Vanarama National League North
The Horsfall Community Stadium
Saturday 11th February 2023

By Paul Edwards

Brakes dropped into the relegation zone in the National League North for the first time since the penultimate Saturday of the 2017/18 season as they were beaten as Bradford Park Avenue picked up their first win of 2023 on a disastrous afternoon in Yorkshire.

There were three changes to the eleven which started against Blyth, with West Bromwich Albion loanee Ted Cann making his debut in goal following the unfortunate season ending injury sustained by Callum Hawkins, who along with his family was watching from the stands. Sam Perry made his first start in place of the suspended Joe Clarke, while Devon Kelly-Evans replaced Dan Turner, who dropped to the bench.

Much as they had the previous Saturday Leamington began the match brightly, with Avenue keeper George Sykes-Kenworthy seeing a lot of the ball in the opening twenty minutes. However his only blemish was apparently carrying the ball over the line to concede a corner from which Jack Lane arced a header onto the roof of the net at the far post.

There was a brief scramble on the twenty minute mark as Lane headed a Bradford corner away from goal, but the home side were suddenly in the ascendancy, and inevitably heads dropped as Will Longbottom was played through to bury a low strike past the outstretched hand of Cann into the net.

The hosts added a killer second in first half stoppage time. There was a hint of offside as Brsd Dockerty ran through to place another low strike into the far bottom corner to leave Brakes with a second half mountain to climb.

The game could have been well and truly put to bed in the opening five minutes of the second half, as Cann saved well from Eddie Church’s header, before Harrison Hopper’s venomous strike cannoned off the underside of the crossbar and away.

However, things were to go from bad to worse for Leamington as they lost two players in the space of 12 minutes. Jack Edwards had been booked in the first half, and was shown a second yellow card after what in real time
looked like a foul on him by Mitch Lund, who went down holding his face.

Lane’s header from substitute Ben Usher-Shipway’s long throw was kept out by a combination of Sykes-Kenworthy and the crossbar, before Louis Hall saw red for catching Harrison Hopper with his studs on the halfway line.

Things really were looking grim for Brakes now, and they fell further behind two minutes later when Hopper slotted under the diving Cann for Bradford’s third of the afternoon.

Theo Streete was then forced off injured, but despite being two men down Leamington rallied to score their first goal since New Year's Day. A powerful run down the right by Dan Meredith saw him pull the ball back inside the penalty area where it was missed by the hard working Ollie Hulbert, but Kelly-Evans was on hand to sweep it first time past Sykes-Kenworthy into the net.

There was inevitably some disgruntlement among the travelling support at full time, but they left the Horsfall Stadium buoyed by a rallying cry from Jack Lane, who led several of his teammates in thanking them for travelling and asking them to stay with the team.

Brakes are well and truly in a relegation battle now, and welcome fellow strugglers Buxton to Warwickshire on Tuesday evening for another vital six pointer in which they will hope that their fortunes in front of goal will finally change.

Attendance: 541

Bradford (Park Avenue): George Sykes-Kenworthy, Lucas Odunston (14 Jamie Spencer, 30), Mitch Lund, Will Lancaster, Luca Havern (15 David Adewoju, 72), Sam Fielding, Harrison Hopper, Simon Richman, Eddie Church, Brad Dockerty (12 Shane Maroodza, 83), Will Longbottom.

Subs not used: 13 Liam Hall, 16 Jacob Blyth.

Leamington: Ted Cann, Dan Meredith, Louis Hall, Sam Perry (15 Junior English, 74), Theo Streete (16 James Mace, 72), Jack Lane, Liam Cross (14 Ben Usher-Shipway, 64), Adam Walker, Ollie Hulbert, Jack Edwards ©, Devon Kelly-Evans.

Subs not used: 12 Dan Turner, 17 Luke Slater.

Referee: Mr Andy Sykes

Assistant Referees: Mr Luke Lazenby & Mr Adam Burgess

Brakes Man of the Match: Ollie Hulbert.