Hayes & Yeading conceded early to a very organised Leamington side and were unable to recover as the visitors took all three points back home with them from the SKYex.
It took the Brakes just six minutes to breakthrough when Jack Edwards got his head to an in-swinging Rob Thompson-Brown free-kick, his header pitching downwards and up into the roof of Louis Wells’ goal.
On the quarter hour mark United’s first opening came as a Jack Mills corner was played high in the air by Dylan Kearney, Yannis Ambroisine headed the ball back into the middle where fellow centre-back Harold Joseph met the ball but could not keep his header below the crossbar.
The visitors tried from distance shortly after with Connor Gudgen setting up Courtney Baker-Richardson, his 25 yard drive going a whisker wide of the United upright.
The 25 minutes that remained in the half saw little in the way of goalmouth action as both sides pretty much cancelled each other out on the middle of the park and defences were certainly on top, the closest effort again coming from Leamington a minute from the break as James Mace’s effort was deflected away by a vital Mills interception.
In all honesty the second half was much like the first with the well organised Brakes defence ruling the roost and United’s wide players barely getting anything in from wide areas for the strike partnership of Lloyd Macklin and Kearney to feed off.
There was however a glut of chances just after the hour mark in the game. Thompson-Brown and goalscorer Edwards combined down the left channel but the latter’s shot was weak and easily scooped up by Wells and within a minute the Brakes full-back Ben George made a surging run from midfield, entering the United box only to be snuffed out by an excellent tackle by Harold Joseph.
United’s best chance in this period came from a Matt Sinclair corner that was shinned over his own crossbar by Mace in trying to clear his lines. The following corner was soon cleared up field and Thompson-Brown broke with a four on two advantage, he rolled the ball left to Ryan Rowe but he fired over when well placed to double his sides’ advantage.
The final fifteen minutes saw United gain three free-kicks around the edge of the box. The first saw Yassin Moutaouakil take the ball and fire past the wall but too high, the second with about five minutes to play was taken by Mills and blocked, with numerous United appeals for hand ball being waved away by referee Creswick.
The last chance to take something from the game came in the sixth minute of stoppage time, this time Kearney stepped up to the mark, the young striker finally hitting the target only to be denied by a diving save by Brakes ‘keeper Tony Breeden and all the points were going back to Leamington who maintained their 100% record.
Report by Kevin Watts.
Photos by Ray Peploe.
United Man of the Match: Jack Mills.
Print the Teamsheet: Here.
Connor Gudger 
