Vanarama National League North
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Saturday 23rd November 2024

Brakes did not disgrace themselves in losing their 14 game unbeaten home record in league matches stretching back to February against a Scunthorpe United side the moved back to the top of the table on goal difference after Chorley’s defeat at Chester; but they could point to key moments in the game that went against them which may or may not have affected the eventual outcome. 

It was a proud day for Cally Stewart as he was handed the captain’s armband in the absence of the suspended Adam Walker. Ewan Williams also returned to the starting eleven after missing the previous two games through injury, while George Ward replaced Theo Streete in the back four. 

With the freezing temperatures of earlier in the week having given way to persistent rain this was always going to be a tricky afternoon for both sets of players, and so it proved. 

Scunthorpe were denied their first shot on goal by Joe Doyle-Charles in the opening ten minutes. The combative midfield man produced probably his best performance since arriving in the summer, and after Max Brogan marauded down the right and cut the ball back to Alfie Beestin inside the box, Doyle-Charles was well placed to make a potentially goal saving block. 

A neat move out of defence instigated by Stewart and involving Doyle-Charles ended with a shot on goal by Will Shorrock, but the offside flag was raised on the far side. Callum Roberts then drove a shot past the left hand post under heavy pressure from George Ward, who forced him wide enough to prevent the winger from getting his shot on target. 

Stewart had his first sight of goal just past the twenty minute mark, when Josh Quaynor’s free kick from just inside the Leamington half was flicked on into the penalty area by Ward; Jack Edwards intelligently allowing the ball to run past him to allow Stewart onto it, and he dashed in front of a defender to lash a first time strike across goal and a whisker past the far post. 

Brakes were moving the ball around well when in possession, and Shorrock spread play from left to right via Doyle-Charles, who laid on the perfect pass for Rob Evans to crash in a swerving drive that was heading inside the right hand post before Ross Fitzsimons sprang across his goal to palm it behind for a corner. 

Quaynor was the first name into the Referee’s notebook as he prevented Roberts from leading a Scunthorpe counter attack. The left back was in the right place to prevent Danny Whitehall from getting a shot off however, as Scunthorpe moved the ball well into the penalty area. The ball remained dangerously near to goal from the resulting corner, until Whitehall leathered his shot out of the ground. 

Dan Meredith drove in a shot that was always bending wide after being allowed to run at goal, while Ward was well placed to block a shot from Brogan as half time approached. 

While the first half was a fairly satisfactory one from a Leamington perspective, Scunthorpe were quickly out of the blocks after the restart, and Ross Barrows’ cross from the right to the far post was met by the towering Mark Beck, whose header was pushed behind by a fine save from Callum Hawkins. 

Maxim Kouogun powered a close range header into the roof of the net from a left wing corner, but the whistle went immediately to rule the goal out, though the perceived infringement was unclear. 

 The Brakes fans behind Ftizsimons’ goal in the Harbury Lane End believed their team had a legitimate penalty shout as Stewart went down after a tussle with Kouogun, but there was not enough in it to sway the officials. 

Stewart quickly engineered another opportunity to get into the box as he robbed Kouogun in front of the Scunthorpe dugout and set off towards the box, this time going shoulder to shoulder with Barrows, with the same outcome. 

The frustration was quickly compounded, as Roberts gave the visitors the lead. Brogan’s ball into the box was only headed as far as Roberts by Evans, and the former Notts County man lashed in a powerful half volley that Hawkins got a hand to, but could not keep out. 

There was very nearly a quickfire second for the Iron, as Fitzsimons free kick from his own half up into the penalty area was powerfully won in the air by Beck, the ball hurtling towards goal only to be diverted wide by the lunging Whitehall. 

Henry Landers’ half volley following an Evans long throw into the box from the left was blocked by the face of Scunthorpe skipper Michael Clunan, who required treatment to continue. 

Brakes then had probably their best spell of the half without really troubling the Scunthorpe goal. There were more penalty claims as Jack Edwards stole in on the blind side of Will Evans to win a header from Meredith’s cross. The defender did look to have caught Edwards in the face as the pair of them jumped, but would not have been aware of his presence until the last second. Of more interest to those of a home persuasion however was the fact that the ball struck the outstretched arm of Barrows in the aftermath, but this was also not deemed worthy of being an offence. 

After Edwards had eventually received treatment and was able to continue, Leamington continued their late pressure, but the visitors were the beneficiaries of a fortunate ricochet in the build up to their second goal. Meredith’s attempted ball back towards the Scunthorpe area was blocked by the head of Beck. Substitute Kian Scales picked up the loose ball and accelerated towards goal, only to be sent tumbling after a coming together with Quaynor. It was difficult to tell whether the contact was initiated outside the box, or whether there was much contact at all, but with all that had gone before it was inevitable that a penalty would be awarded, and Quaynor would be sent off. Roberts drove his spot kick straight down the middle to seal the points for the visitors. 

Roberts was denied a hat trick as Hawkins got strong hands to his thumping drive from just outside the box; substitute Carlton Ubaezuonu acrobatically sending the loose ball over the bar.  

There were six minutes of additional time, but Leamington were unable to grab a consolation, and slipped to their third straight league defeat. They will quickly have a chance to put this behind them when they welcome Needham Market on Tuesday evening. 

Attendance: 912

Leamington: 1 Callum Hawkins, 2 Dan Meredith, 3 Josh Quaynor, 4 Joe Doyle-Charles (21 Joe Clarke, 90), 6 Rob Evans, 7 Henry Landers (18 Ted Rowe, 90), 9 Cally Stewart © (11 Tim Berridge, 90), 10 Jack Edwards (5 Theo Streete, 80), 12 Will Shorrock (19 Anthony Lynn, 69), 14 George Ward, 17 Ewan Williams. 

Scunthorpe United: 1 Ross Fitzsimons, 4 Maxim Kouogun, 5 Will Evans, 7 Michael Clunan, 8 Alfie Beestin (20 Kian Scales, 77), 9 Danny Whitehall (14 Carlton Ubaezuonu, 69), 10 Callum Roberts (3 Michael Kelly, 89), 18 Max Brogan (11 Joe Rowley, 87), 19 Mark Beck (2 Brad Nicholson, 90+3), Tyler Denton, 44 Ross Barrows. 

Referee: Mr Jonathan Maskrey

Assistant Referees: Mr Jordan Tindall & Mr Joshua Brookland

Fourth Official: Mr Thomas Bingley

Brakes Man of the Match: Joe Doyle-Charles.