Leamington show their stubborn side

Brakes exorcised another of last season’s demons as a backs-to-the-wall second-half performance earned them three points at Loop Meadow, writes Paul Edwards.

An early own goal was cancelled out by the home side before Marcus Jackson struck what turned out to be the decisive goal, despite the Railwaymen piling forward after the break to try and salvage the game.

Leamington started at a blistering pace, and threatened to overrun their hosts in the opening exchanges.

James Rowe intercepted a back- pass as Didcot kicked off and tore in on goal, just beating a chasing defender to the ball and forcing goalkeeper Sam Warrall to concede a corner, from which he was forced to push Matt Lewis’ inswinging effort over his crossbar.

Brakes simply did not allow their opponents to settle, keeping the ball impressively and pushing Didcot back into their own half.

It seemed only a matter of time before they opened the scoring and the first goal duly arrived in the eighth minute, the unfortunate Andy Gunn slamming Rowe’s cross into his own net as he tried to put the ball out of play.

Every Brakes attack seemed to involve Rowe, who was popping up on both wings and down the middle. His cross saw James Husband’s diving header just clear the crossbar, and then Rowe drove a shot over.

A superb piece of skill from Husband saw him lash in a first- time volley on the run from just inside the box that was held by Warrell, before the home side stunned Brakes by levelling with their first effort on goal.

A contentious free-kick was awarded on the right and Josh Huggins rose highest to glance a header past the exposed Tony Breeden to restore parity.

However, any hopes Didcot had of gaining a foothold in the game were quickly dashed as Leamington continued to force the pace.

Jackson sent an ambitious volley from distance just wide and Lewis was just caught out by the high line played by the home defenders as he attempted to latch on to Richard Batchelor’s clever through ball inside the penalty area.

A quick break saw Paul Holleran’s side regain their advantage ten minutes before the interval.

Husband and Batchelor both saw shots blocked before Jackson drove the loose ball beyond Warrall.

Skipper Jamie Heapy drove a well-struck effort inches over as Didcot tried to retaliate, while Gunn nearly added to his earlier own goal when he headed Jackson’s cross just wide. Liam Daly headed over from the resulting corner.

The home side made two changes for the second half, and the introduction of Elliot Osbourne-Ricketts and Michael Bartley appeared to rejuvenate Stuart Peace’s side.

Osbourne-Ricketts robbed Scott Lycett on the left and his cross was pounced on by David Lawrence, but as he turned to shoot Daly intercepted with a timely block.

A dangerous ball flashed across the Leamington goalmouth as the pressure began to mount, but Brakes appeared to have ridden the storm, and Batchelor broke through to set up Rowe, who shot wide under pressure.

The majority of the game was being played out inside the Leamington half as Brakes struggled to win back possession, but despite bossing the game Didcot failed to test Breeden.

On the rare occasions they did get forward, Leamington went close to extending their lead.

Husband saw a free-kick tipped over by Warrall and Batchelor’s strong drive from distance was well held by the goalkeeper.

The home side’s attacking became more frantic as the clock ticked down, and they were helped by an extraordinary amount of added time.

However, Leamington stubbornly refused to buckle, and the collective celebration at the final whistle showed just how much the victory meant to the team.

Didcot Town: Sam Warrell, Jason Costello (Elliot Osbourne-Ricketts, 46), Morgan Williams, Michael Alexis, Andy Williams, Andy Gunn, Josh Huggins, Jamie Heapy, Reece Connolly, David Lawrence, Jordan Tabor (Michael Bartley, 46). Subs not used: Michael Hopkins, Mark Draycott, Ramos Perreria.

Brakes: Tony Breeden, Scott Lycett (Alex Cowley, 57), Stephan Morley, Lee Downes, Jamie Hood, Liam Daly, Marcus Jackson, James Husband (Alex Taylor, 76), Matt Lewis (Luke Corbett, 83), James Rowe, Richard Batchelor. Subs not used: Craig Wilding, Guy Sanders.