Leamington Hibernian V Castle Vale Town (Division Three)

​Leamington Hibernian were looking for a result yesterday afternoon to climb up the table and challenge for a top ten finish. It’s been a tough season for the hosts so far and yesterday was their first match in over a month since the 6-0 home loss to Boldmere Falcons. On a positive, they have a lot of matches left and were only five points off DSC United in 10th going into yesterday’s match.

Castle Vale Town have been excellent in division three this season and were looking to respond to their 2-1 home defeat to Wake Green Amateur a few weeks ago. Their away form had been a real strength coming into this match with eight wins from eleven matches. The Spitfires were looking to continue their good record here to cement their position in the top five.

The atmosphere around Stockton Football Club was relaxed and positive prior to kick off with both sets of supporters looking forward to the match. It’s a brilliant location for casuals groundhoppers across the West Midlands and can be accessed by getting on the 63 bus from either Rugby or Leamington. Supporters can stop at the Square in Stockton and it’s only a five-minute walk to the ground.

Leamington Hibernian can go under the radar in division three, but they have been competitive this season and can be a tough test on their day. The people at the club were welcoming and down to earth yesterday and there’s a lot of effort that goes on behind the scenes from local volunteers. One of the positives of football at this level is a sense of localness which can add to the match going experience.

​Starting line ups

Leamington Hibernian’s starting line-up included Roddy Attwood starting in goal and Zach Featherstone captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation looked like a 4-3-3 with a front two of Kallum Blake and Kyle King being supported by Jordan Featherstone in the attacking midfield role.

There were four changes from the team that started against Boldmere Falcons with Jordan Barry coming into the team and playing in central midfield.

The starting line-up for Castle Vale Town featured Alex Bowen starting in goal and Jordan McKenzie captaining the team up front. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-2-2 with a front two of Tarus Zaman and Jordan McKenzie up front.

There were two changes from the team that started against Wake Green Amateur with Will Case coming into the team and playing at left wing-back. 

​First Half

The opening twenty minutes of the match were mostly cagey with both teams settling into it. With a lot of matches getting cancelled over the last few weeks this was understandable and both teams needed a bit of time before they settled into a passing rhythm.  Out of the two, Castle Vale Town started the brighter and were looking to pass the ball through the thirds.

​The chances were few and far between in the opening stages of the first half with both teams well organised off the ball to limit the clear-cut chances. The main pattern of play involved Castle Vale Town looking to play a possession-based style with Leamington looking to catch them on the counterattack.

The match came to life in the middle of the first half when the visitors managed to take the lead through a moment of quality. An excellent set piece routine gave Castle Vale Town a 1-0 lead. Jordan Evans delivered an accurate ball into the box to Ensa Jarju who had a powerful header go into the net at the near post.

The rest of the half saw Castle Vale Town protect their lead and stick to their passing game to have a control of the match. None the less, there weren’t that many chances in front of goal which gave Leamington Hibernian some hope of getting something from it. Their best chance of an equaliser in the first half fell to Kallum Blake who had a header go the wrong side of the post.

Despite Castle Vale Town having a control of the match, it was a tight affair in the first half with Leamington looking a threat in spells. It was well set up for the second half.

Second Half

The opening stages of the second half was similar to the first and it took a while for the match to get going following the half time break. The game opened up on the hour mark and the chances started to come in front of goal. Jordan McKenzie was getting into some good position around the box for the visitors and he had a great chance to make it 2-0 before firing wide inside the box.

The best chance of an equaliser for Leamington came in the final ten minutes when a neat passage of play resulted in Jack Breen working the ball on the edge of the box and having a shot well saved by Alex Bowen. It was a moment of quality from Leamington Hibernian and showed what their capable of.      

Substitute Idris Oyeniyi had an excellent chance to make it 2-0 for Castle Vale Town in the final few minutes. He did brilliantly to beat his man and cut inside from the left before having a shot go the wrong side of the post. Substitute Alex Henry was sin binned in the final few stages of the match which set up a nervy finish for Castle Vale Town.

The visitors did well to hold on across the five minutes of additional time and managed to clear a lot of dangerous balls into the box. They were awarded a penalty near the end of the match with Owen Reynolds being fouled in the box. Jordan McKenzie stepped up and took an excellent penalty into the bottom left corner to make it 2-0 and seal the three points.

Full Time

Leamington Hibernian were good in this match and put a lot of effort and endeavour in to get something from it. They have struggled in front of goal this season but were a lot more dangerous in the final third than their goals scored record would suggest. They were getting into some good position around the box and just needed that final ball or composed finish.

Their main strength was how well they were set up off the ball which stood out yesterday. Zach Featherstone was excellent in the holding midfield role and shielded the defence well to prevent the clear-cut chances for the visitors. Sam Newey and Samuel Ajayi also had underrated games at the back and stood up to the Castle Vale Town pressure well to keep them in the game.

Kallum Blake also looked good up front and was getting into some promising positions around the final third. Amari Thomas was also a threat since coming on in the second half and was linking up the play well.  

Castle Vale Town were good yesterday and did well to have a control of the match since taking the lead in the first half. There’s quality both on and off the ball and Luke Evans has done a good job of making the Spitfires one of the top squads in a competitive division.

Luke Smith and Talal Kelani were excellent at the back and were constantly clearing balls out of play throughout the afternoon. They got into the right positions and stopped Leamington Hibernian creating chances in front of goal. Ensa Jarju was also good in the holding midfield role and offered that composure on the ball to settle into the match.

Jordan McKenzie played well up front and especially in the second half when the game was more stretched. He managed to get into some brilliant positions in the box and deserved a goal. Both William Case and Idris Oyeniyi impressed on the left yesterday for the visitors and were a genuine threat going forward.

Overall, a brilliant advert for step eight football yesterday between two competitive teams.

FT score: Leamington Hibernian 0-2 Castle Vale Town

Man of the Match: Talal Kelani (Castle Vale Town)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League