Signed from: Barwell

Brakes debut: 04/08/18 @ Altrincham - National League North - Drew 2-2

Appearances (2018/2019): 13 starts, 1 sub appearance

Goals: 8

Matt Stenson only spent a short time at Leamington, making such a big impact that he was snapped up by higher division full time outfit Solihull Moors. 7 goals in 5 pre season games was followed by 8 in his first eleven league games. 

The 24 year old was with Barwell in the Evostik Northern Premier League last season, scoring an impressive 20 goals in all competitions having joined the Canaries the previous summer from Hinckley based Midland League Division 1 side Leicester Road.

Manager Paul Holleran was pleased to have snapped up a player who several other clubs had been keeping tabs on over the course of last season, saying ‘I am delighted to get Matt on board. He is someone that we have kept an eye on over the last 12 months and he had a very good season for Barwell.

‘Matt is a striker in a similar mould to Danny Newton, who also joined us from Barwell, and we are confident that like Danny did, he will make the step up comfortably.’

Coventry based, Matt played for his hometown club Coventry City for 8 years, leaving due to family reasons. As an 18 year old he came through the youth team alongside Liam Canavan, and made 23 appearances for Hinckley United in the Conference North and the Southern League Premier Division as a central midfielder before the Knitters sadly went into liquidation.

It was at Hinckley that he suffered a hip injury which put him out of action for 2 and a half years. After an operation Matt returned to the game with Leicester Road, where 42 goals in 25 games brought him to the attention of Jimmy Ginnelly at Barwell.

Brakes fans were extremely disappointed to lose their new goalscoring hero so quickly, but as with the players before him who had progressed into the professional game, it was clear that Matt Stenson was destined for a higher level.