Missed chances cost Brakes dear as Church share the spoils

On a day when the New Windmill faithful observed a minute's silence to remember Leamington personality and supporter, John Curtis, hopes of closing the gap on the league leaders were dealt another body blow. Alvechurch came with a seasonal record of less than one point a game, not the sign of a team in top form. And yet, despite Brakes creating chance after chance, it took the width of the crossbar to deny Lee Chilton a winner for the visitors in the very last minute.

It was also the first time that boos were heard for a Leamington side that has been in pretty unstoppable form over the last five and a half seasons. The substitution of leading scorer Richard Adams by Paul Eden had brought the most vociferous of reactions from a section of the crowd, something which manager Jason Cadden later described as "disgusting."

The match facts were that Brakes took the lead in the 36th minute when Josh Blake poked the ball home following good work in the penalty area by Stuart Herlihy and Leon Morgan. However, the advantage was short-lived as Alvechurch equalised in the 40th minute with Neil Kitching beating three defenders before slotting the ball under the body of Richard Morris. Depending on your point of view, this was either a brilliant piece of individual skill or the softest of goals to give away.

In a scrappy opening session, Ryan Howell saw his shot cleared off the line by former Brakes' player Ben Usher and Jon Adams put one of his many shots of the match over the bar into the North Bank. On 23 minutes, Leon Morgan rose to head home a Jon Adams' corner from the right, but the goal was disallowed. Then, Ryan Parisi let fly with a stunning shot from well outside of the penalty area which came back off the crossbar.

Richard Adams got into the act, robbing Anthony Sutton of the ball on the edge of the area before hitting his shot just wide of the far post. Brother Jon then had another chance which went over the bar before the two goals wrapped up the first half action.

The second period was much the same with Brakes having virtually all the possession, but being unable to make it count. Visiting 'keeper Tony Rowe pushed a Jon Adams effort away for a corner and Ryan Howell shot just wide. Further attempts by Morgan and Richard Adams also failed to unlock the Alvechurch defence before their captain and leading scorer Keith Rostill sent a free-kick over the bar from a dangerous position.

Then came the controversial substitutions Off went Kristian Kelsall to be replaced by Steve Thompson, necessitating Brakes' most influential player, Jon Adams, having to revert from a midfield role to wingback. Perhaps, a straight swop with Ben Adams would have been the better option? Paul Eden then replaced Richard Adams before newcomer James Husband came on with just three minutes left to take over from Howell, who had just seen his goalbound shot deflected late for a corner.

All told, this was a case of two points lost, rather than one gained, something that was readily acknowledged by the management team in their post-match comments. Jason Cadden agreed that the equaliser was "a poor goal to concede" but refuted the criticisms over the substitutions. He said "We wanted to freshen things up and get the winner. Kristian was having his first start for along time and was tiring. Richard wasn't having a good game and couldn't hit a barn door. I would have liked to have given James Husband longer to make an impact, but Ryan Howell was still full of running. We are playing against better defences this year and sometimes the ball just won't go in."

Ryan Parisi is not available for Monday's match at Studley, leading to at least one change to the team.

Leamington Richard Morris; Kristian Kelsall (Steve Thompson 72); Darran Tank; Ryan Parisi; Neil Stacey; Stuart Herlihy; Leon Morgan [Capt.]; Jon Adams; Richard Adams (Paul Eden 81); Ryan Howell (James Husband 87); Josh Blake
Subs Not Used: Ben Adams; Paul Shepherd (GK)

Alvechurch Tony Rowe; James Dyke; Mark Clements; Simon Redhead; Anthony Sutton; Ben Usher; Neil Kitching; Craig Hall; Jermaine Hollis; Keith Rostill [Capt.]; Lee Chilton
Subs: Lee Millard; Neil Burden; Carl Lewis (GK)

Attendance 530.