Defender George Ward has agreed terms to become Paul Holleran's fourth new signing of the summer, as pre season preparations draw ever closer.
With Brakes' opening warm up fixture at Coventry Sphinx a little under two weeks away the manager is beginning to tie up his squad building, and faced competition to lure the 22 year old away from Barwell, for whom he featured in both games against us last season in the Southern League Premier Division Central.
His consistent performances earned him a hat trick of awards at the Leicestershire club at the end of last season, as he picked up the Players Player of the season, while Canaries fans voted him Player of the Season, as did the Young Supporters.
A versatile operator who can play in multiple positions across the back line, George turned out for Loughborough Students in the United Counties League while studying at the town's University, helping them reach the FA Vase Semi Final in 2022. He then signed for our old Southern League rivals Weymouth in the National League South prior to the beginning of the following season, but a return to university saw him quickly link up with Barwell on a dual registration.
'When I first spoke to the gaffer he told me about his project and his plan to bring in young, hungry players and it really stood out to me, as I felt I matched that profile,' said Ward.
'In terms of the upcoming season, I’ve matured a lot as a player in the last couple years at Step 3 with Barwell and feel I’m ready for a new challenge with a great club like Leamington in such a competitive league.'
The manager was glowing in his assessment of George, and echoes the thoughts of his new signing that he is ready for the challenge of Step 2 football. 'I'm absolutely delighted to get him on board. He's another promising young player who has played consistently well for the last two seasons at Step 3 with Barwell, and is certainly ready to step up into the National League.
'He is like a lot of players we have signed over the years in that he is a good age, and we feel like he has got the potential to do well at the next step, so we'll see where that takes him. He ticks a lot of boxes for us. We're really looking forward to working with him, and hope he has a successful and enjoyable time at Leamington.'
We would like to welcome George and his family to Leamington FC, and hope that he enjoys his time with us.
