Pre Season Friendly
Dales Lane
Saturday 17th July 2021

Brakes went down to defeat in the Walsall suburbs in their latest pre season fixture against a lively Rushall side.

The afternoon did not get off to the best of starts, Jake Weaver bringing down Pics’ summer signing Simeon Cobourne inside the opening 60 seconds, conceding a penalty which Sam Whitall placed just out of the keepers’ reach as he dived down to his right.

Leamington began to settle into the game after the early setback, but were fortunate not to have a second penalty awarded against them on the quarter hour as Jack Edwards looked to have handled the ball when it was lifted high into the penalty area. Oddly, the Referee seemed to be the only person who had the opposite opinion.

The Rushall squad was flush with former Brakes men, and it was Checkaine Steele who instigated a good move, winning the ball from Steph Morley in midfield before receiving it back and playing it wide to Cobourne, whose curling ball to the far post was met by Richard Batchelor, who headed across goal but just wide of the post.

Cobourne, who is surely a player Paul Holleran will be keeping an eye on if he continues to score goals at the rate he did at Step 4 and 5 with Halesowen Town and Romulus, was causing Josh Martin problems with his pace, and the Brakes right back received an unnecessary booking after one late challenge.

It was difficult to be critical of the players work rate in the sweltering conditions and there was certainly no lack of effort from either side in the searing heat, but Brakes looked to have a potential mistake in them at times, with Rushall looking very sharp going forward. There were only half chances for Leamington, Dan Meredith firing well over from outside the box after a promising move, while Danny Waldron was getting into some good positions but the closest he came was heading into Alex Graham’s arms from Meredith’s free kick into the six yard box. However, Leamington were certainly getting into the game more as the half time whistle arrived.

Substitute Joe Parker and Simeon Maye were both off target with second half efforts, while Rushall’s only dangerous effort came with little over ten minutes remaining, Ahmed Obeng sliding a fellow substitute clear on the right, but his attempt to lift the ball over Weaver, who had stumbled, was unsuccessful.

Weaver was forced to push a powerful cross-shot away at his near post, while at the other end Kieran Cook’s low strike was straight at Graham.

Rushall really should have had a second after the ball cannoned around the Leamington six yard box, but when it dropped to Tom Thorley he ballooned his shot over the bar.

Cook crashed a long range free kick against the post late on, but Rushall won another penalty in the final seconds when James Mace brought down a substitute, Anthony Dwyer stepping up to send Weaver the wrong way with the last kick of the game.

Attendance: 207 

Rushall Olympic: Alex Graham, Kristian Green, Tyler Little, Tom Thorley, Mitchell Clarke, Sam Whitall, Checkaine Steele, Alex Moore, Danny Glover, Simeon Cobourne (14 Anthony Dwyer, 46), Richard Batchelor ©.

Substitutes: Reece Mitchell, Ahmed Obeng, Rackeem Reid, Nehemia Zazi.

Leamington: Jake Weaver, Josh Martin, Stephan Morley, Simeon Maye (Dan Meredith, 73), Junior English, Jack Lane, Kaiman Anderson (16 Joe Parker, 55), Dan Meredith (14 James Mace, 67), Dan Turner (15 Josh Beeson, 75), Jack Edwards (17 Callum Gittings, 67), Danny Waldron (12 Kieran Cook, 46).

Subs not used: 13 Josh Allen.

Photos: Steve Walker/Rushall Olympic FC