Late blow for Leamington as Cowley strikes stoppage time winner for Halesowen

It was a bitter pill to swallow from a game that had promised so much, but ultimately once again ended in despair with an eighth league defeat of the season.

It had been a long held view of many Brakes fans that Paul Holleran would be at the helm by the time a meeting with the Yeltz came around, and it came to pass after the Brakes' legendary former manager was placed in interim charge after Russell Penn left the club following last Tuesday’s heavy defeat at Racing Club Warwick.

Also in the Halesowen ranks were a quartet of players with 373 appearances for Leamington between them.

Dan Meredith, Rob Evans, Tyrone Barnett and Milan Butterfield have all turned out in Gold and Black at different points over the last nine years.

Former Halesowen men Kyle Finn and Nat Kelly lined up in Scott Easterlow’s starting XI, which contained three changes from last Tuesday’s game at Rushall.

With Chris Wreh suspended and Nathan Kabeya and Raj Palit unavailable there was a return for Byron Wilson after missing eight games through injury, while Cam Eubank and Kyle Belmonte stepped up from the bench.

Leamington started on the front foot, Owen Farmer and Finn shooting wide.

Keeper Okonkwo conceded a corner as he pushed behind Meredith’s swirling ball in from the right, from which Ben Cassidy thundered a strike across goal and well wide.

Some superb work from Tonge inside the box to wriggle between defenders and turn to face goal on 17 minutes saw him poke a shot past Platt that looked to be trickling wide until Finn stole in to stab the ball into the unguarded net to give his hometown club the lead against his former side.

As Halesowen pressed for a leveller they were caught on the counter attack, Platt having to push a fierce drive from Finn over his bar.

The Yeltz went very close when Samson Hewett cracked a powerful strike across goal and just past the far post, and Meredith went even closer when he leathered the ball towards goal from the right only to be denied by a fantastic save from Okonkwo.

Leamington countered again, Kyle Belmonte driving a good effort just over the bar, before Jason Cowley headed straight at Okonkwo from close range at the other end.

Leamington looked to have capped a really promising opening 45 minutes when Belmonte steamed into the box to get on the end of Cockerill-Mollett’s low left wing centre to bundle the ball past the despairing Platt for his first Brakes goal, the keeper unable to keep the ball out despite getting something on it.

However, just as two minutes of additional time was signalled, Hewett swept home a low left wing cross to halve the deficit.

The most disappointing aspect of this for Brakes was that Iddriss Fuseini would have almost certainly cut out the cross had he not unfortunately slipped as the ball came across him.

Okonkwo produced another superb save from Meredith as Leamington held out to return to the dressing room with a slender advantage.

Unfortunately they did not hold onto it for very long as serial goal-getter Cowley latched on to a loose defensive header to run the ball wide of Okonkwo and slot in from a tight angle to level things up on 49 minutes.

The response to this setback was hugely positive initially, but gradually the hosts began to assert control.

Okonkwo saved a header on his goal before Platt was almost beaten by Finn’s curling strike, only for the ball to strike the post.

A brilliant surging run towards goal from Flanagan ended with a shot deflected behind for a corner, from which Fuseini’s header flicked just wide.

The players seemed to be feeding off the nervous energy of the travelling support, who were willing them on.

But just when it seemed Brakes might take a point from this see-saw contest, their hopes were shattered as Cowley darted clear on the left and finished again from a tight angle as the game entered added time.

BRAKES: Okonkwo, Cockerill-Mollett, Kelly, Eubank (Fridye-Harper 62), Tonge, Finn, Farmer (Arthur 80), Fuseini, Flanagan, Belmonte (Wright 74), Wilson. SUBS NOT USED: Pennell, Humphries.

REFEREE: Mr Jamie Conde.

ATTENDANCE: 1,003.

BRAKES MAN OF THE MATCH: Iddriss Fuseini.