Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central
Play Off Final
New Bucks Head
Monday 6th May 2024
By Paul Edwards
A glorious May Bank Holiday Monday in Telford saw another Paul Holleran masterclass as Leamington won the Southern League Premier Division Central Play Off Final to secure an instant return to the National League North.
Faced with a trip to Shropshire to take on the Runners-Up, red hot favourites, and probably the best team in the league in the second half of the season, few would have expected this result. Holleran himself admitted after the semi final win over Redditch that he thought this season might have been one of consolidation and rebuilding; but in the words of the great man himself: ‘This group never stops amazing me.’ The class of 2024 have now written themselves into Brakes folklore with a triumph against the odds.
It was no surprise to see the starting eleven unchanged from the previous three games; the manager opting for continuity, while hoping for a better performance than on the last visit to the New Bucks Head just a month previously.
The atmosphere inside the stadium had been building well before kick off, with the Telford fans in the David Hutchison terrace clearly audible outside the stadium on the approach roads. The 650 travelling Brakes fans soon joined in as they took their places at the opposite end.
There were connections to both sides in each line up, with former Bucks skipper Adam Walker leading out the visitors, along with Theo Streete, while former Brakes striker Matt Stenson was among the Telford substitutes.
In the opening exchanges Telford were first to threaten. Remi Walker and Ricardo Dinanga combined well to set up Ellis Brown, who was in a great position, but snatched at his first time effort and the ball flew harmlessly wide.
Leamington won the first corner of the afternoon on five minutes after good link up play from Ewan Williams and Adam Walker saw them move the ball forward to the left edge of the penalty area. Cally Stewart forced the flag kick, which came to nothing.
The hosts poured forward quickly however, and had numbers in the box as Dan Meredith tore back to execute a precise last minute interception at the expense of a corner.
The end to end nature of the opening exchanges was emphasised when Brakes looked to be in with a great chance to open the scoring as Stewart challenged for the ball on the edge of the box and it ran through to Henry Landers on the right, whose best chance looked to be to put his laces through a first time strike, but he attempted to cut inside and was blocked. The ball ran kindly for Stewart, who looked to have an even better chance, but he got no power at all on his shot and the ball ran tamely through to Brandon Hall in the Telford goal.
Theo Streete put his body on the line to prevent Dinanga from getting a shot on target, before Remi Walker curled a left footed effort well wide. Montel Gibson then engineered space for himself on the right inside the box before dragging a shot across goal and narrowly wide.
Will Shorrock was presented with an opportunity as Telford surrendered possession 25 yards from goal, but he advanced towards the edge of the penalty area and curled his attempt well wide of the target.
Shorrock was involved again as Leamington made inroads down the left, digging the ball out from the touchline to fire it low across the goalmouth and past Hall, who was grateful for the intervention of a team mate to thump it clear.
Stewart drove a shot to the near post which was held by Hall, as the first rumblings of discontent surfaced from the home support at Leamington’s game management. Brakes were certainly gaining a foothold in the game after the flurry of early home attacks, and Sam Whittall was shown the first yellow card of the afternoon as he unceremoniously clattered Stewart as the young striker turned him in the centre circle.
Unchallenged, Ellis Myles-Tebbutt drove straight at Callum Hawkins from 20 yards as Telford looked dangerous again.The atmosphere began to subside to a murmur for the first time in the afternoon, but the home side were still looking very threatening when they pressed forward. Gibson drifted into the box on the right with Rob Evans for company, and the centre back bided his time, blocking the shot behind for a corner. Hawkins got a glove to the delivery from the Telford right; Orrin Pendley trying to clip the ball back over his head, but only finding the side netting.
Gibson then stood the ball up to the far post from the right; Hawkins getting a glove to it but only helping it out as far as Pendley, whose attempt to clip it back over him hit the side netting.
The Telford fans were outraged as Josh Quaynor flattened a Telford man on the right edge of the penalty area, but Referee Richard Holmes immediately spread his arms to signal that he was not interested.
The anger of the home crowd was ramped up another level moments later when a free kick was awarded after Shorrock was felled on the left in front of the main stand. Their frustration was taken out on the Leamington man for a few minutes, his every touch of the ball being booed.
From the free kick on the left touchline the ball was played into the box, and Jack Edwards headed straight at Hall.
There was another chance for Gibson as Telford were awarded a free kick out on the right to raucous sarcastic cheering; Gibson heading the dead ball from Nathan Fox just over the crossbar, as the two sides returned to the dressing room with the game deadlocked at half time.
There was a delay to the start of the second half as an issue with the goal net at the home end was rectified. Leamington were on the offensive quickly, utilising the long throws of Evans in an attempt to create havoc in the Telford penalty area.
Myles-Tebbutt was the second name into the book, perhaps a little unfortunately, as he caught Adam Walker after he had nicked the ball away from the Telford right back.
Stewart had the first serious effort of the second half as he tricked his way into the box, turning his man inside out before driving low towards Hall’s near post, but the goalkeeper was equal to it.
Gibson was then very close with an acrobatic effort as the ball came in from the right from Piggott. Kevin Wilkin then made the first change of the afternoon, replacing Kyle Storer with Stenson. Gibson seemed determined to get his name on the scoresheet, and appeared to take a piece of Streete as he thumped another effort off target. Stenson then saw his first attempt of the game blocked on the edge of the box.
Remi Walker wasn’t far off with a well struck free kick from distance that whistled over the crossbar.The home side were beginning to dictate the pace of the now however, and Walker had another go from distance with a strike that deflected behind for a corner on their left which Stenson came flying in to meet at the far post, but with Landers for company he was unable to get the ball on target.
Play quickly switched to the other end, Shorrock and Walker both seeing shots blocked on the edge of the box. Stewart then got goal side of his man before being blocked off and squaring to Walker, who helped it on to Shorrock, but Myles-Tebbutt was back in the nick of time to put it behind for a corner.
As Leamington won a free kick with the game about to tick into the final 15 minutes, Pendley required some treatment, and it was while he was off the pitch receiving this that Brakes broke the deadlock. Quaynor played the ball to the far post and there was Ewan Williams to fire first time under Hall into the back of the net. The almighty roar from the away end was the loudest this reporter has ever heard in 24 years of watching the club, as the players piled onto the goalscorer by the corner flag.
With the home crowd stunned into silence, Walker screwed another shot high and wide. Gibson then met a diagonal ball into the box from the right with a powerful header that flew mere inches over the bar. Pendley then nodded a cross from the opposite side just wide at the far post.
The board held up to signal 7 minutes of additional time was met with a huge roar from the Telford faithful as they sensed there was still time to salvage something, but they were simply unable to penetrate a Brakes backline that was so organised and determined not to concede anything. Hearts were in mouths as Quaynor gave away a free kick on the right of the penalty area with time almost up, but Hawkins rose highest to claim the ball, sparking a roar which was almost as loud as the one which followed the goal, as the Brakes fans erupted seconds later as the final whistle sounded on a quite unbelievable afternoon.
The scenes between players, staff, directors and supporters were truly heartwarming, and highlighted just how much this football club means to the people involved.
The Leamington FC TV team were on hand after the celebrations had died down a little to get some reaction from players, and the manager.
‘I’ve got no words really, the game was just a blur,’ said Callum Hawkins. ‘We scored, and then we defended like we have done all season; we got bodies on the line, we got blocks in, we stopped crosses, and we just forced them into making bad decisions. We got the job done in the end!
Speaking on the importance of their defensive solidity during the season which saw the team end with the best defensive record in the league, Hawkins said ‘It’s what we’re built on. Even when i first came in, the message was be solid defensively and the chances will come. It works - it’s worked all year. You’ve got Theo, Rob - Laney before he got injured - those centre backs will put their bodies on the line. Then you’ve got your full backs who will stop any cross. Dan Meredith doesn’t stop running… I can’t fault them. It’s been incredible!
On the barracking he received from the home fans in the second half: ‘It’s all banter! I know what I’m going to get from them, I’m used to it now. It’s one of those things in football - if you’re a goalkeeper you’ve got to be thick skinned, otherwise you’ll make mistakes.
On returning to the National League North, Callum was optimistic. ‘We know with this group that if we put our minds to it, we can do well. We won’t just be settling for being just above the relegation zone; we’ll be looking to push higher and build on what we’ve done this year.’
‘We were braver,’ said Paul Holleran, when reminded of how he thought his team needed to perform after Wednesday’s semi final. ‘I said after the league game here that I was hoping that performance, if we did come back here in the play offs, would help us, and it did help us. How the boys have executed it was excellent. In these one off games you’ve just got to be steady. That was an excellent game for a play off game, and we’re just fortunate that we’ve played it here at a ground like this, because when this place, when it’s full, is wonderful.
‘After the last game here I said that the best team won the game, because they did, and they were. They’ve been better than us in both league games, but today, as we’ve done so many times over the years, is they’ve executed what we’ve wanted to do brilliantly. We were braver on the ball; we had lots of legs about us. We had players, the other night, who were running 15k, on a Wednesday night. We’ve had to work really hard on Saturday, go again on Wednesday, and then come here today - I was just so proud of the players today. Especially when you’re looking at Ewan, Cally, and Jiah around the place. You’ve got Josh Quaynor and Rob Evans stepping up to the level… A lot of these players people didn’t want to sign! You look at the old pro’s - Jack Edwards, Joe Clarke and Adam Walker the skipper - he’s had a calf strain the last few weeks of the season - it’s just phenomenal. Dan Meredith - Oh, you could just go on couldn’t you?
‘What a day to bring your ‘A’ game. We’ve turned up here and we’ve really brought our ‘A’ game. When we’re like that we’re good, and it was wonderful on a stage like this to produce that, and I’m immensely proud of them all, and everyone that works with the football club. We haven’t got this - this is phenomenal, but we what we have got is a lot of dedicated, driven people who support their football club and put the hard yards in for the football club, and it’s an honour for me to be able to give them a day like this, because this has been hard work getting here. There’s been a lot gone on this year which has been difficult for me to manage and sort out but we got there, and the key thing I think, as the season has gone on, is the players we’ve bought in. Bringing Callum Hawkins back to the football club was a massive plus for us; getting Will Shorrock in the door gave us a bit more; getting Devon (Kelly-Evans) back in gave us a bit more; but the big one to be fair was Rob Evans. We all knew what a good player Rob was, but he’s just been phenomenal. I’m pleased for him as well, because sometimes these players go under the radar, and for him to have the experience of playing for Leamington and having days like this; him and his family, it was great for him.
‘I probably shouldn’t single out people, but it was just an amazing day for us. They’re such an honest bunch of kids as well, so it was great. I probably should just mention Ewan Williams - he was immense today. That’s really pleased me. And he’s got the goal as well. He was playing at Atherstone last season, so it’s great that we can find these boys, and now they’ll go on to a stage and there’s opportunities there that can really propel them. So there’s lots of work to do, but lots to look forward to. I’ll have to get the postcode for Scunthorpe and some other new grounds! It’s lovely for everybody really.
‘I’ve got to be honest, we probably needed that, this season. When you’re a small club in that league it sucks the life out of you. We’ve got a model where we keep losing our best young players so we have to manage that, but that’s what we do. I thought this year it’s given us a chance to regroup a bit; it’s given the fans a chance to re-engage because we’re winning more football matches, it’s been easier to get to games, so it’s been good for us. People close to me know that I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back in there, for different reasons, obviously financial reasons, but you’ll never take that competitive edge out of me, and once we wanted to make the play offs and wanted to get the job done…. I’m so pleased with today’s performance I really am. I’m pleased that on a big stage we’ve come and delivered, and I’m delighted.’
‘It was a tough game. It was always going to be a tough game as it was a play off final on their home ground, but to be honest I thought we thoroughly deserved it,’ said Brakes captain and former Telford man Adam Walker. ‘We came here a few weeks and probably didn’t give a good account of ourselves, but from everyone from the bench up to the starting eleven we were immense today.’
‘I’m so proud of the boys. That dressing room is full of people who are friends now. There’s such a togetherness and you can see that on the pitch - we fight for each other; and when people write us off like they have done all year we’ve come back fighting, and we’ve proved it today.’
‘We enjoy tonight before we start planning for next season, but luckily we’ve got such a good gaffer and team around him who know the level and know what to expect. It will be difficult, but like I said we have togetherness, and we’ll compete where we have to and we’ll do alright.’
Attendance: TBA
AFC Telford United: 1 Brandon Hall, 2 Ellis Myles-Tebbutt, 3 Nathan Fox, 4 Kyle Storer (14 Matthew Stenson, 57), 5 Orrin Pendley, 6 Sam Whittall, 7 Remi Walker, 8 Ricardo Dinanga, 9 Ellis Brown (15 Fraser Kerr, 81), 10 Montel Gibson, 11 Jordan Piggott.
Subs not used: 12 Jared Hodgkiss, 16 Reece Styche, 17 Ty Webster
Leamington: 1 Callum Hawkins, 2 Dan Meredith, 3 Josh Quaynor, 4 Ewan Williams, 5 Theo Streete, 6 Rob Evans, 7 Henry Landers (16 Tyrone Barnett, 79), 8 Adam Walker, 9 Cally Stewart, 10 Jack Edwards, 11 Will Shorrock (12 Joe Clarke, 89).
Subs not used: 13 Ethan Pheasey (GK), 14 Connor Taylor, 15 Jiah Medrano.
Referee: Mr Richard Holmes
Assistant Referees: Mr Cameron Stott & Mr James Atkinson
Fourth Official: Mr Edgar Brown
Brakes Man of the Match: The Club. Players, Staff, Supporters, Volunteers. This was for everyone.
