Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central
Trico Stadium
Saturday 23rd March 2024

In the first of a run of games against clubs chasing a top six place, Brakes cruised to an emphatic victory at fellow play off chasers Redditch United to give their chances a timely bounce. 

Having produced a disappointing performance in their last visit to the Trico Stadium earlier in the season in the FA Trophy this was never going to be an easy task for Paul Holleran’s men, but they edged an even first half thanks to Will Shorrock’s impudent finish, and took control in the second with a stunning free kick from Rob Evans, while Dan Meredith marked his 150th appearance for the club with an equally stunning effort as the game drew to its conclusion. 

Prior to kick off there was a minute's applause in memory of Tom Rankin, who turned out for both Redditch and Leamington during his career. 

The home side were the first to show in the opening exchanges, a neat passage of play ending with Brad Burton’s cut back being driven across goal and wide by Jack Concannon.

Cally Stewart cut in from the right to drive Leamington’s first sighter of the afternoon straight at Reds keeper Adam Harrison. Play switched swiftly to the opposite end, Musa Ceesay sending a drive well over the crossbar. A low right wing Leamington corner then somehow evaded a clutch of lunging bodies inside the Redditch penalty area. 

The game was quite an end to end affair at this stage, and the hosts were frustrated from a similar situation as the ball flashed across the Brakes six yard box from a cross by Zidan Sutherland. Ceesay saw his shot saved by Callum Hawkins, who was called into serious action for the first time when he produced a flying save to deny Calum Flanagan following a recycled Redditch corner kick. 

Jordan Cranston’s free kick was headed on by Ryan Wollacott, the ball dropping just wide of the far post as Redditch continued to probe for the opener, but that all important goal was to arrive at the other end when a free kick into the penalty area was nudged into the path of Shorrock, who did well to hold off his man before dinking the ball past Harrison into the net, to the utter delight of a noisy and sizeable travelling support. 

Hawkins was alert as he darted off his line to snuff out a well placed through ball from Ceesay for Alex Cameron, while a free kick won in a good position was blasted into the wall by Reece Flanagan. The follow up was also blocked. 

The second half exploded into life when a fantastic weaving run into the box by Shorrock took him past defenders before he squared for Tyrone Barnett, who opted for power in his strike and was denied by a superb block from Harrison. 

The pivotal second goal arrived on the hour mark. Shorrock was fouled some 30 yards from goal. There was some puzzlement amongst a few of the travelling support as Rob Evans looked to be sizing up the free kick, but the centre back showed them exactly why, executing an absolute beauty of a strike over the wall and past a despairing Harrison into the top corner. Evans has only played four games since joining from Halesowen after having to wait for his opportunity, but he has seized it with both hands, and is rapidly becoming a fans favourite. 

Meredith set up Barnett for another strike at goal, but he was denied by Harrison. The same pair combined once more, but it was not to be Tyrone’s afternoon, this one flying over the crossbar. 

With the fans in raucous mood behind the goal and their team controlling things on the pitch, this was turning into a very good afternoon. Substitute Devon Kelly-Evans sent in a left wing corner that Harrison, under pressure from Jack Edwards, was forced to punch over his crossbar for another corner, which Kelly-Evans managed to deliver into exactly the same area. The Redditch keeper was not pressured this time, but the trajectory of the ball meant that he still had to punch it behind once more. 

Redditch chances were scarce in the second half, but they had a great opportunity to halve the deficit late on when they countered from a Brakes corner. Cranston carried the ball forward and found Cameron, but he dragged his shot wide of the upright.

As the game entered the final minute of regulation time the Brakes support witnessed something they have been willing to happen for a long time. Dan Meredith often works himself into good positions for a strike at goal, but had not hit the back of the net since a 3-2 defeat at Chester early in the covid curtailed 2020/21 season. This time however, it was set up perfectly for him as the ball was moved across from the left into space, and the right back did not hesitate, thumping an unerring strike low with the outside of his boot that whistled past Harrison into the bottom right hand corner to cap a delightful afternoon on the road for Leamington. 

It almost got better. The fans cult hero Jiah Medrano was introduced, and with his first touch slammed a low right wing delivery from Meredith inches wide. That perhaps would have been asking a little too much, given what we had already witnessed, but nevertheless, the journey home was a happy one. 

Paul Holleran spoke to BBC CWR’s Brian Halford after the game. ‘The performance levels have been where they’ve been for a number of weeks now,’ said the manager. ‘The difference today was that we took a few more of the opportunities maybe. I don’t think anybody watching could say that we didn’t deserve to win the game. There were some good individual performances. 

‘It’s a really tough place to come, Redditch. They’re having a little bit of a blip but we’ve had a blip during the season; they have enough quality to make an impact I think, but from our point of view it was a really solid away performance; we limited them to very little and looked a threat all afternoon. We’ve ended up scoring three really good goals, and probably missed three or four good opportunities as well. 

‘At this stage of the season and with where we are, I said to the players before the game, what should help us is the experience we’ve got in the changing room, as well as the ability we’ve got in there. I thought today we used our experience really well today to manage the game at times. We had some difficult moments, and then when the game opened up we used our quality. They were all good goal, but two were great individual strikes. 

On Dan Meredith, Holleran said ‘He’s been with us for three or four seasons now, and has been great for us. We’ve asked him to try and get more goal involvements into his game, and he’s doing that, so we’re really pleased for him today.’ 

Redditch have now lost four consecutive games without scoring a goal, and look to be desperately missing the leadership and guidance of absent manager Matt Clarke. They will no doubt be hoping that he will return sooner rather than later to steer what has been a good season back on track. Both clubs have some testing fixtures against clubs fighting to take their places in the top six, and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the two could end up meeting for a fourth time this season in the play offs. 

Brakes now turn their attention to their Birmingham Senior Cup Semi Final at Racing Club Warwick on Tuesday evening. 

Attendance: 625

Redditch United: 1 Adam Harrison, 2 Brad Burton, 5 Calum Flanagan, 6 Ryan Woillacott, 7 Reece Flanagan, 9 Zidan Sutherland (10 Danny King, 56),11 Jack Concannon (20 Callum Rowe, 74), 12 Morgan Owen, 16 Alex Cameron, 18 Jordan Cranston, 19 Musa Ceesay.  

Subs not used: 4 Gift Mussa, 13 Charlie McNamara, 15 Tayslan Douglas-Lewis. 

Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Josh Quaynor, Ewan Williams (12 Joe Clarke, 81), Theo Streete, Rob Evans, Will Shorrock (15 Devon Kelly-Evans,78), Adam Walker ©, Jack Edwards, Tyrone Barnett, Callum Stewart (16 Jiah Medrano, 90). 

Subs not used: 14 Henry Landers, 17 Connor Taylor.  

Referee: Mr Luke Scott

Assistant Referees: Mr Tom Johnson & Nick Gray

Brakes Man of the Match: Rob Evans.