Late red card as Leamington are sunk at Bishop’s Stortford

The hosts had endured a similarly tough start to Leamington, having won one and drawn one of their opening seven games, so manager Steve Smith had sought to rectify this by making four new signings on the eve of this fixture, handing all of them immediate debuts.

Brakes players struggled to keep their footing on the artificial surface at times, but they went straight for the jugular from kick off, a shot going wide inside the opening seconds.

Owen Farmer felt he had a shout for a penalty as he went down under pressure from Stortford skipper Jake Thompson, but the referee quickly waved away the protests.

From the hosts' first attack, Nat Kelly receiving an early booking for taking down Jake Tichmarsh which he would later regret.

A slip saw the home side make a rapid three on three break, but Cian Tyler was equal to the low strike at his goal from Tyrone Baker.

Smith bent a good free kick towards the far corner which was well pushed away by Tyler.

From a scramble from the resulting corner, Brad Russell's for a powerful first time drive that flew over the bar.

Leamington responded with Cam Eubank firing just wide from the edge of the box.

But the hosts edged in front on 25 minutes when Smith sent a recycled corner into the six yard box, and in attempting to punch clear, the unfortunate Tyler pushed the ball against Thompson, the ball ricocheting into the net.

It was a disappointing goal to concede but after composing themselves, Leamington began to get back into the game.

Thompson could only head a corner out to Farmer, who crashed a shot back in that struck the outside of the post.

Moments later the same player forced a fantastic save from Barnes as he thumped another one in from long range, the keeper helping the ball onto the bar.

Leamington finally scored their goal with the last kick of the first half, as Wreh rifled in his second in as many games into the roof of the net after Joe Nardelli could only cut out a cross into his path.

It was no more than they deserved for their efforts in the opening 45 minutes.

The opening minutes of the second were full of incident.

Wreh had the ball in the net for a second time only to be denied by an offside flag.

Stortford then clipped the woodwork through Frank Norris after a cross to the back stick.

The hosts regained the lead on 67 minutes through the same player, as he sidefooted powerfully beyond Tyler into the far corner from a good ball in from the left by Baker.

As the game entered the final 10 minutes substitute Nathan Kabeya curled a well struck effort over the Stortford crossbar.

Raj Palit then bent a free kick onto the roof of the net after fellow substitute Dexter Walters was fouled.

However, Stortford sealed the points with four minutes to go when substitute Jackson Chukwu-Nsofor powerfully headed home fellow sub Charlie Johnson’s deep ball in from the right before Tyler could punch clear.

There was a sour ending to proceedings when a brawl erupted in front of the home dugout.

Players from both sides raised their hands, but Kelly needlessly got involved, shoving a Stortford man to the ground, and a second yellow card was inevitable.

BRAKES: Tyler, Cockerill-Mollett, Kelly, Freeman, Eubank (Raj Palit 75), Wreh, Finn, Farmer (Walters 75), Arthur (Kabeya 60), Belmonte, Wilson (Fridye-Harper 35). SUB NOT USED: Weston.

REFEREE: Tommy Fleming.

ATTENDANCE: 325.