Report

Brakes began a demanding run of fixtures against several sides in and around the top of the table by defeating a Redditch team who were fully in the game until they were reduced to ten men on the stroke of half time. They were to lose another player in the second half as Paul Holleran’s men took full advantage, and though it was understandable that the visitors felt hard done by with some of the decisions that went against them, Leamington’s overall performance merited the three points.

Redditch arrived having been the last team to have defeated Leamington, back on October 7th in the FA Trophy, but Brakes would have been determined to show that their performance in that game was not the kind that they have been producing since then, and to their credit they did just that.

They made a lively opening, with Henry Landers seeing a shot deflected over the bar to spark a string of corners, one of which was headed out almost from under the crossbar by Calum Flanagan. Jack Lane also saw a header saved.

A lovely link up between Will Shorrock, Cally Stewart and Ewan Williams saw Stewart played in for a shot that he dragged wide while surrounded by defenders, while the best Redditch could muster in the opening twenty minutes was some neat play around the edge of the Leamington penalty area involving skipper Reece Flanagan that ended with an attempted ball into the box by Brad Burton that was curled beyond a cluster of players and out of play.

They came close minutes after this though with a snapshot from Jaiden White that was held comfortably by Callum Hawkins.

Streete was climbing all over Danny King as he met a right wing corner that had been well won by Stewart despite having three men around him.

Redditch were coming more into the game as the half hour mark approached, and Flanagan’s right wing corner was headed into the side netting by Ryan Wollacott. Play was switching from end to end, and Shorrock then saw his shot deflected behind, before a Landers free kick was bent straight into the arms of Reds keeper Adam Harrison after Stewart had been fouled by former Brakes man Gift Mussa, who was the first name into the Referee’s notebook. He was quickly followed by Wollacott for a foul on the same player.

Stewart flashed a ball across the face of goal as Leamington continued to press for the opener. The confidence gained from the unbeaten sequence was clear to see in their play as they moved the ball around with a confidence that was missing in the early weeks of the season.

Redditch seemed content to surrender possession in their own half at the expense of throw-ins and dead ball situations, but were quick to break when presented with the opportunity, and they won a corner from White’s deflected shot which came to nothing despite pressure on Hawkins in a crowded six yard box.

King forced Hawkins into a save low down at his near post after he had blocked Jack Lane’s attempted clearance as Redditch pressed hard, but they were reduced to ten men on the stroke of half time when a needless challenge by Wollacott on Shorrock right on the byline on the left saw him receive a second yellow card, followed by the red.

There was then a spot of handbags in the penalty area that saw Shorrock go to ground, as the visitors continued to protest at the dismissal of their team mate.

Jack Edwards saw his right wing cross spin onto the roof of the net, before Leamington moved in front on 50 minutes. Edwards rose with two defenders to meet Joe Clarke’s ball into the box, one of whom, Musa Ceesay, went down clutching his face. It was unclear whether he had been caught by his own man, as there did not appear to have been any contact from Edwards.

With the Redditch players claiming that play should be halted, Brakes played on. Josh Quaynor’s powerful drive was only parried by Harrison out to Edwards, who calmly squared it for Stewart to gleefully slam home his 10th goal of the season from close range.

The visiting players were furious, and continued to protest to Referee Mark Billingham, with their skipper Reece Flanagan, who spent two separate spells at Leamington in 2014 and 2018/19, trying to explain to the fans at the front of the Harbury Lane End why they believed the game should have been stopped.

Dam Meredith drove just over the bar as Leamington probed for a swift second goal, and six minutes after the opener, they got one. Shorrock won a corner on the left, which was flighted to the far post by Landers and met emphatically by Williams, who thumped a fantastic header back into the net for his first goal in Gold and Black.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for Redditch when Burton was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Shorrock in front of the visitors’ dugout.

Williams was almost in again as he robbed substitute O’Shane Stewart just inside the penalty area, but saw his shot blocked superbly by the same player before laying the ball back for Landers to drive well over.

A super ball across the face of goal by Meredith was missed by inches by substitute Tyrone Barnett and Shorrock at the far post.

Some patient build up play looked to have bought Leamington a third goal as Shorrock squared for Barnett to nudge home, but an offside flag cut short the celebrations.

Landers sent a free kick just wide of the right hand post before Jiah Medrano rifled in a fierce cross-shot from a tight angle that was well saved by Harrison.

Redditch did plenty of probing as the game entered its closing stages, but they were snuffed out by a Leamington defence determined to record another clean sheet.

Barnett was denied a goal once more when he latched onto Williams’ ball forward, outmuscled Aram Soleman before bearing down on goal but he was denied by a fine save from Harrison as he attempted to clip the ball under the goalkeeper.

From the resulting corner Barnett was denied again on the line, but the ball was cleared only as far as Medrano, who crashed in a piledriver that was spectacularly tipped onto the crossbar by Harrision, but unfortunately for him Theo Streete was on hand to head home the rebound and wrap up the points for Leamington.

Attendance: 482

Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Josh Quaynor, Joe Clarke (15 Adam Walker, 80), Theo Streete, Jack Lane, Henry Landers, Ewan Williams, Callum Stewart (12 Tyrone Barnett, 74), Jack Edwards (14 Jiah Medrano, 86), Will Shorrock.

Subs not used: 13 Dan Moore, 16 Dan Baldwin.

Redditch United: 1 Adam Harrison, 2 Brad Burton, 19 Musa Ceesay, 4 Gift Mussa (17 Johnny Johnson, 78), 5 Calum Flanagan, 6 Ryan Wollacott, 7 Reece Flanagan (18 O’Shane Stewart, 73), 10 Danny King, 14 Aram Soleman, 15 Jaiden White (3 Jamie Melbourne, 45), 16 Alex Cameron.

Subs not used: 9 Prince Henry, 13 Josh Meynell,.

Referee: Mr Mark Billingham

Assistant Referees: Mr Jack Rose & Mr Jonathon Price

Brakes Man of the Match: Ewan Williams.

Photographs by Cameron Murray