Leamington 3 St Ives Town 1
Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central
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Saturday 23rd December 2023

Henry Landers bagged a first half hat trick as Brakes made a timely return to winning ways ahead of a Christmas double of Warwickshire derbies.

Moving onto double figures for the season, Landers became the first player since Lance Smith three years earlier to notch a treble for the club - Smith’s came against the very same opposition, in an FA Trophy tie in December 2020. The last Brakes man to notch a first half hat trick was one Mark Bellingham, back in December 2008 at Rothwell Town.

With the devastating news that Jack Lane could be absent from the starting line up for up to 12 months, Paul Holleran made one change to the eleven which started at Mickleover, replacing Will Shorrock with Tyrone Barnett. Jack Edwards continued in the central defensive berth vacated by injured team mate Lane.

In the opening ten minutes Leamington went close twice. Landers helped the ball in low from the right, Ewan Williams diverting it towards goal with an outstretched leg, but it was headed off the line and behind by George Joyce. From the resulting corner there was a scramble right on the goal line, but Ives’ keeper Ed Brearey emerged with the ball safely in his grasp.

Landers then got in on the right again, his low ball across goal missed by Joyce, but Brakes were unable to engineer anything from the loose ball. Dan Meredith decided to have a crack at goal 30 yards or so out on the half volley as the ball sat up nicely for him, but was off target.

Brakes did not have to wait long for the opening goal of the afternoon however, as on 14 minutes Landers took aim from 20 yards having received a perfect chest pass from Tyrone Barnett, and arrowed a low drive below the diving Brearey into the bottom right hand corner of the North Bank net.

The visitors saw a shot blocked before the loose ball was hammered high over the crossbar before Landers bagged a fine second on 23 minutes as he majestically steered a left wing cross from Cally Stewart past Brearey.

Despite the early deficit the visitors’ pacy striker Brandon Njoku looked busy and kept the Leamington defence on their toes. He engineered a chance for himself through sheer persistence, but fired over the clubhouse roof into the car park.

Meredith saw another effort headed away from goal by Patrick Casey, while Barnett climbed to direct a header towards goal from a left wing corner before the shot from the loose ball was blocked.

Landers came close to his hat trick goal when Stewart set him up from a cross on the right after some patient build up play involving Theo Streete, the Leamington number 7 flashing a header just wide, but he got his treble on 36 minutes when he met another ball into the box with a header that looped back across goal and under the crossbar.

Landers almost contributed to a fourth Leamington goal in the early throes of the second half, launching a header in from the right wing towards the far post which Jack Edwards almost nodded home, but was denied by Brearey, before Landers crashed another effort just wide seconds later.

The visitors very nearly pulled one back when Dan Barton snuck in on the left touchline and poked the ball against the outside of the post from very close range, but the visitors did pull one back just past the hour mark to register their first ever goal against Leamington when substitute Jordan Williams steered the ball past Callum Hawkins from a very good free kick delivery from the right wing.

This woke Brakes from their temporary slumber, and Williams headed across goal and just wide from a right wing corner.

St Ives had certainly given Leamington a great deal more to think about in the second half, but their momentum derailed somewhat when their captain Michael Richens picked up two bookings in quick succession to reduce his side to ten men.

Landers sent a low drive fizzing past the far post, before his replacement Jiah Medrano saw a header saved by Brearley in added time, but Landers’ first half exploits ensured that the points were wrapped up long before that.

Speaking afterwards, the manager said: ‘We played really well first half. We had a slight advantage with the conditions, but it wasn’t as severe as in the Barwell game. Our combinations in wide areas,with the wing backs, were great. We scored, three, and probably should have scored more. They were all good goals, different types of goals. We started the second half like a train; Henry’s had another good chance with a header, but listen, these (St Ives) are a good side. They showed a lot of character - sometimes when teams are in that position in a game it can go wrong, but they showed a lot of character, they looked a threat. Their manager has made a couple of good subs, tinkered with his system, and it was a little bit more difficult for us then. I think because we are struggling to get on the pitch to give it a good roll and that it’s making it really difficult to get hold of the ball. We probably needed to get it down and play it a bit more in the second half, but the key thing is that we’ve limited them to very little. There were some very good individual performances.

On Landers, Holleran said ‘Henry has been great for us, hasn’t he: He’ll be the first to tell you that he’s really frustrated with his goals return, because he plays sort of high up around the number nine. There isn’t a game that goes by where Henry doesn’t get chances, and a lot of that is because he’s a good player, he’s an intelligent player, but today if you look at the three goals they are three different types of goals. He’s always involved, but that’s the thing we’ve spoken about in training these last few weeks; hitting these targets. He’s got fantastic technique. I’m hoping there’s a lot more goals to come from him, because we need that. When we play Tyrone with Callum and Henry either side we need Callum and Henry in the goals, so it worked really well. Him and Dan Meredith down the right hand side are really exciting to watch. He’s a good boy, Henry. I’m really enjoying working with him and hopefully there’ll be a few more goals.

On Junior English and Jack Lane, the manager said ‘Junior will be having his operation probably in early January. Even though it sounds bad with him having it around the top of his neck and maybe having to have a plate in there, his recovery is not too bad. He might be up and running again in six weeks, probably not playing contact sport though - he’ll have been advised not to do that. Jack, sadly - we were hoping it might be an MCL but we’ve been advised this week that it is his ACL - so he is another one that is going to have to go under the knife. Sadly that is a long term injury. I’m gutted for both of the boys. I think with Junior, this was probably going to be his last season anyway, but both of them were here today and we will keep him involved. We seem to get an ACL every year sadly, but we will get it sorted out. You look at Callum Hawkins and see where he was this time last year to where he is now. We certainly have plenty of knowledge of these injuries because we’ve had so many of them that have had it. Jack Edwards has moved into the back four and done fantastic the last couple of games, so that is a positive.
We’ll enjoy this win and look forward to the next couple of games.’

Speaking to BBC CWR’s Brian Halford after the game, hat trick hero Henry Landers said: ‘Winning 3-1 and scoring a hat trick is always nice to be fair. We played well in the first half, not so well in the second, but it’s another win on the board, and that’s all that matters.

‘We’ve been working a lot on getting the ball in the box, and two of my goals have come from that. Working off the big man Ty up front is also something we do as well, and so it’s come off this week.

‘I’m starting to enjoy football again under Paul Holleran. He’s trusted me from the get go. He told me he wanted me to come in and play most games, and that belief has pushed me to enjoy this season so far.

‘The Christmas period is always tough due to the amount of games, but the win today has pushed us to believe we can get another three points on Boxing Day, and then look to do the same on New Year's Day.’

Attendance: 463

Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Josh Quaynor, Joe Clarke, Jack Edwards, Theo Streete, Henry Landers (14 Jiah Medrano, 87), Adam Walker, Callum Stewart (12 Will Shorrock, 79), Tyrone Barnett (16 Connor Taylor, 90+1), Ewan Williams.

Subs not used: 15 Dom Brown-Hill, 17 Dan Baldwin.

St Ives Town: 1 Ed Brearey, 2 George Joyce (12 Ben Mensah, ), 3 Luke Harris, 4 Michael Richens, 5 Jordan Williams, 6 Patrick Casey, 7 Dan Barton, 8 Myles Cowling, 17 Khristopher Oti (16 Greg Kaziboni, 46), 10 Brandon Njoku, 18 Sam Tessler (14 Josh Tomlinson, 46).

Subs not used: 15 Ed Hotter, 9 Jonathan Edwards.

Referee: Mr Daniel Smith

Assistant Referees: Mr Ian Croston & Mr Ryan Jennings

Brakes Man of the Match: Henry Landers.