sending the ball in to a perfect area for the striker to attack, but he could only direct it wide.

On the other hand Gloucester, despite shipping 11 goals in their previous two games, were now looking threatening every time they ventured forward. McHale was only denied by a ricochet that saw the ball kindly back into the arms of Hawkins.

Club captain Edwards, making his 350th appearance for Brakes, sent a header into the arms of Johnson from Hall’s left wing centre as Brakes struggled to make the ball stick in the final third.

Confusion reigned with minutes before the half time whistle, as Cross played a free kick into the box from in front of the Gloucester dugout. City keeper Johnson appeared to clatter into one of his team mates, the ball spinning back towards his own goal for Turner to pounce and knock it into the empty net. Several players from both sides ran with the Referee to the touchline as he went to consult with his assistant, who had raised his flag After a brief deliberation the goal was awarded, much to the dismay of the visitors. It was the perfect time to haul themselves level, and probably altered the direction of Paul Holleran’s half time team talk.

With the temperature dropping sharply as the sun disappeared from the Warwickshire landscape, Leamington set about warming up their fans as their performance improved considerably. They were on the front foot from the restart, and Reid came close when his flicked header whistled past the far post from Cross’s left wing free kick.

Agyepong poked a shot straight at Hawkins from the edge of the penalty area as Gloucester responded, before Edwards miscued a header horribly wide from a right wing cross.

Jake Andrews’ snapshot was well held at his near post by Hawkins, while Reid was a whisker from taking a through ball past Johnson, the keeper getting his foot in first to prevent what would have surely been a certain second goal for Leamington.

Adam Walker was impeded some 20 yards from goal, giving Cross the chance to strike, but the Gloucester defence did its job and blocked well. Streete then got his head onto the resulting corner, but the ball was nowhere near goal.

Leamington were working hard to press their visitors back now, finally stirring the home support into life, after they had been silent during the first half. Edwards knocked down into the path of Reid, who thumped a first time effort behind the goal, but the ball was coming back at the Gloucester defence more quickly now, and when Daniel Leadbitter was booked after giving away a free kick inside his own half, Lane quickly latched onto a weak half clearance to send a half volley wide.

Edwards had his head in his hands once more as his diving header from right in front of goal sailed over the crossbar from a fine left wing cross from Walker. However, the visitors gave notice that they were still in the game when Andrews had Hawkins scampering across his goal to cover a well struck free kick which dropped just wide.

This seemed to open the door for Gloucester to get back into the game, and they went very close to a second goal when Ben Nugent latched onto a free kick into the penalty area from the left with a first time effort that required superb reactions from Hawkins to divert the ball over the crossbar.

McClure then sent a header straight at Hawkins as a left wing cross was planted straight onto his head in a great position inside the box.

A superb challenge by Cross to prevent Gloucester bearing down on goal saw Joe Clarke almost play a ball past the last man for Turner to run onto, as the final stages were played out in a brief rain shower.

Edwards thumped the turf in frustration before wisely walking away as the Referee booked him for winning the ball just inside his own half. Brakes composed themselves before pressing forward again, Dan Meredith’s skidding low drive well held at his near post by Johnson.

Additional time bought no further chances for either side, and the two will lock horns again on New Year's Day in Gloucester.

'I thought performance wise it was a nice way to finsh off the year,' said the manager after the game. 'I think it was a notch up from the performance here against Brackley. I said after that game that I thought we would be the happier side with the draw. Today I think we are the side disappointed with the draw. We've managed to create five or six really really good opportunities, and on a number of occasions, we've missed the target. There was lots of good play; lots of front foot football. Lots to be pleased about today. 

'I think with their goal, some Referees give that free kick, some don't. There was a bit of a delay with our goal. I think the assistant referee thought that one of our players had headed it back across the box, which would have meant that Dan Turner was offside, but it was their goalkeeper, so that cleared that one up. 

'I'm gutted that we haven't taken these chances, but there's also lots to be encouraged by. I thought the midfield three were excellent today. The two wide men - we changed it slightly to give us a chance to stretch their back four a little bit, and with Dan out there, coming in like he did last year.... I think the more minutes we get into Liam Cross the more you'll see what an asset he'll be. Sometimes when you're struggling to score goals and you've got someone like him whipping good early balls into good areas like he has done today, then you'll get opportunities. 

'We've put a lot of pressure on them - a lot of teams might have cracked, but they didn't. They were a threat all afternoon, with the attacking players they've got. It was a good game, I thought. Difficult conditions, but it was certainly one that got away from us today. It would have been nice to get the three points but it wasn't to be. However, it's another point on the board and we need to build on that. We'll train this week now and look forward to New Year's Day. We've both had a look at each other now, and we'll see where that goes.

'There were lots of good individual performances today, and without wanting to sound repetitive, we just need to start turning some of these draws into wins now.' 

Attendance: 572

Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Louis Hall, Joe Clarke, Theo Streete, Jack Lane, Liam Cross (16 Charlie Williams, 86), Adam Walker, Rackeem Reid (12 Devon Kelly-Evans, 76), Jack Edwards ©, Dan Turner (15 Junior English, 90).

Subs not used: 14 Simeon Maye, 17 James Mace.

Gloucester City: 1 Billy Johnson, 2 Daniel Leadbitter, 5 Ben Nugent (24 Matthew Barnes-Homer 90+3), 7 Jack James, 10 Matt McClure ©, 11 Owen Evans, 15 Jake Andrews, 19 Junior Tiensa, 20 Dom McHale, 22 Michael Gyasi, 23 Jacob Agyepong.

Subs not used: 1 Brandon Hall, 4 Tommy O’Sullivan.

Referee: Mr James O’Connor

Assistant Referees: Mr Sam Lee & Mr Abdul Kadir

Brakes Man of the Match: Liam Cross.