Boss Easterlow pleased as Leamington earn draw with Brackley Town
Leamington manager Scott Easterlow was again pleased with the efforts of his team as they drew 2-2 with National League North Brackley Town in their latest friendly on Tuesday night.
“The lads worked their socks off against another higher level side,” he said.
“We are still missing one or two, but everybody put a good shift in tonight and there was a lot to be pleased about.'”
The Saints were also relegated last season after their maiden campaign in the National League, and their manager Andy Whing has had to embark on a rebuilding job of his own.
There were four former Leamington men in his side - Kyle Morrison, Josh Tomlinson, and Ewan Williams, for whom it must have been rather strange going into the away dressing room on his return to his former club; as it was for the home supporters seeing him on the opposing side.
There was also another player recently at Leamington appearing as a trialist for the visitors.
Both sides took the field in their away colours.
A neat piece of quick thinking by Owen Farmer led to Leamington opening the scoring with just five minutes played.
Pouncing on a loose crossfield defensive pass, he bore down on goal before firing his fourth goal of pre-season low past Harrison Rhone in the Brackley goal.
O’Shea Ellis sent a rasping effort just wide as the visitors almost responded immediately, but they were level on 17 minutes when Charlie Cooper’s right wing corner was headed against the bar by Tahvon Campbell, the ball just crossing the line.
Local lad Matt Lowe then put Brackley ahead on 35 minutes, meeting a fantastic left wing cross from George Harmon with a powerful diving header past Jacob Humphries.
Dexter Walters tried his luck from distance as Leamington pressed for an equaliser before half-time, firing just wide from distance.
Williams went down inside the box under a challenge from a trialist defender right on half-time, but the referee was unmoved at his calls for a penalty.
Cooper curled a decent free kick just wide for Brackley early in the second half, before Kyle Finn had the ball in the net, but the offside flag was raised.
Moments later he tested the Brackley keeper with a powerful low curling drive that was pushed round the post.
Farmer then curled a free kick into the advertising board above the Harbury Lane End goal.
Brakes were struggling to put together any sustained patterns of forward play against their higher ranked opponents, but were still working hard nevertheless, and with several changes, were starting to make more headway against almost a whole new Brackley XI.
Trialist D sent a low drive straight at the goalkeeper, before Leamington levelled things up with 16 minutes to play, direct from a corner taken by Raj Palit.
There was very nearly a third goal soon afterwards when Palit drove the ball low to the near post from the left, where a trialist striker backheeled it into the sidenetting.
Brackley came close to a winner of their own when their trialist striker fired just over on the turn.
But this was another good workout for Leamington as the new season draws ever closer.
The Brakes are next in action on Friday evening when they take on Coventry City’s U21s.
LEAMINGTON: Jacob Humphries, Jahdahn Fridye-Harper, Callum Cockerill-Mollett (14 Trialist E, 60), Nat Kelly (12 Trialist D, 57), Trialist A, Kyle Belmonte (18 Oli Buckby, 76), Dexter Walters (Trialist G, 60), Raj Palit, Trialist C (15 Trialist F, 57), Kyle Finn, Owen Farmer (17 Trialist H, 76).