Pre Season Friendly
Your Co-op Community Stadium
Tuesday 23rd July 2024
Brakes faced their second pre season local derby in a matter of days; this time against their closest neighbours Racing Club Warwick.
The two clubs had met competitively for the first time in 17 years last season in the Semi Final of the Birmingham Senior Cup, which sadly for Brakes, turned out to be an evening to forget in what was ultimately a successful season.
Warwick may not have gone on to lift the county cup, but were not without success of their own as they too won promotion through the play offs, and will take their place in a competitive Northern Premier League Midlands Division this season. We wish them all the best.
The first half was short on incident, the kind of typical fitness exercise for the players that pre season games generally are. There wasn’t the kind of edge there had been in the challenges at Stratford on Saturday, and there were very few clear cut chances for either side.
Dan Meredith set up Henry Landers for a 15th minute shot that stung the palms of keeper Sam Lomax. An early corner for the visitors came to nothing, before Adam Walker sent a tame effort trickling wide.
Racing Club skipper Kyle Barnett was breathing down Cally Stewart’s neck as he received the ball inside the box, nudging him to the turf, but with no whistle forthcoming from the Referee, Stewart maintained possession, turned and fired across goal and wide.
Rob Evans took advantage of a clean bounce of the ball just outside the box to crack in an exquisite half volley that was well blocked by a Warwick defender before it could reach goal.
Warwick won a number of corners that they failed to capitalise on, and from one Leamington broke upfield, Stewart working it well on the left before setting up Josh Quaynor to cross, trialist Marvellous Onabirekhanlen rising to thump a thunderous header wide of the target.
Moments before half time Racing Club probably should have taken the lead. Callum Hawkins was sold short by a back pass, and a Warwick player hit the deck inside the box. The initial shot at goal was blocked by George Ward; the follow up met by a fine fingertip save from Hawkins at the expense of a corner.
Brakes began to push forward more in the early stages of the second half, Landers seeing a shot deflected behind for a corner which came to nothing. The ball was recycled, and bounced off Onabirekhanlen into the path of Evans, who sent an absolute rocket of a strike into the Harbury Lane End.
Archie Hamp sent a good header into the arms of Hawkins from a left wing cross, but prior to this the manager had made a triple substitution, bringing on Will Shorrock, Caine Elliott, and Teddy Rowe, a Leamington local who had been in Aston Villa’s since the age of 8, having previously played for the Brakes’ junior teams. He almost made an instant impact, turning Hamp superbly before accelerating towards the penalty area and crossing for Stewart to send a glancing header not far wide. Rowe certainly impressed the Brakes faithful enough in his half-hour cameo to make them want to see more of him.
Warwick forced another fingertip save from Hawkins as they almost took advantage immediately after Leamington made another triple substitution. A trialist substitute did very well to dig out a cross from the byline on the right, Ebbutt heading towards the roof of the net only to be denied by Hawkins.
Brakes broke the deadlock with ten minutes remaining following a fluid one pass move down the right which saw the ball played inside to skipper Adam Walker, who struck the ball well enough but was aided by a minor deflection that sent it looping past young substitute keeper Oliver French, whose first job was unfortunately to pick the ball out of the back of the net.
Jiah Medrano sent in a decent ball from the left that Tim Berridge just connected with but was unable to steer towards goal, while Medrano himself saw a shot blocked at source late on as Leamington pushed to add to their slender advantage.
Overall Leamington probably merited their slender victory on the balance of play, but it was a worthwhile workout for both sides as they gear up for the forthcoming campaign at a new level.
Attendance: 305
Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Josh Quaynor (14 Jiah Medrano, 77), Joe Doyle-Charles (15 Ewan Williams, 46), George Ward, Rob Evans (12 Theo Streete, 77), Callum Stewart (17 Tim Berridge, 77), Adam Walker (20 Trialist, 85), Henry Landers (19 Teddy Rowe, 61), Marvellous Onabirekhanlen (18 Caine Elliott, 61), Jack Edwards (16 Will Shorrock, 61).
Subs not used: 13 Ethan Pheasey.
Racing Club Warwick: Sam Lomax (19 Oliver French, 79), Ruben Freeman, James Hancocks (17 Connor Mooney, 64), Ryan Andrews, Kyle Barnett ©, Declan Peart, Archie Hamp (15 Trialist B, 71), Josh Willis, Greg Mills, Louie Monaghan, Cameron Ebbutt.
Substitutes: 12 Trialist, 14 Trialist, 16 Trialist, 18 Trialist.
Referee: Mr Mitch Cartwright.
Assistant Referees: Mr Harley McKittrick & Mr Joe Larkin.
