Young Brakes Jumped by Harriers as Slide Continues

Leamington lost their 4th out of five home games by the odd goal (they drew the other) and are firmly ensconced in the relegation zone, 2nd from bottom, with the teams above the zone pulling away. There were some good, individual performances but young Brakes rarely looked like scoring, despite Joe Wright battling up front for 90 minutes, and therein lies the problem. There is still hope as the league is not that strong and they have played each of the top three clubs twice; a couple of wins will make everything look different but it is difficult to see where the next goal is coming from let alone that elusive win.

There was little football on the ground as both teams lumped the ball through the frosty air. Nearly 100 people saw, at least, some of this match with a Supporters' Club meeting the same night but there were 75 paying customers as struggling Brakes continue to be well-supported.

Brakes' best chance came in the 14th when Powell might have scored but sidefooted wide, a difficult chance from distance but the sort that go in when a team is confident. Wright looks increasingly impressive up front but is always left with too much to do as there is little support for him in the danger areas. Coleman was tidying up at the back with his usual aplomb and Morgan showed his tremendous shot-stopping ability to keep it at 0-0 at half-time.

Harriers were on top at the start of the second-half as Brakes conceded territory but Attwood and Wright combined well to force a corner in the 58th. A set-piece seemed the only chance of Brakes scoring and, with Harriers doing little better, it seemed as if one goal would win the game. And so it proved; but it was after a Brakes' free-kick that Harriers broke quickly to slot the ball home, 0-1 in the 61st minute.

There seemed little way back for Brakes though Leaver was trying to raise the game and Rellis, when he came off the bench in the 75th, always looked likely to make something happen. But despite the continued battling of Wright it was left to Morgan to keep Brakes in with a chance as he made several excellent stops, though that "chance" never really looked like happening.

Leamington Youth: Richard Morgan; Simon Goodall; Jamie Coleman; James Lockyer; Andy McKinley [Capt]; Dale Attwood; Ashley Powell; Masango Mwetaminwa; Joe Wright; Chris Lewis; Tom Leaver
Sub(s) Not Used (1 From 4 Used): Anvinder Thiara; Paramdeep Bhangal; Luke Warby

Team News: Birmingham FA won 1-0 at Somerset FA, last Saturday, with Andy McKinley featuring. That was R3 of the FA County Youth Cup and they now meet Hampshire FA in R4 on 29 January.