Isuzu FA Trophy Second Round 
Your Co-op Community Stadium
Saturday 16th November 2024

After another short lived stay in the FA Cup this season Brakes will be hoping for a more extended run in the FA Trophy. On a mild November afternoon this all National League North tie against King’s Lynn Town was the first of four successive home games that could really shape the way their season pans out. 

Paul Holleran made a single change from the defeat at Chorley, bringing in Will Shorrock in place of Ant Lynn. 

Brakes caught practically the whole crowd out before they had settled down in their positions to watch the game. Within 13 seconds of the kick off Cally Stewart found himself played through on goal by Joe Doyle Charles as the Linnets made  a complete hash of their kick off, in part due to a hard press by the striker, and Leamington’s top scorer confidently drilled a low strike past keeper Paul Jones to get his side off to the perfect start. Incredibly this is not quite the quickest goal ever scored at the New Windmill Ground. That accolade still belongs to Jon Adams, who netted just one second earlier than Cally in a Midland Alliance win over Westfields in September 2006. 

Rob Evans hammered in a shot from distance out on the right that wasn’t too far wide, while the visitors won a free kick just outside the box that was fired into the arms of Callum Hawkins, making his 100th appearance for the club. 

Incredibly, after snatching one early goal, Leamington then went and bagged themselves a second; Jack Edwards rising to meet a ball into the box from the left with the perfect back-header that drifted beyond Jones into the far corner, giving Brakes a tidy grip on the game with only eight minutes played. 

The relatively bright but cloudy skies over the stadium quickly turned leaden and the steady rain intensified, leaving those supporters standing out in the open scurrying for cover.  

The two early goals clearly gave Leamington huge confidence to knock the ball around calmly, and another two efforts on the King’s Lynn goal were blocked. 

The visitors looked as though the long haul from Norfolk had left them a little leg weary, making unforced errors and generally struggling to make any headway at all going forward; being well marshalled by the Brakes defence. 

Stewart cut inside his marker in the penalty area after collecting a pinpoint ball forward from Theo Streete, and felt his attempt at goal had struck an arm, but Referee Jake Allsopp was well placed to decide otherwise. 

The second half did not get off to quite as rapid a start as the first, but Henry Landers picked up possession just inside the Lynn half and set off towards the penalty area at pace; whipping in an inviting ball that was inches in front of Stewart at the far post. Theo Streete then had to be alert to hook the ball back to Hawkins with prolific marksman Jonny Margetts lurking behind him ready to pounce. 

With the rain having abated and darkness beginning to fall, the visitors began the second half in far more lively fashion, and had their clearest sight of goal yet when Ross Crane got in on the left, but his low shot was blocked by the outstretched leg of Hawkins 

Crane then left Streete and Dan Meredith on their backsides as he did very well to hook the ball in from the left to Margetts, who only had Hawkins to beat inside the six yard box but slammed a first time strike into the advertising boards behind the goal. 

Leamington broke quickly down the left from another King’s Lynn attack, Adam Walker picking up possession and striding towards the penalty area before his rather weak looking ball towards goal was spilled behind by Jones for a corner. 

Another ball was poked away from goal as King’s Lynn attacked from the right this time, and they won a free kick out on the right touchline, but Finlay Barnes’ ball in was headed wide by substitute Kyle McFadden. 

Josh Hmami sent a low right wing centre whistling across the face of goal, with nobody in blue and yellow stripes able to get a telling touch, but the same player was on hand in the next phase of play as he looped a superb effort over Hawkins from just inside the box on the right with the outside of his left boot to make the final ten minutes or so more interesting. 

Stewart did superbly inside the box almost finding substitute Lynn with his cross, but play was becoming stretched now with time ebbing away, and the ball was swiftly up the other end, with the Brakes defence putting their bodies on the line to protect Hawkins’ goal, with Streete in particular a colossus. He marshalled the defence superbly throughout, and Leamington saw out five additional minutes to squeeze into Round Three. 

Attendance: 502

Leamington: 1 Callum Hawkins, 2 Dan Meredith, 3 Josh Quaynor, 4 Joe Doyle-Charles (18 Ted Rowe, 77), 5 Theo Streete, 6 Rob Evans, 7 Henry Landers (14 George Ward, 83), 8 Adam Walker ©, 9 Cally Stewart, 10 Jack Edwards, 12 Will Shorrock (19 Anthony Lynn, 68).

Subs not used: 20 Jacob Humphries, 11 Tim Berridge. 

King’s Lynn Town: 1 Paul Jones, 23 Dylan Crowe (4 Kyle McFadden, 59), 6 Josh Coulson ©, 15 Tom Wilson, 5 Greg Taylor, 30 Cody Johnson, 11 Josh McCammon, 7 Josh Hmami (32 Theo Williams, 90+4), 20 Finlay Barnes, 14 Ross Crane, 10 Jonny Margetts. 

Subs not used: 21 Patrick Boyes, 17 Fin Wheatley, 8 Tommy Hughes. 

Referee: Mr Jake Allsopp

Assistant Referees: Mr Alex Rolfe & Mr Adam McAnoy

Fourth Official: Mr Kieran Forrest. 

Brakes Man of the Match: Theo Streete.