Brackley’s winning run ends at Hednesford despite Rhone penalty save

Sunday 18 October 2026 · By Terence Dunwell

Brackley Town’s two-match winning run came to an end on Saturday, as they lost 3–2 at Hednesford Town despite taking an early lead.

Fin Roberts headed the Saints in front in the opening minutes at Keys Park, but Hednesford levelled through Danny Whitehall in the eighth minute. Defender George Ward then scored twice from set pieces, in the 20th and 37th minutes, to give the home side a 3–1 lead. It was Hednesford’s third league win in a row, and it lifted them into the play-off places.

Goalkeeper Harrison Rhone kept Brackley in the game by saving a Whitehall penalty, and Kieran Coates pulled one back late on. The visitors also hit the bar, but could not find an equaliser.

Gareth Dean had strengthened his squad before the game. Defender Jamar Smith, 25, who has played for Poole, Salisbury, Gosport and Havant and was recently at Sholing, signed on 16 October. So did Jack Lorentzen-Jones, 20, who joined on loan from Luton Town until January after making 23 league appearances on loan at Hemel Hempstead last season. The Banbury Guardian said the signings gave Dean his biggest squad in recent memory.

Both new players came off the bench at Hednesford, with Lorentzen-Jones on in the 64th minute. Byron Pendleton, who signed earlier in the week along with Whittle, came on at half-time.

Captain Kyle Morrison is still injured, the Banbury Guardian reported. No post-match quotes from Dean had been published by Sunday.

Away form remains a concern. Brackley have won only one of their seven away league games, on the opening day at AFC Telford United. Their most recent win was a 2–1 home victory over Spennymoor Town on 10 October.

The table after Saturday’s games, which matches the BBC’s, shows Brackley 18th on 15 points from 12 games, with four wins, three draws and five defeats. They have scored 15 goals and conceded 23, the joint-second highest number of goals against in the division. Only three points separate them from the relegation places.

The next two games give Dean’s side a chance to rebuild. Radcliffe visit on Saturday 24 October at 3pm BST. Radcliffe have won both games under new manager Grant Shenton, including Saturday’s 2–0 win at Southport, so they will arrive in good form. Shenton also added Barrow defender Ben Jackson and midfielder Jack Atkinson in the days before that win.

Brackley then travel to Spalding United on Tuesday 27 October at 7.45pm and to Worksop Town on Saturday 31 October at 3pm. Both of those times are GMT, as the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October. Chester visit on Saturday 7 November.

With a bigger squad and Morrison still to return, Dean has more options than before. Turning that into results away from home is the next task.