Pre Season Friendly
Your Co-op Community Stadium
Tuesday 6th July 2021
Brakes fell to defeat in their opening pre season friendly as Worcester City delighted their travelling supporters with two very good second half goals.
The Midland League visitors were disrupted early on when a challenge on one of their forward players from a trialist resulted in the visiting player eventually being stretchered off with a suspected broken leg, but despite falling behind soon afterwards they composed themselves, and were the better side in the second 45 minutes.
Jack Edwards saw an early far post header saved by City keeper Dan Jezeph while Worcester’s first effort on goal was deflected over the bar for a corner.
Upon resumption after a lengthy stoppage while the injured City player was tended to on the pitch, the lively Danny Waldron set off on a driving run through the Worcester half before crossing low into the centre, only to see a Trialist put the ball wide when he really should have scored.
The same player was played into a good position again when he attempted to round the keeper, only for Jezeph to smuggle the ball off his toes.
In between times Jack Edwards had given Leamington the lead when he rose highest to meet an inviting cross from Stephan Morley and planted a firm header into the net.
A superb turn from Billy Shaw looked to have put the Worcester man in with a chance on goal, but Jake Weaver was smartly off his line to get there first.
Kaiman Anderson crashed a shot against the crossbar from 20 yards, while Dan Westwood went one on one with Weaver only for Josh Martin to hook the ball away with a superb challenge just inside the box.
Edwards saw another header from a Morley cross tipped over the bar by Jezeph moments before half time.
As is the norm in pre season games there were wholesale changes on both sides in the second half, with new signing Kieran Cook making an appearance from the substitutes bench for Leamington.
Fellow sub Dan Turner had two efforts early in the half, firing into the side netting before forcing a save from Jezeph as he bore down on goal.
Cook displayed nimble footwork as he almost danced through the entire Worcester defence before being knocked out of his stride as he attempted to enter the penalty area.
Weaver was forced to push a dangerous looking Worcester cross over his crossbar, before Jake Whitehouse was cautioned for a crude challenge on Cook as he ramapaged towards goal on the left.
The visitors won the contest with two goals in as many minutes with around 15 to play, the first a neat glancing header from a trialist. The second was the kind of quality strike you don’t often see in pre season games, a blistering strike from distance by Westwood which nestled in the back of the net off the inside of the post.
Weaver was forced to save another effort late on, and while a spot of pinball in the Worcester six yard box was the closest Leamington came to goal in a rather lethargic, leggy second half display. These games are all about building match fitness however, and Brakes are now on the road to doing that as the new season draws closer.
*The injured Worcester player was eventually taken to hospital having waited several hours for an ambulance to arrive, which it did at 1.15am. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Attendance: 120
Leamington: Jake Weaver, Dan Meredith (17 Joe Parker), Stephan Morley, Simeon Maye (21 Junior English), Kyle Morrison, Josh Martin (12 Jack Lane), Kaiman Anderson (16 Dan Turner), Trialist A (19 McKenzie Patchette Smith), Trialist B (14 Connor Taylor), Jack Edwards (18 Lance Smith), Danny Waldron (15 Kieran Cook).
Sub not used: GK Josh Allen.
Worcester City: 1 Dan Jezeph, 20 Jake Whitehouse, 19 Trialist, 4 Aaron Roberts, 5 Sam Hall, 6 Louis Ezewele, 17 Cam Monteith, 7 Billy Shaw, 9 Dan Westwood, 10 Bobbie Dale, 15 Trialist.
Substitutes: 2 Luke English, 3 Jamie Smith, 8 Aaron Birch, 11 Josh Wells, 12 Trialist, 18 Chris Sterling, 19 Trialist, 21 Trialist.
