LEAMINGTON suffered their first defeat of the season after they slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Spennymoor Town.
The Brakes produced a below par performance and were punished by Jude Oyibo’s 61st-minute winner at the Your Co-Op Community Stadium.
And the result means Leamington have slipped to 13th in the National League North table after their three-game unbeaten start came to an end.
The home side made a quick start when Jack Edwards sent a snapshot wide of the post after good work from Ben Usher-Shipway to win back possession.
And the Brakes went close soon after when Dan Turner was played in on goal by Devon Kelly-Evans only for the striker’s effort to be charged down by Spennymoor goalkeeper Max Metcalfe.
The visitors first effort of the game came from Glen Taylor with Callum Hawkins equal to the striker’s low curling shot.
And Hawkins was then called into action to claim Finn Cousin-Dawson’s looped header from Oyibo’s cross from the left.
The Brakes goalkeeper made a third save from Taylor at the start of the second period after Adam Walker volleyed over at the other end.
However, Spennymoor finally broke the deadlock just past the hour mark when Oyibo rifled a superb effort into the top corner after turning his man inside out.
Leamington continued to struggle as Taylor sent a powerful header over the bar before driving a free-kick straight into the wall with the rebound struck straight at Hawkins.
And Oyibo nearly grabbed a bizarre second goal when Hawkins charged out of his box to cut out a through ball only for his attempted clearance to come back off the winger and roll inches wide.
The Brakes came closest to salvaging a point when Jack Lane’s powerful low drive hit the base of the post and bounced to safety.
Spennymoor could have sealed the points late on only for Hawkins to make a superb save to deny Taylor before the same player almost scored an own goal in injury time as he tried to head clear a dangerous free-kick.
Leamington boss Paul Holleran said: “They mastered the conditions and game better than us.
“We got in at half time without really being penetrated or looking in any real danger. They pinned us in, it was easy to do that with the wind, and that was the most disappointing thing.
“There’s certain ways you need to play, and we just haven’t done it. Our game management with and without the ball was been nowhere near.
“The goal has come from a short corner. We’ve been sloppy, really sloppy. Three out of the four sides we’ve faced so far have been put together to really challenge in this league.
“Spennymoor are a really good side with a really good attacking threat. It was a super goal by the boy – I’ll talk about us defensively but what a strike.
“We need to be better – we’ve got to be better than we were. Against Farsley and Buxton we were tremendous, at Kiddy we were dogged, but the performance on Saturday was really not where it needs to be.”
Leamington are next in action away at King’s Lynn Town on Saturday, August 27 with kick-off at 3pm at The Walks Stadium.
