Coleshill Town 0 v 2 Leamington

First Team Match Reports 2002-2003

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Coleshill Town 0 v 2 Leamington

Postby Alan Beckett » Sun Mar 02, 2003 4:21 pm

TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY
MIDLAND COMBINATION PREMIER DIVISION
COLESHILL TOWN 0 v 2 LEAMINGTON

Coleshill’s highest crowd for several seasons saw them lose once again but league leaders Leamington were pushed all the way by a much better team performance than the one three days previous against Southam.
For the second time in ten days, Coleshill made Brakes fight all the way before late strikes by Brian Agar and Paul Nicholls sealed the win that kept them on top of the ICIS Midland Combination Premier Division. With Rugby Town and Alvechurch also winning, this year's title race looks like going to the wire and it would be a brave soul who would bet on the outcome.

As with the first encounter between the two sides, Leamington had most of the play but were denied time and space by a hard working Coleshill team. Within the opening ten minutes, Ben Adams and leading scorer Nicholls both had long-range shots that went over the bar. The industrious Nick Mort was prompting many of the attacks and his long accurate pass to Paul Eden on thirteen minutes could have led to the opening goal. Although passing was difficult as the ball bobbled about on an uneven surface, Brakes continued to press forward and Coleshill did not have a real scoring opportunity until the thirtieth minute, when a corner from the left caused a scare before the ball fell safely into the hands of keeper James Gettings.

Three minutes before the interval, Andy Gregory committed a foul for which he was booked, but Mort needlessly got involved in the ensuing melee and was lucky not to see red as he was also cautioned by the referee. From the free-kick, the increasingly-assured Gettings made a fine save stretching to his left and Brakes went into the dressing room all square with everything to play for.

Further chances duly fell Brakes way in the second half and on 55 minutes, a low ball across the face of the goal by Nicholls fell to skipper Steve Thompson but somehow his shot was scrambled clear. The excellent Andy Gregory, who impresses more each match, joined in the attack with a long-range strike on 61 minutes that was not far off target, as was Paul Eden's overhead kick on 81 minutes. Coleshill were rarely seen as an attacking force but defended manfully despite injuries to Woodburn and Thomas. With just six minutes remaining and a goalless draw looking likely, the hardworking Nicholls scuffed a shot that bobbled into the crowded penalty area for Agar to get the finest of touches to evade Bray in the Coleshill goal. Then with only three minutes left on the clock, a disputed Thompson free kick on the left-hand edge of the penalty area was met by Nicholls whose bullet-like header hit the back of the net, giving the score line a flattering look to Leamington.

The Brakes supporters who made up most of the 161 crowd went home happy and co-manager Barry Proctor was equally pleased saying, "Coleshill battled well and we had to show a lot of patience to gain the upper hand. I thought that we were the better side and deserved to win. We now feel that we are genuine contenders for the title and will give it all we can."

Team;- Darren Bray, Frank Woodburn(Chris Harvey), Lee O’Brien, Simon Bradbury, Steven Grady, Allan Thomas(Tony Gormley), Matty Devine, Christian Crisp, Stuart Howard, Carl Morris, Mitchell Thompson. Subs not used Steve Fulford.

Another View

COLESHILL TOWN 0 v LEAMINGTON 2
Midland Combination Premier division Tue 25 Feb 03
By David Hucker

Brakes Stake Title Claim
For the second time in ten days, Coleshill made Brakes fight all the way before late strikes by Brian Agar and Paul Nicholls sealed the win that kept them on top of the ICIS Midland Combination Premier Division. With rivals Rugby Town and Alvechurch also winning, this year's title race looks like going to the wire and it would be a brave soul who would bet on the outcome.

As with the first encounter between the two sides, Leamington had most of the play but did not turn their superiority into goal scoring chances. Within the opening ten minutes, Ben Adams and leading scorer Nicholls both had long-range shots that went over the bar. The industrious Nick Mort was prompting many of the attacks and his long accurate pass to Paul Eden on thirteen minutes could have led to the opening goal. Although passing was difficult as the ball bobbled about on an uneven surface, Brakes continued to press forward and Coleshill did not have a real scoring opportunity until the thirtieth minute, when a corner from the left caused a scare before the ball fell safely into the hands of keeper James Gettings.

Three minutes before the interval, Andy Gregory committed a foul for which he was booked, but Mort needlessly got involved in the ensuing melee and was also cautioned by the referee. From the free-kick, the increasingly-assured Gettings made a fine save stretching to his left and Brakes went into the dressing room all square with everything to play for.

Further chances duly fell Brakes way in the second half and on 55 minutes, a low ball across the face of the goal by Nicholls fell to skipper Steve Thompson but somehow his shot was scrambled clear. The excellent Andy Gregory, who impresses more each match, joined in the attack with a long-range strike on 61 minutes that was not far off target, as was Paul Eden's overhead kick on 81 minutes. With just six minutes remaining and a goalless draw looking likely, the hardworking Nicholls evaded a wild kick by a Coleshill defender and, with the referee playing advantage, sent a shot into the crowded penalty area for Agar to get the finest of touches. Then with only three minutes left on the clock, a Thompson free kick on the left-hand edge of the penalty area was met by Nicholls whose bullet-like header hit the back of the net.

Leamington certainly missed the craft of Andy Ellis in midfield and the 3-5-2 formation did not always look convincing. However, the Brakes supporters who made up most of the 161 crowd went home happy and co-manager Barry Proctor was equally pleased saying, "Coleshill battled well and we had to show a lot of patience to gain the upper hand. I thought that we were the better side and deserved to win. We now feel that we are genuine contenders for the title and will give it all we can."

Leamington: James Gettings, Ben Adams, Tom Saunders (Chris Hanrahan 83), Tom Sidwell, Andy Gregory, Barry Shearsby, Nick Mort (Darren Timms 66), Paul Eden, Brian Agar (James Harri 89), Paul Nicholls, Steve Thompson [Capt.]

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