Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central
MEL Group Stadium
Saturday 19th November 2023

Brakes negotiated the long trip to Suffolk to face a newly promoted AFC Sudbury side with a spring in their step after two successive wins thanks to a smart strike right on half time from Cally Stewart.

The young striker netted his seventh goal of the season as Leamington broke quickly from a Sudbury corner, and although Paul Holleran’s men were unable to get a second goal to give them a cushion, they put up a stubborn rearguard action to restrict their hosts to a single shot on target over the course of the 90 minutes, but it took a match winning save from Callum Hawkins to keep it out before the players and the noisy travelling support were able to celebrate three points.

This was always going to be an afternoon for grinding out a positive result, with the hosts having scored six away from home at Long Eaton United in their previous game, beating Bromsgrove Sporting in their last home game prior to that to halt a winless run of ten games in the league. A good start was key, and Leamington looked lively in the opening exchanges, going close when Dan Meredith picked the ball after his right wing cross had been punched back to him by debutant Yellows’ keeper James Philip, cutting inside his man and curling in a shot that was pushed behind by the goalkeeper.

Will Shorrock was handed his first start since arriving at the club last month, as the manager made two changes from last Saturday’s draw with Leiston. Jack Edwards replaced captain Adam Walker, who missed out through illness. Shorrock looked lively during his 75 or so minutes on the pitch, and saw a shot blocked after cutting in well from the left.

The hosts took a little while to surface as an attacking threat, but when they did they won a free kick in a dangerous position some 20 yards or so from goal, prompting a ripple of concern among the travelling support on the terraces, but mercifully this one did not end up in the back of the net as it struck the defensive wall.

Shorrock then got the better of a defender inside the box but appeared to hesitate, almost expecting play to be halted for a foul, and struck his shot into the side netting from a tight angle.

Sudbury then attempted a training ground routine from a left wing corner to try and catch out their visitors, but Adam Mills missed his kick, and the chance was gone.

Just when it looked as though the game would head into half time all square, Leamington broke quickly from a Sudbury corner, a long ball forward finding Shorrock. Keeper Philip was unable to claim, and as Oliver Caley-Brown challenged Stewart the ball ricocheted back to the Brakes number 9, who found the far corner with a firm low drive to put his side ahead.

The second half was short on goalmouth incident, with Brakes going close early on from a Henry Landers free kick whipped in from the left after Stewart had been fouled; Philip again punching the ball away from his goal. The Sudbury stopper then bravely got down to through ball inches ahead of the onrushing Landers.

Malachi Napa sent a shot wide of the target for the home side, who pushed forward more as they tried to cancel out Leamington’s slender advantage, but although Brakes had been unable to carve out any further chances they were in no mood to surrender it lightly.

Stewart came close to a late second when he was played in on the left edge of the penalty area, only to be denied by a fine save by Philip with his legs.

The Sudbury stopper was outdone by his opposite number however, as Hawkins, who had been little more than a spectator throughout, produced a tremendous save to deny a piledriver from Adam Mills as the game moved into added time. The resulting corner was then headed over the bar.

Leamington were living dangerously as Meredith appeared to hesitate on a free kick awarded on the right, and Sudbury broke, but the resulting shot flew well off target.

The hosts and their support behind the far goal believed that they had a big shout for a penalty, but Theo Streete insisted afterwards that he hadn’t even touched the man who went down. Mills was booked for his protests.

Brakes were able to see out the remaining time to record a narrow victory in the first meeting of these two sides since 2009.

‘I was a bit concerned towards the end. I thought, not three Saturdays on the bounce, because we’d been the better side and ended up with a point, but I think the biggest thing today was that although some of our play at times was as good as it has been all season - it was just that final pass or shot. We didn’t kill the game off, and when you don’t kill the game off, the same as last week in the first half, you’re open to that, and in the end it’s taken a wonderful save by Callum to keep the clean sheet intact. That’s why he’s in goal at Leamington - people know how highly I rate him - and he can have a quiet afternoon and still produce a save like that.

‘Our play deserved more. They were a threat - they came into it more in the second half, but we deserved to win the game. We bossed it for long periods, and it was a good away performance. Winning 1-0 away from home, I like those games, and it keeps the unbeaten run ticking over.

‘There were some good individual performances today. Jack coming back in there; the shape of that was good - Will Shorrock making his debut, I thought was excellent, and Callum (Stewart) down the middle. It was a good day’s work.’

Attendance: 351

AFC Sudbury: 13 James Philip, 2 Oliver Caley-Brown (8 Phillip Brown-Bampoe, 73), 3 Joe Tarpey, 4 Olumide Oluwatimilehin, 5 Charlie Lewis, 6 Thomas Dickens, 7 Jake Turner, 9 Joe Neal, 10 Malachi Napa, 11 Adam Mills, 14 Reuben Marshall (12 Romario Dunne, 63).

Subs not used: 15 Daniel Cousens, 17 Billy Walsh

Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Josh Quaynor, Joe Clarke ©, Theo Streete, Jack Lane, Henry Landers, Ewan Williams, Callum Stewart, Jack Edwards, Will Shorrock (12 Tyrone Barnett, 76).

Subs not used: 13 Dan Moore, 14 Junior English,  16 Jiah Medrano, 17 Dan Baldwin.

Referee: Mr Oliver Morris-Sanders

Assistant Referees: Mr Matthew Fear & Mr Daniel Keeble

Brakes Man of the Match: Callum Stewart.