James Mace and Junior English, two of Paul Holleran’s ‘old guard,’ will both be part of the squad once more in the forthcoming season.

English will begin his fifth season at Leamington having joined the club on our return to the National League North in 2017. But for the premature ending of the last two campaigns he would have passed 150 appearances, and although he may not have started as many games as he would have liked last time out, Junior underlined his importance to the squad, his ability to operate in several different positions proving invaluable, along with scoring some important goals.

‘When I was asked to re-sign it was a no brainer, we’ve got a great set of lads complimented by a top gaffer and coaching staff,’ said English.

‘It’s a great club to be at and hopefully we can carry on where we left off last season. Last but not least it’ll be great to be playing in front of our supporters again, who create a great atmosphere!’

James Mace could be considered part of the furniture at Harbury Lane, having been at the club almost as long as Paul Holleran. Last season was his tenth at the club, but he was unable to play a single game after being sidelined with an ACL injury sustained in what turned out to be our final game of 2019/20 at Guiseley.

Having always been one of the fittest players at the club, James was well on the road to recovery when last season also came to an early conclusion, and this season he should become the club’s record appearance maker, needing only 6 games to pass Josh Blake’s current record of 407.

‘I can’t wait for this season’, said the long serving defender. ‘We have a great squad of players that did really well last season. I hope we can build from that and that my experience can help the team push forward. My rehab has gone well, and I’ll be coming back fit and full of positive energy. Like the supporters I missed out last season, we are all looking forward to the noise you guys make and the support you show. Get behind the boys and let's make it a successful season!’