Vanarama National League North
1st Cloud Arena
Saturday 19th October 2024

It is an old footballing adage that a Manager of the Month award is quite often met with a defeat in the following game, and unfortunately that was the fate that met Brakes after Paul Holleran had scooped the September prize, as they made their first visit to South Shields. Leamington played their part in an eventful and entertaining contest, but were hamstrung by a second half red card, and were unable to create enough going forward to threaten the hosts goal. 

With Jack Edwards unavailable, Will Shorrock stepped back into the starting eleven, while Theo Streete replaced Rob Evans in central defence. Jiah Medrano was also back in the matchday squad having returned from a spell on dual registration at Barwell. 

On an uncharacteristically warm October afternoon, three quarters of the impressive 1st Cloud Arena were bathed in bright sunshine, and the home fans were in raucous mood from the first whistle. 

The hosts, looking to get back to winning ways after a couple of chastening three goal defeats on their travels, started at pace; Jid Okeke having a shot blocked by Theo Streete inside the opening seconds. Mackenzie Healey then sent an effort wide as he slipped, as the Mariners camped themselves deep inside the Leamington half in the first few minutes.  

Brakes were barely getting a touch of the ball as Okeke charged through the middle and drove low towards goal, but straight at Callum Hawkins, who made the save comfortably. The Leamington number one looked to have a bigger problem on his hands as Kyle Crossley was played in on goal by a slide rule pass, but George Ward came to his aid with a superbly timed tackle to nick the ball off the striker’s toes. Adam Walker then stepped in to concede the first corner of the afternoon as Will Jenkins prepared to pull the trigger inside the box. 

Thirteen minutes had been played before Brakes were able to get a ball into the home side’s penalty area, but keeper Miles Boney was confidently off his line to claim it. Leamington were starting to get to grips with the game now however.

Ewan Williams was booked for conceding a free kick some 20 yards from goal, from which Martin Smith struck the Leamington defensive wall. Captain Adam Walker quickly followed him into Referee Callum Jones’ notebook for a challenge from behind in the centre circle. 

The home side grabbed the goal that their high octane start had deserved on 21 minutes, Tom Broadbent rising highest to meet a perfect left wing corner kick and heading powerfully into the roof of the net despite the best efforts of Hawkins and Dan Meredith. 

To Leamington’s credit they responded positively, winning the ball in midfield and countering, Walker seeing his low drive saved by Boney down at his right hand post. 

Jenkins was the next name into the book for a challenge on Walker, before Crossley almost embarrassed Streete, who gave him a head start onto a loose ball down the left, then dumped him on his backside before seeing his shot blocked away. Almost immediately Jenkins stung the palms of Hawkins with a fierce strike from distance which the goalkeeper got down smartly to keep out. 

On the rare occasions that Leamington got at the hosts defence there were signs that if they put them under pressure they might be able to make a breakthrough, but these really were few and far between in the opening half. Jenkins fired another warning shot high and wide as South Shields continued to look potent going forward. 

Shields’ captain Rob Briggs became the fourth player in the first half to go into the book. It is likely that either manager would have been particularly happy with this, given that all four were for full bloodied rather than malicious challenges. 

The manager has stressed many times in the past that one of the key elements to getting results is to ensure that you stay in games, and his team certainly did that in the first half, defending manfully and blocking the majority of the hosts’ efforts on goal. 

There was a positive start to the second half as Brakes pressed straight from the kick off; Walker feeding Shorrock, who cut inside before driving straight at Boney. There was a clear sign in the opening minutes that the manager had given his players licence to have a real go at turning things round. With the travelling support having moved away from their noisy home counterparts to the opposite end of the ground, they cranked up the volume in support of their side. 

Cally Stewart almost gave them reason to cheer when he clattered the crossbar with a first time strike after an exchange of passes with Henry Landers, who had been fed by Walker down the right. However, South Shields immediately broke straight up the left with Crossley, who tried to cut inside and beat Streete but was met with a firm challenge from the veteran centre back. At the opposite end Shorrock poked a shot wide of the target. 

The game swung heavily in the hosts favour just before the hour mark, as Shorrock was shown a straight red card. Moments earlier the winger had gone eyeball to eyeball with Okeke on the touchline, and both players were spoken to. Seconds later Shorrock was floored by a heavy challenge, but quickly got up and launched into Okeke. There was a brief meleé before the red card was brandished. Okeke clearly felt his work was done as he shook hands with a team mate. 

Hawkins held a header from Briggs from the free kick, but Leamington were still intent on getting something from the game however, and Ward headed straight at Boney from Landers’ left wing cross. 

The atmosphere had certainly been cranked up a notch with all that had gone on, and the manager was the next to be shown a yellow card, presumably for saying too much to the fourth official. He had clearly seen something during the fracas involving Shorrock that he vehemently disagreed with. Shields manager Eliott Dickman was clearly of the opposite opinion, aiming some personal and unnecessary insults at his counterpart down the touchline. 

Prolific frontman Paul Blackett was introduced on his return from injury to pile more pressure on Leamington as the game entered its final stages, and the hosts quickly had another opportunity to put the game to bed as Jenkins fed Blackett, but the substitute’s shot hit a team mate on its way towards goal, and went out of play. 

Having thrown on Ant Lynn and Ted Rowe, Holleran rolled the dice for a final time and introduced Joe Doyle-Charles and Medrano for the closing minutes, also bringing on his fifth and final substitute Rob Evans before the 90 minutes were up. 

There was an opportunity for Sam Hodgson to grab a goal when Okeke just beat Medrano to scoop the ball into the centre, but the header was straight at Hawkins. 

There were five additional minutes at the end of the game for Leamington to try and salvage something, but despite battling and scrapping throughout it was ultimately their play in the final third that was lacking, and they slipped to a third league reverse of the season, all by a single goal. 

Attendance: 2,133

South Shields: 1 Myles Boney, 2 Jid Okeke, 33 Tom Broadbent, 5 Dillon Morse, 8 Robert Briggs ©, 3 Coleby Shepherd, 7 Mackenzie Heaney, 6 Martin Smith, 10 Will Jenkins (18 Ashton Mee, 82), 11 Kyle Crossley (9 Paul Blackett, 75), 17 Sam Hodgson. 

Subs not used: 13 Kyle Seymour, 4 Jamie Bramwell, 24 Ewan McGowan. 

Leamington: 1 Callum Hawkins, 2 Dan Meredith, 3 Josh Quaynor (16 Jiah Medrano, 82), 5 Theo Streete (6 Rob Evans, 89), 14 George Ward, 12 Will Shorrock, 17 Ewan Williams (4 Joe Doyle-Charles, 82), 8 Adam Walker ©, 7 Henry Landers (18 Ted Rowe, 79), 9 Cally Stewart, 11 Tim Berridge (19 Ant Lynn, 75). 

Referee: Mr Callum Jones

Assistant Referees: Mr Stephen Birkett & Mr Paul Moseley

Fourth Official: Mr Ryan Moore

Brakes Man of the Match: George Ward.