More Penalty Heartache

Leamington win penalty shoot-out 5-4

After a controversial penalty decision had cost Wolves a play-off place 48 hours earlier, Leamington edged a penalty shoot-out against Scott Sellars’ men to win the Birmingham Senior Cup at Molineux following a hard fought out encounter that had finished all square.

Wolves kicked-off attacking the North Bank end and there was a half chance for Bradley Reid when he chased a headed through ball from Ben O’Hanlon but visiting keeper and skipper Tony Breeden was quickly off his line to grab possession.

Hakeem Odoffin’s header from Nicu Carnat’s corner went straight to Breeden before Leamington moved into a 15th minute lead. 

Regan Upton’s penalty area challenge on Ahmed Obeng was ruled as a foul and Rob Thompson-Brown tucked away the spot-kick.

Conor Levingston went down as he chased the ball into the Leamington box but appeals for a home penalty were ignored by the referee who awarded a corner. Upton headed wide from Carnat’s kick.

A Wolves free-kick 25-yards out and in a central positon was taken by Ryan Rainey. His effort went over the wall but just beat the crossbar before landing on the roof of the net.

Obeng took advantage of a misplaced pass to run on goal but he was crowded out on the edge of the box and when he did manage to get a shot away, it was well wide.

Leamington were close to opening up a two goal lead in the 36th minute when Courtney Baker-Richards hooked a couple of feet wide of the far post after he met a deep cross from the left.

Joe Magunda’s challenge on Reid presented Wanderers with another good free-kick opportunity just before the break. This time it was Carnat who went for goal but his effort curled away at the last second. It couldn’t have been closer.

Half-Time: Wolves 0 Leamington 1

Andrew Sealy was an interval replacement for Odoffin.

Wolves went close to pulling level twice in the 47th minute. After Carnat’s fierce drive was parried by Breeden, Joe Delacoe grabbed possession and teed up Sealy whose shot was blocked by a defender.

Six minutes later Jack Edwards, from an unmarked position, planted a header against Jack Ruddy’s right-hand post.

Another Wolves change followed with Dan McKenna going on for Levingston. Rainey drove in a low cross from the left that Breeden deflected away with his foot. Luckily for the keeper, the ball fell to one of his own men.

Reid wasn’t far off with a shot on the run from 30-yards before Leamington made two changes in the minutes that followed with Magunda and Stefan Moore giving way to Darren Pond and Richard Bachelor respectively.

Wolves drew level in the 69th minute when Carnat fired in a low cross that ran through to Sealy on the far side and he drilled the ball under Breeden.

A final Leamington change saw Kurtis Revan going on for Baker-Richardson and, after Reid’s shot had been deflected into the arms of Breeden, Jordan Allen became the final Wolves change when he replaced Delacoe.  

Five added minutes couldn’t find a winner so the trophy’s destiny for 2016/17 was decided by a penalty shoot-out.

Keeper Breeden took his side’s first kick and all of the first nine proved to be successful with Thompson-Brown, Pond, Richard Taundry and Edwards all converting for Leamington whilst Allan, Rainey, McKenna and Carnat did so for Wolves.

But the unfortunate Sealy, whose equaliser was responsible for taking the game into the decider, saw Breeden block his kick to win it for the Warwickshire side.