Posh Couple

Brackley Town 0-2 Morecambe (National League)

So DAZN have decided to piss off the whole of the National League Premier Division this weekend by playing every game at any other time they can bar 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, which in a funny way actually works well for me as I took the dog to see Santa yesterday, and initially thought I might miss out on my last round of games before Christmas.

It means I can keep the wife happy with a trip to some puppy play field near Hemel Hempstead and still get to go to work, a Sunday lunchtime in Brackley a satisfying compromise.

Both teams are struggling, I last seen Brackley beat Braintree in a stinker of a game on bonfire night, whilst I watched Morecambe back in October lose at Scunthorpe.

The Saints are hovering dangerously above the relegation places whilst the Shrimps are just three points below safety, a proverbial six pointer even at this time of the season, all be it with still a long way to go.

Morecambe’s last win was actually against Brackley in November, a 2-0 victory at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium, was only three league matches ago, they did beat Gateshead last week in the FA Trophy and drew with Yeovil in the league after seeing off the Saints last month, but Ashvir Singh Johal’s team lost big games at Braintree and at home to Boston who are also in and around the danger zone.

Since their last win at Braintree, Brackley have lost five league games in a row, they did knock Boreham Wood out of the FA Trophy on penalties last weekend, but things have been tough recently for Gavin Cowan and his team who have slipped down the table, after a good start to the season initially.

I’m up early, leaving my home at half nine with a flask of tea, a foggy, misty, cold December’s morning, grey and dull with a crisp bite of winter chill, down the M1 heading south and crossing the A43 from Northampton Services, west, past signs for Silverstone and eventually into Brackley, past the home of Mercedes F1 racing and onto Churchill Way where I pull up in good time, and walk the remainder through a housing estate towards St James Park.

The Venue

It’s a friendly little place here, as the car park attendant says hello, I walk straight to a red painted shipping container which has a sign on it for ‘ticket office’ and to the back of a small queue where an old boy is standing at the front, telling the woman behind the window he’s had bad depression, and doesn’t do online ticket orders.

It’s a bit of a wait until he’s done, before I get to say my name and get my pass, I walk behind the big modern structured clubhouse which looks like a sports centre from outside, I’m around the back to the turnstiles where they have Santa hats which they are giving away free, I’ve already got my best winter headwear on, so decline the offer and make way straight to the press seats.

It’s not yet 11am and there’s a queue for bacon rolls which are being served out of the hatch in the clubhouse, the players just starting to come out onto the pitch to warm up, surface looking in fine condition considering the recent wet weather, all be it under light drizzling grey skies, I’m joined by a scout from Carlisle United who’s watching Morecambe today, the Cumbrians travel to the Shrimps a week on Tuesday when I’ll be at Tamworth verses Halifax to close out the year.

It's touchline tasty here, the radio commentators line the designated press seats on the back row, so I sit just in front, three rows high, centre of the pitch, obstructed views of the left and right corners where fans stand in my eye of sight, but real close to play, spitting distance from the near touchline.

The stands are small, some seated, some standing, some open space for perching up against the barriers, it’s red and grey and has modern feeling, but compact, I suppose when you think of non-league football in 2025, this is the sort of place you expect to see. Tree lined opposite side where the dugouts and two tin stands sit left and right of a metal camera gantry, to my right, industrial units and netting hog the horizon background, the Morecambe fans congregated under cover to the left, behind the goal, singing away.

The Game

A posh couple have sat in front of me, irritatingly, as play only just gets underway, they are standing in front and hopping over seats to take their pews, I’m listening in as they chat away about their granddaughters Mollie and Elsie and which craft pub to go after this, hardly watching the game, so engrossed in their conversation, but every now and again the woman sporadically jumps up off her seat and says ‘C’MON BRACKLEY’.

“Sorry, not in your way am I” she says to me as she sits back down.

It’s a slow start, Morecambe have more of the ball, I chatted with Carlisle’s scout about how they’ll play before the match and we both agreed they have good players to look out for, one of them mentioned was Miguel Azeez who’s been floating around in midfield brilliantly, subtle deft touches, neat and forward thinking, he starts everything off from deep and is a real positive footballer, easy on the eye.

I like Maldini Kacurri at centre half, he’s bigger than I thought he looks from now seeing him at this closer up touchline view, I’ve told the Carlisle scout to watch him marauding forward every now and again but there’s none of that today, he’s disciplined, solid, taking no more than one or two touches when in possession, not taking any chances or unwarranted risks.

Morecambe are oddly 4-2-1-3 with Ben Tollitt out on the left wing, Jack Nolan is on the right, Rolando Aarons is central attacker whilst George Thomas, who was brilliant as a left winger when I watched him verses Scunthorpe, he’s floating in the free role, hard to pick up.

There’s half an hour gone and really not much has happened, other than the conversations in front of me from this posh couple who keep babbling on, Jack Nolan has the ball out right, he’s dinked a cross into the box, Rolando Aarons should do better, it’s headed up, Cameron Gregory in goal comes to collect the ball, but collides with his defender, George Thomas stabs out a foot and prods home to give the Shrimps the lead.

They’ve deserved it, Brackley are every bit as bad as they were when I watched them play Braintree, their 5-3-2 is set up for defending bigger and better threats than Morecambe, but it’s a formation that is probably not best used when you are facing a team below you at home, their defence has been breached, but their forward play is limited.

Morgan Roberts offers some persistence running in behind, Scott Pollock in midfield, busy, is getting into good positions, but Morecambe don’t look in any danger of conceding in a pretty drab first half. One which they are most happy about.

The Score

I think the Carlisle scout has had enough of this chirpy old couple talking nonsense, at half time he tells me “I’m off for a wonder” as I chat to an old boy who I’ve seen here before, he’s a Northampton fan who tells me stories of their former player Sean Dyche drinking in the town’s establishments.

The second half starts but the chap in front’s head is now cold, his wife says, “I’ve brought you a Brackley Town hat for Christmas”. Rolling it out of her pocket she continues “you can wear it now, and I’ll wrap it up again for Christmas Day”. He slips the red woolly over his head and tells her “I love it. Can I get you one” she replies, “I think I brought you the last one”.

By now Brackley are pushing with a few near misses off target, striker Danny Newton has come on for Jack Price, Newton who’s a Brackley legend signed for Harborough Town in the summer but can’t get in at step three level, so the Saints have loaned him back from the Bees, the 34-year-old has seen better days, but he still offers a goal threat, sniffing in and around the box.

Morecambe however are resilient today, they seem to believe in the game plan from their coach and look better drilled than the last time I saw them, decent on the break, Miguel Azaz starts another move by flicking the ball over an opponent’s head in midfield, he plays to Nolan who plays in Lewis Payne who has a low shot saved by Gregory.

Brackley are still pushing, they send players forward for a corner which is half cleared and when Byrne’s loose pass is intercepted, Azaz is set free again, he plays a lovely cross field pass for Tollitt who’s now through on goal, Thomas outside him, instead of shooting, Tollitt unselfishly rolls the ball into the former QPR wingers path who slots it into an empty net.

That goal on the break pretty much seals Brackley’s fate, but they do have a chance late on, when Jamal Blackman makes a fine save from Danny Newton, inside the six yard box he looks odds on to score, the big goalkeeper diving to his left to keep out the attempt low down, you can tell from that moment, it’s really not been the home sides day. The away fans sing "Jingle Bells" with the words "Oh what fun it is to see Morecambe win away".

The Stars

Man of the match for me is Miguel Azeez who looks to be a player who can play at a much higher level. Younger brother of Millwall’s Femi, he’s a very different player, soft and silky, driving forward from midfield positions.

It’s actually an impressive performance from all those in grey, and blue, their goalkeeper Jamal Blackman is solid and dominates his box, defensively, centre halves Kacurri and Sesay are very good, full backs Lewis Payne and Raheem Conte, two young boys, both have potential, they were subbed during the second half where Mo Sangare came on and did well at left back, Ludwig Francillette moving to centre half and playing well, as Maldini Kacurri shifted over to right back without stress, Morecambe seem to have around 40 players, if they can get their starting XI all signing and dancing together, they don’t have a bad as team as their league position suggests.

Arjan Raikhy who I seen fail at Boston United earlier this season, did well in the centre of the park, Jack Nolan a constant threat out right, he looks a little on the tubby side but he certainly has some skill, whilst George Thomas was floating like a butterfly, stinging, like a bee.

Not a memorable match for any Brackley fan to get excited about. An error by their keeper who got his chance after playing well in the shootout win over Boreham Wood in the FA Trophy. I do like their back five, Lyttle, Morrison, Nottingham, Dean, Calder, all no-nonsense defenders, the centre backs head and clear, the full backs get forward and cross well, they always give 100% whilst in midfield they sometimes seem a little light in numbers, I like Jack Price who’s now mid thirties, Scotty Pollock runs around and gets into goalscoring positions, Zak Brown for me is better than bench fodder, but other than that, I do wonder about their goal threat.

The Verdict

Morecambe are now level points with Brackley (20pts) after 23 played (exactly halfway through their season). They feel like they have a togetherness, they all believe in the project, and certainly have enough squad depth to cope with the heavy festive and winter period ahead. I still don’t know if they’ll put a run together and get out of danger comfortably, or they could even take things to the last day, or even be down as early as early April, it’s a complete guess, they have the talent, but do they have the tenacity? Do they have the tactics? My concern is the naivety they sometimes play with might prove costly when it matters most?

Brackley have the sort of players you would usually want in a relegation scrap, experience, no-nonsense, they have the tenacity, but do they have the goals? Do they have the talent? I do worry that as one of just two part time teams in the National League this year, if they have enough to survive?

The Teams

Brackley Town: Cameron Gregory, Tyler Lyttle, Riccardo Calder (Connor Hall 82), Jack Price (Danny Newton 57), Michael Nottingham, Kyle Morrison (Bryon Pendleton 69), Gareth Dean, Scott Pollock (Zak Brown 82), Morgan Roberts, Matt Lowe, Shane Byrne.

Morecambe: Jamal Blackman, Lewis Payne (Ludwig Francillette 59), Raheem Conte (Mohamed Sangare 59), Maldini Kacurri, Alie Sesay, Miguel Azeez, Arjan Raikhy (Emerson Sutton 79), George Thomas, Jack Nolan (Ma’Kel Campbell 90), Rolando Aarons (Elijah Dixon-Bonner 79), Ben Tollitt.

12:00pm Kick Off. Sunday 21st December 2025, St James Park, Brackley (att 1,055).