Red hot yellows produce first half battering for Brakes.
Sat, 31 Jan 2009 @ The New Windmill Ground. vs AFC Sudbury (3-5). British Gas Business Southern League Midland Division. By P Edwards.
Brakes' long unbeaten run finally came to an end at a bitterly cold New Windmill Ground, but nobody was prepared for the way in which it was to finish. Including six straight wins at the back end of last season, 27 wins and 3 draws is not a record to be sniffed at, and we can be rightly proud of what the team has done, but today they were eventually beaten by the better side, despite a stirring second half fight back that bought them so close to an unlikely point.
Perhaps it was a sign that things weren't going to go our way, when the PA system decided to pack up, ten minutes or so before kick off. The sight of the two teams emerging from the tunnel to the sound of silence was a strange one.
It was clear from the outset that this was going to be an open game, with two sides who like to play attacking football, and they were not to disappoint. Leamington showed up well in the early stages, with an early corner coming to nothing, and a good ball in from Jamie Lenton flashing across the goal mouth. Mark Bellingham also saw a shot blocked. The visitors gave Leamington an early warning when Richard Howell was played into a good position, but with defenders around him, he stabbed his shot well wide. Josh Blake had an excellent chance to put Brakes in front when he was played in on goal. With the legs to get in front of the covering defenders, he tore in on goal, but the Sudbury keeper Darren Gould moved off his line to make the first of several excellent saves over the course of the afternoon.
When the visitors went in front on fourteen minutes, it was unexpected, and slightly against the run of play. Piers Wixon was played clear by a ball over the top down the left, and with Richard Anstiss way off his line, trying to narrow the angles, the striker lifted his shot over the goalkeeper, and into the far corner of the net. Worse was to follow, as five minutes later the same player doubled his sides' advantage from close range.
Leamington tried to respond, with Jamie Lenton firing a free kick straight at Gould, and James Husband put a dangerous ball across goal, but Jamie Towers was unable to steer it back into the six yard box. Lenton was agonisingly wide with a curling snap shot as Bellingham shielded the ball for him, following Husband's cross. There seemed to be gaping holes at the back whenever Sudbury moved forward, and Richard Howell thought he had put them three goals up when he crashed the ball home after a flowing move, but the assistant referee on the dug out side denied him with an offside flag. The number 11 did not have long to wait to celebrate a goal though, as Brakes were carved open again at the back on 34 minutes, and he was presented with an easy chance to sweep the ball into an empty net.
Darren Gould was forced into another fine save to protect his teams' lead when Mark Bellingham was played in by James Husband at a tight angle on the right, but smashed a powerful first time effort towards the near post, only to see the keeper palm it onto the upright. His team mates promptly went to the other end of the pitch, three minutes before half time, and Richard Softley gave away a penalty, earning a caution for his troubles. Skipper Gareth Dean stepped up, and Anstiss guessed the right way, but could only help the ball into the net. There was another chance for Brakes to reduce the arrears before the interval, as Husband steered a Jamie Towers cross into the path of Lenton, who saw his shot travel wide.
The home support looked around at each other in disbelief at the break, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. Those of us who were unfortunate not to be able to travel to the Kings Marsh Stadium back in October, were overjoyed as news of a four goal victory filtered through. We knew that Sudbury were a good side, as they had a similar campaign to ourselves last season, sharing our pain as they were also defeated in the play offs. However, for them to come and rack up four first half goals at the New Windmill was simply stunning. Yet you could sense there was a feeling among the crowd that there was still a way back into this game for Leamington, especially if some of the players who were strangely rested for this encounter were introduced to the action.
It was evident from the opening minutes of the second half that Jason Cadden had given his side a rocket at half time. A cross dropped invitingly at the feet of Jamie Lenton on the edge of the six yard box, but he could not shift his standing position quick enough to be able to get a shot in. Little fell right for Josh Blake during his time on the pitch, and he pounced on a knock on from Bellingham, but his first time shot flew over. He was hauled off shortly afterwards, to be replaced by Luke Corbett, and it was now that Leamington began to build up some momentum. Marcus Jackson had been the outstanding player in the first forty five minutes, but in the second half he almost seemed to up the ante. He showed great perseverance to win countless challenges in midfield, and received little protection from the officials. It was one such burst from the middle, on fifty two minutes
which led to a shot being deflected through to Corbett, inside the area on the right, and his first time cross back into the danger zone was forced in by Mark Bellingham, via the hand of Gould and the inside of the post.
Suddenly, there was belief, all around the ground. The noise level went up a notch, and the performance on the pitch followed. Piers Wixon went into the referee's notebook for scything down Marcus Jackson as he tried to move his team forward again. Jai Stanley replaced Martin Hier, as Leamington went for broke. A fine cross in from the left by James Husband was well held by Gould as it dropped towards the back post,with two Brakes players waiting to pounce on any slip from the keeper.
Craig Bussens then had a sniff of a chance for Sudbury, who were not able to attack as much as they had done during the first half, as he picked up a poor cross field ball from the Brakes defence, but with James Husband matching him stride for stride, he snatched at his shot, which did not trouble Richard Anstiss.
Leamington were certainly playing the ball around with far more purpose now, and Jamie Lenton shot wide from outside the box. Anstiss then made a fine save to deny Wixon his hat trick, and play switched immediately to the other end. Mark Bellingham was sent tumbling just outside the penalty area by Ollie Blackwell, and with the Harbury Lane End chanting for a red card, he was given a yellow, which to be fair was correct, as at least one of his team mates was back with him. Jai Stanley could not penetrate the defensive wall with his free kick. A quick break saw three Brakes player in great positions inside the penalty area, but Luke Corbett was unable to work the ball back across to his team mates, with Sudbury covering well.
Mykel Beckley was given another run out, in place of Stuart Herlihy, and within two minutes Brakes had reduced the deficit further. Luke Corbett powered home a header from close range at the back post from Jamie Towers' cross. Sudbury were rocking a little now, and Beckley did superbly to get a cross in for Bellingham following some good work on the right, but up to four defenders were in the way to block his shot as he turned.
With ten minutes to go, Leamington forced a third goal, and the possibility of them snatching something from the game was starting to look possible. Gould performed acrobatics yet again to palm a header onto the bar, and a scramble ensued on the goal line, but it was the same player who had the initial effort, Luke Corbett, who forced the ball over the line.
Minutes later he almost repeated the trick, but Gould again saved his header, and Bellingham was rather strangely ruled to be offside for trying to get to the loose ball. Marcus Jackson shot wide as time began to tick against Leamington. The final chance to grab an equaliser came as the game moved into added time. Corbett found Towers on the right side of the penalty area, and he tried to cross first time, with Beckley lurking, but the ball went behind.
Sudbury wrapped up the game in somewhat controversial fashion moments later, as they were awarded a throw in when the ball looked to have gone out of play off a red shirted player. They broke swiftly up the left, moved the ball across, and Howell was there to provide the finishing touch.
They celebrated wildly, as they were entitled to do, but Jai Stanley appeared to take exception to something that was said or done, and the game ended on a sour note, with pushing and shoving from both sides. The Referee then decided that Stanley had earned a straight red card, which will rob us of one of our most creative players for three games. Jason Cadden and his coaching staff were clearly not happy about something at the final whistle, and they remonstrated with the officials.
Both sides were applauded from the pitch, which was well earned after an enthralling contest. There is no disgrace in losing to a side like Sudbury, and hopefully they can inflict similar damage on our promotion rivals, as they strive to break back into the top six. Brakes will look to bounce back in their next fixture, where they face a tough trip to an in form Bury Town, but one result, however emphatic it looks, does not make them a bad team.
Leamington: Richard Anstiss, Jamie Towers, Martin Hier (Jai Stanley, 56), Richard Softley, Guy Sanders [C], Marcus Jackson, Stuart Herlihy, 69), Jamie Lenton, Josh Blake (Luke Corbet, 50), Mark Bellingham, James Husband.
Subs not used: Adam Cooper, Liam Reynolds.
AFC Sudbury: Darren Gould, Nathan Speed, Ben Griffiths, Sam Clarke, Ollie Blackwell, Sheridan Driver, Craig Bussens, Gareth Heath [C] Piers Wixon (David Hawes, 86), Curtis Haynes Brown (Steve Joyce, 69), Richard Howell.
Subs not used: Lee Ifield, Nicky Smith, Chris Tracey.