Vanarama National League North
Deva Stadium
Saturday 15th March 2025
Battle weary Brakes fell by a single goal to another promotion chasing side as Chester skipper Connell Rawlinson’s 9th minute header ensured that Callum McIntyre’s side kept pace with leaders Scunthorpe at the top of the National League North table ahead of their clash at the Attis Arena next Saturday.
After a gruelling schedule that has ended with playing three of the current top four over the last seven days, the players will now be able to look forward to having no midweek fixture as they enter the final eight games of the season with their position in the league almost mathematically secure.
As Paul Holleran alluded to in his after match interview, it was a goal that could and probably should have been prevented, and with the Deva Stadium crowd seemingly on edge for most of the 90 minutes with the season now about to enter its critical stage, a boisterous Leamington following of around 50 travelling supporters backed their team heartily throughout.
Jack Lambert’s half volley that flashed just over Callum Hawkins’ crossbar in the opening few minutes was an early warning sign for the visitors; the resulting corner seeing a header just over, but ultimately Leamington were undone by a left wing corner from Declan Weeks, with Rawlinson rising virtually unmarked to guide the ball into the net a little too easily.
At that stage it felt like it was going to be a long afternoon, with Chester moving the ball around well and penning Leamington back into their own half, but to their credit Brakes hung in there, and would have been disappointed by the end of the game not to have at least forced themselves level.
Connor Woods pounced on a fortunate ricochet from an attempted clearance to drill a low strike just wide of the right hand post, before Owen Farmer got into space down the left, driving into the box between defenders and cutting the ball back for captain Adam Walker, who saw his shot saved by Jimmy Storer.
Weeks, so often the scourge of Leamington during his time at Chester and also when at Kidderminster, swung in another corner which was met by the head of Tom Peers, but again the ball was over Hawkins’ goal.
Farmer was beginning to find some room down the left, and more good running saw him find Tim Berridge in the box, whose turn and shot was held at the second attempt by Storer.
Leamington had come into the game more in the final twenty minutes of the first half, and a corner in the final moments of added time was fumbled by Storer, but he reclaimed the ball before anyone was able to take advantage.
Henry Landers and Farmer saw shots blocked around the edge of the Chester penalty area early in the second, while Weeks skimmed the roof of the net with a well struck effort.
With sixteen minutes remaining the away support witnessed the strange sight of a player who was wearing Leamington colours just three weeks ago entering the field of play for the opposition, as Dan Turner was introduced for the hosts. It was probably an odd experience for Turner too, as he was probably expecting to see the season out with Brakes, but was recalled by his parent club.
Ward inadvertently forced Hawkins into a smart save as he almost turned Woods’ left wing cross past his own goalkeeper, while Farmer was given a harsh booking for bringing down Taelor O’Kane seconds after the same player had attempted to manhandle him off the ball.
Peers saw another shot blocked late on, while some of the home support briefly thought they had scored a second when Turner’s left wing cross was headed into the side netting.
The home support were audibly edgy in the closing stages as Leamington pushed for a leveller, but Chester held out for what could turn out to be an important three points for them. Brakes will meanwhile enjoy a well earned rest ahead of the visit of South Shields to Warwickshire next Saturday.
‘Speaking to BBC CWR’s Brian Halford after the final whistle, the manager agreed that his players had looked jaded after their recent tough schedule, but nevertheless was pleased with their afternoon’s work. ‘Definitely in the first fifteen minutes, yes. I think that was the only difference in the opening fifteen minutes’; that and the set play, which is disappointing. I thought after that we got about it and posed some problems for them. Second half we probably had a lot of the ball, but not created - maybe turned down too many crosses, too many moments. But I think on another day if we deal with the set play then we get something out of the game. I think we deserved something from the game but that’s the reality of this league - you go to Scunthorpe last week and it’s a penalty, and this week it’s a corner. Fine margins, I thought the huffing and puffing - those moments we probably could have done better on. We’ve lost a man on the set play and that’s how we conceded the penalty, albeit it was generous, but I thought the levels were good today, and when you think of the recent run we’ve been on over the last six weeks, which has been ok, we played Chester and they took us apart, but I think today we were well in the game, we had a lot of the ball, but we just couldn’t find that bit of quality in the final third.
‘Away from home against one of the top three sides it’s probably the best we’ve played in terms of how much of the ball we’ve had, we got about them, pushed them deep. When teams are sitting deep you just need that bit of quality; our play just needed to be a little bit quicker, and we just needed to get some crosses into the box early before they get set, and that’s what we didn’t do, but I think that if you look at the balance of play and the balance of the ball - on another day it’s 0-0, because they’ve created nothing and we haven’t created enough. It was a decent game but there was not a lot in both boxes, and in games like that you’ve got to look after set plays, and we haven’t looked after one and we’ve been punished.’
Attendance: 2,251
Chester: 26 Jimmy Storer, 3 Harrison Burke, 4 Declan Weeks, 5 Connell Rawlinson ©, 7 Tom Peers, 10 Jack Lambert (15 Tom Leak, 63), 14 Nathan Woodthorpe, 16 Taelor O’Kane, 17 Connor Woods, 25 Kevin Roberts, 29 Dan Mooney (11 Dan Turner, 74).
Subs not used: 9 Kurt Willoughby, 19 Reece Daly, 23 Oskar Rosenblatt.
Leamington: 1 Callum Hawkins, 2 Dan Meredith, 3 Josh Quaynor, 6 Rob Evans, 7 Henry Landers, 8 Adam Walker © (21 Joe Clarke, 79), 10 Jack Edwards (4 Matt Richards, 73), 11 Tim Berridge (12 Will Shorrock, 67), 14 George Ward, 17 Ewan Williams, 24 Owen Farmer (19 Ant Lynn, 79).
Sub not used: 5 Theo Streete.
Referee: Mr Neil Pratt
Assistant Referees: Mr Jason Porter & Mr Mark Reilly
Fourth Official: Mr Daniel Sims
Brakes Man of the Match: Adam Walker.
