Competition

Date

Saturday 23rd January 2010

Collier finds defeat tough to take

Ned Payne (Swindon Advertiser) 

Mark Collier found defeat tough to take on Saturday as his Swindon Supermarine side returned to action for the first time in over a month. Supermarine were beaten 3-1 at Leamington in the Southern League Premier Division and boss Collier claimed his team had deserved better.

 

“The performance in the second half was as good as we have played this season. Some of our football was exemplary,” he said. “It was a bitter pill to swallow come quarter to five. Their manager said ‘I think we have mugged you’, which is difficult to take when we’ve played so well.”

 

Supermarine had taken an early lead in Warwickshire when Scott Lycett headed a free kick into his own net after eight minutes. Four minutes later it was 1-1 as Matt Bulman tipped Mark Bellingham’s lob onto the crossbar, and the ball dropped over the line as Bulman and Matt Robinson tried to clear. Seconds before the interval, the Brakes scored a second as Guy Sanders won the ball on the edge of the area and crashed a swerving shot into the net In the second half Supermarine did everything but score, and Ash Edenborough, Luke Hopper and Robert Hobbs were all denied by the woodwork. Leamington tied up the points deep into injury time when James Husband’s shot rebounded off the upright to Luke Corbett, who tucked into the bottom corner.

 

From a Leamington perspective

Match report by Paul Edwards

Leamington survived some nervy second moments to record their third home win of the season, as the first game of 2010 finally took place after an enforced winter break of 6 weeks. There was always likely to be a rusty feel to this game, with both teams having prolonged spells without proper match action, but there were some good spells from either side over the 90 minutes, and a draw would perhaps have been a fair result, but Brakes defended well, rode their luck at times, and finished the game off at the death, after the visitors had failed to find an equaliser.

 

Chris Kiely, back in the side following Tony Breeden's unfortunate injury the previous week at the friendly with Southam, made a smart early save, but was powerless to prevent the opening goal on 8 minutes, as Scott Lycett's looping header from a free kick into the area found the back of his own net, via the frame of the goal.

 

Brakes tried to hit back immediately, Luke Corbett holding the ball up for Guy Sanders to strike from the edge of the area, but the ball flew well over the Swindon goal. However, the equaliser arrived on 12 minutes, when Mark Bellingham spotted a gap between keeper Matthew Bulman and the goal line, and lifted a cheeky effort over the keeper from the left edge of the area. The ball was pushed onto the crossbar by the Supermarine goalkeeper, but as it dropped, a combination of keeper and skipper Matt Robinson ensured that it went over the line.

 

Bulman was determined not to concede a quickfire second, and almost took Bellingham's head off his shoulders when punching a cross clear. Luke Hopper saw a shot deflected just wide at the other end, before Bellingham laid the ball off for Michael Tuohy to lift a cross in that struck the bar before being cleared away. Bellingham then did well to wriggle past three challenges in the area, probably earning the chance of a shot, which he chose to drive in to the near post, when Peter Faulds and Richard Batchelor were in good positions in the centre. Faulds volleyed a fierce shot wide of the post, and Corbett's smart turn and powerful effort from the edge of the box forced a fingertip save from Bulman.

 

Supermarine defender Daniel Allen was fortunate that the Referee was unsighted when he appeared to handle Luke Corbett's low ball into the box, but Brakes gained the advantage on 44 minutes when Guy Sanders robbed Justin McKay on the edge of the area and smashed in a vicious drive that curved past Bulman into the net.

 

James Husband was inches from extending the advantage early in the second half when he was played in by Corbett on the left, but his first time drive from inside the area was inches the wrong side of the post. This was the prelude to a sustained period of pressure from the visitors, as they began to cause problems for Leamington. However, the best chance of another goal still fell to the home side, and Bulman did superbly to stick out a hand and divert Corbett's shot behind, after the striker had got the better of his marker.

 

Supermarine were certainly having the better of things in midfield, and substitute Ashley Edenborough surged forward after winning possession, forcing Chris Kiely to push his shot onto the bar. The ball was then cleared off the line from the resulting corner. Kiely then produced another smart stop as Swindon continued to press, and also got hands to the ball to divert it onto the post, as Edenborough threatened again.

 

The visitors were to pay for not finding a way past the young keeper, when Leamington grabbed a third goal in stoppage time. James Husband began the move in his own penalty area, sending the ball across to Peter Faulds, who in turn moved it forward to Luke Corbett. His first time ball across to the left of the area to Husband was met with screams of derision from the bench, who no doubt wanted him to hold up play, but Husband shot low across goal, and the ball rebounded off the outside of the post into the path of Corbett, who slammed it back into the net.

 

Swindon can feel a little hard done by, as they caused plenty of problems for Brakes, but while the midfield seemed a little uncertain, the back four defended stoutly, and also pushed forward well. Mark Bellingham and Luke Corbett worked tirelessly as ever, and with Brakes now on a mini run of 3 league games unbeaten, the top half of the table is now back in sight.

 

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