Youthful Brakes make most of their opportunity to shine

Leamington fans got a glimpse of the future on Saturday afternoon. And, on the evidence of this 90 minutes, there is much to look forward to for the New Windmill faithful.

Recent signings Jacob Blyth, Jamie Sheldon and Seb Lake-Gaskin were all handed starts for the friendly against the Blue Square Bet Premier side, with Neil Barnfield making his debut after joining from Evesham the previous day.

Barnfield and Lake-Gaskin in particular caught the eye, with the former confirming Paul Holleran’s assessment that he could pick a pass from the centre of midfield and the youthful Lake-Gaskin given licence to attack the left-back.

With a strong wind making aerial balls a lottery, Brakes showed an encouraging willingness to get the ball down and pass it against a youthful Poppies line-up.

A fine save from Ryan Raynor denied Lake-Gaskin a sixth-minute opener, with Luke Corbett again thwarted by the Kettering keeper close to the half-hour mark after a neat turn from Blyth had helped create the chance.

Blyth, who was a lively presence up front, had Brakes’ best chance of the first half, putting James Husband’s first-time cross over the bar from ten yards out.

The second half lacked the quality and intensity of the first, with Kettering, who now had the wind in their faces, struggling to get into Brakes’ half.

Leamington deservedly took the lead in the 54th minute, with Stephan Morley stepping up to drive a free-kick through the Kettering wall and into the corner of the net following a foul on Barnfield.

As Brakes pressed for a second, Nathan Koo-Boothe had to be alert to keep out a Blyth header with Raynor stranded, while Tony Breeden was called on to make a reflex save from a rare Kettering foray.

With 13 minutes remaining, Jamille Wilson became the final fresh face to enter the fray, with the youngster replacing James Husband.

But, with the game petering out, he had little chance to make an impression.

Brakes: Tony Breeden, Michael Tuohy (Scott Lycett, 85), Stephan Morley, Neil Barnfield, Guy Sanders (Liam Daly, 77), Jamie Hood, Seb Lake-Gaskin (Alex Taylor, 65), Jamie Sheldon, Jacob Blyth, Luke Corbett (Lee Downes, 46), James Husband (Jamille Wilson, 77).

Kettering Town: Ryan Raynor, Devon Ellwood, Papis Dieyte, Jon Challinor, Marvin Torvie, Nathan Koo-Boothe, Patrick Noubissie, Sam Coleman, Adam Cunnington, Mark Pryor, Claudio Hoban. Substitutes: Michael Emery, Tom McGowan, Gabriel Vijent, Lynual Da Costa, Dustin Fitzgerald, Ryan Gormley.