Hard earned draw, but Roms close the gap

This was a hard fought match with end to end football and chances for both sides. One goal would have settled it but, as the match wore on, neither side deserved to lose and a draw seemed the fairest result.

In the absence of Josh Blake who is on holiday, Avun Jephcott made the starting line-up for only the second time since joining the club and settled into the left side wing-back position. James Husband returned to partner Jon Adams in midfield and Martin Thompson sporting a black-eye from Saturday's encounter against Barwell was paired with Ben Mackey up front.

Atherstone's strike duo of Chris Partridge and Roy Dunkley posed a threat throughout and Richard Morris had to get down quickly to deny Partidge in the 8th minute. Martin Hier, who put in another impressive performance, denied Partridge two minutes later with a timely tackle, but it was Dunkley who had the best chance to open the scoring for the Adders, blasting wide from close range in the 23rd.

For Brakes, both Mackey and Husband had shots saved by home 'keeper Richard Williams and Mackey put a good chance over the bar in the 25th minute.

Jamie Towers made good runs down the right, whipping in some dangerous crosses, but it was Andy Gregory who went the closest to scoring getting in a good header from a Jon Adams corner ten minutes before the interval.

As the fog began to thicken and the pitch became more slippery, the second half saw some end-to-end action, mainly in the air rather than on the ground. Adams could have stolen a lead for Brakes three minutes after the restart, but his shot cannoned off Adders' captain, Leigh Everitt. Gary Redgate fouled Morton Titterton and from the resultant free-kick taken by Towers, Mackey forced a good save from Williams.

As Atherstone pushed forward, Redgate (for me Adders' man of the match) was fouled on the edge of the Brakes penalty area and Stefan Beale's free-kick just cleared the crossbar, although Morris seemed to have it covered. At the other end, Williams made a superb save to deny Towers and Gregory headed over the bar. In stoppage time, the ever-threatening Partridge had one final effort, but Morris was well placed to save comfortably.

Once again, the back three of Hier, Gregory and Adam Knight covered a lot of ground, especially as Towers and Jephcott pushed forward as often as possible. Mackey was well-marked throughout, but never flinched under pressure and Jon Adams shook off an injury that saw the match held up for several minutes in the first half to put in his usual turbo-charged performance.

This was a tough test for Brakes and everyone was probably happy with a point. However, with the news that Romulus won at Oadby Town, it meant a narrowing of the gap at the top leaving Brakes still needing four wins and two draws from their remaining eight matches to clinch the title.

Manager Jason Cadden acknowledged that it had been a tight game, saying "we knew it would be difficult and it was hard fought on both sides. We looked good for the first 20 minutes or so, but didn't fire after that. There were some harsh words at half-time and we performed much better in the second period. This was our first draw since late August and takes us another point nearer our target."

Atherstone Town Richard Williams; Stefan Beale; Cameron Stuart (Daniel Gaunt 85); Jamie Hood; Leigh Everitt; Gary Redgate; Tom Cudworth; Ashley Wells; Chris Partridge; Roy Dunkley; Craig Civzellis
Subs Not Used Michael Swan; Chris Long; Mark Williams; Courtney Belford

Leamington Richard Morris; Jamie Towers; Martin Hier; Adam Knight; Andy Gregory; Morton Titterton [Capt.]; James Husband; Jon Adams; Ben Mackey; Martin Thompson (Dave Pearson 84); Avun Jephcott
Subs Not Used Adam Cooper; Craig Dutton; Liam Reynolds; Jason Pearcey

Attendance 454

Author's Man of the Match Andy Gregory

Photographs from the match here»