Leamington 1 v 0 Coleshill Town

First Team Match Reports 2002-2003

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Leamington 1 v 0 Coleshill Town

Postby Alan Beckett » Tue Feb 25, 2003 9:05 am

SATURDAY 15th FEBRUARY
MIDLAND COMBINATION PREMIER DIVISION
LEAMINGTON 1 v 0 COLESHILL TOWN

OK, so this was another defeat. Another scoreless match, only two points from the last nine games and nearly two months since the last win over Nuneaton Griff, but lets put this game into perspective. Leamington are three points clear at the top of the Mid Com Prem, they have lost only four times all season and were disappointed with the crowd of 319. Coleshill on the other hand are a side in the doldrums. Having seen an entire team leave for pastures new, confidence is low and the steady slide down the table continues. And the game it’s self, well, yes Leamington had the better possession and chances but Coleshill made them look very ordinary and were so close to sharing the points. On another day Town may have even snatched all three when the home keeper saved with his legs a shot by Lee McCarthy, although that would have been an injustice.

Coleshill made only two changes from the side beaten by Sphinx mid week. Lee McCarthy returned to midfield and Chris Davies, signed from near neighbours Atherstone made his debut. Dissappointingly, keeper Danny Smith probably played his last game for Coleshill as he seems destined to transfer to Highgate.

Coleshill played some attractive counter attacking football but the home side dominated possession. Leamington squandered several chances and on 35 mins full back Harj Dhesi hit the bar from a free kick. Carl Morris came closest for Coleshill but he blasted his shot over the bar into Leamington’s crowded and noisy North Bank. Town came more into the game in the second period as Chris Davies started to find his feet, resulting in the Lee McCarthy effort, but Leamington’s quick passing and movement off the ball finally paid dividends when captain Steve Thompson scored the only goal of the game on 68 minutes. Matty Devine almost stopped the danger in midfield but the home side worked the ball out wide on the right and as the cross came in Thompson just beat keeper Danny Smith to the ball to squeeze into the far corner. Late on Smith saved brilliantly from a volley from distance and Coleshill tried manfully to retrieve something from the game without seriously threatening the home keeper.

Team. Danny Smith, Lee O’Brien, Steve Lees, Simon Bradbury, Carl Smith, Christian Crisp, Matty Devine (Gary Falconbridge), Lee McCarthy, Chris Davies, Carl Morris (Steve Fulford), Mitchell Thompson. Subs not used- Tony Gormley.

M.O.M. Steve Lees.

LEAMINGTON 1 v COLESHILL TOWN 0
Midland Combination Premier division Wed 12 Feb 03
By David Hucker

Brakes Come Out Ahead at Sunny New Windmill
With so much sport shown live on television, many Brakes fans must have been tempted to stay in the warmth of their living rooms, judging by the disappointingly small crowd for a Saturday of 319. However, those who made the journey to Harbury Lane were rewarded with a fine and sunny afternoon that showed off the New Windmill and the surrounding countryside to best effect. In the end, a fine strike by returning skipper Steve Thompson maintained top spot in the ICIS Midland Combination Premier Division.

Mid-table Coleshill played some attractive counterattacking football but the home side dominated for much of the match and had only themselves to blame for not winning more convincingly. Within the first twenty minutes, leading striker Paul Nicholls had two good chances to score and Thompson saw a goalbound shot ricochet off the legs of Coleshill keeper Danny Smith. The best opening came in the thirty-fourth minute when a Harj Dhesi trademark free kick from outside the penalty area came back into play off the crossbar. Coleshill had a good chance to make Brakes pay for their missed opportunities when, just before half-time, Karl Morris was clear through on goal but he blasted his shot high over the bar into the crowd on the North Bank.

The visitors started the second half the more adventurous side and James Gettings in the Brakes' goal was forced to use his feet to save from Lee McCarthy on 56 minutes. Then within a minute of each other, both Jonny Burgess (who had another excellent match) and Nicholls had chances to score. The miss by Nicholls, who pulled his shot wide of the left-hand post with only the keeper to beat, summed up his afternoon which was one to forget. However, all came right with Thompson's goal in the 68th minute which followed good work between Ben Adams and Paul Eden and was no less than the home side deserved from their superior possession.

Eden was brought down from behind in the penalty area with sixteen minutes to go but, to the dismay of the vocal North Bank, no award was given. Late on, Ben Adams struck a goalbound volley which keeper Smith saved brilliantly. In the end, this was a valuable three points to keep the chasing pack at bay. Brakes co-manager Jason Cadden was pleased saying " we controlled most of the game and played some nice football. Overall, it was a good performance and we kept a clean sheet as well as top spot"

Leamington: James Gettings, Jonny Burgess, Harj Dhesi, Tom Sidwell, Tom Saunders, Andy Ellis (Baz Shearsby 7Cool, Nick Mort, Ben Adams, Paul Eden, Paul Nicholls (Brian Agar 85), Steve Thompson [Capt.]
Subs Not Used: Andy Gregory

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