When Paul Holleran joined Leamington back in 2009, he told the local press that he wanted to make Leamington an established Step 3 club.
Fast forward fifteen years and, still in the dugout on Harbury Lane, the now experienced manager has a track record in Step 3 that any non-league manager would dream of having.
The first major success for Holleran at Leamington came in season 2012/13 when his Warwickshire outfit set new records in winning the Southern Premier League and bringing National League football back to Leamington for the first time in 30 years. Finishing twelve points clear of closest challengers Stourbridge, the Brakes were crowned champions as a young and exciting team with the likes of Richard Batchelor, Liam Daly, Lee Chilton and Craig Owen.
After a two year spell in the National League North, Leamington suffered second season syndrome and were relegated but that didn't harm them. In 2015/16, Holleran guided his side to the Play Off Final, losing out to Hungerford, but once again producing good, young players such as Sam Austin, future Leamington captain Jack Edwards and Courtney Baker-Richardson in the striker's first season at the club.
That defeat only made them bounce back stronger in the following season. A second placed finish led to a home Play Off Semi Final win against a strong Slough Town side and therefore a Play Off Final, which Leamington won at home to secure promotion once again, at Hitchin Town's expense.
The trend of developing players from lower leagues continued, the afforementioned Baker-Richardson scored the winner in the Final and bagged a move to then Premier League Swansea City. Ahmed Obeng and Rob Thompson-Brown were also standouts who broke through in that promotion sealing season.
A six season stint with some of the largest clubs in non-league followed but after relegation in 2022/23, no one expected Leamington to bounce straight back up but as Leamington FCTV commentator Shaun Cashmore perfectly described at full time in a Play Off Final at a sold out New Bucks Head at well backed AFC Telford United, "Paul Holleran has pulled a rabbit out of the hat once more!"
This promotion, as well as being unexpected in terms of the game - not just the entire season - with 5,000 packed into New Bucks Head, really emphasised Holleran's Leamington DNA built in his fifteen years at the club. Young players joined from below - Callum Stewart from Coventry Sphinx, Jiah Medrano from Shepshed Dynamo, Ewan Williams from Coleshill Town, Josh Quaynor from a Halesowen side who were playing in the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands last campaign; and these players were blended perfectly once again with experience to create that winning formula.
So, in his last four seasons at Step 3, Paul Holleran has got Leamington promoted three times and reached the Play Off Final on the other occasion. He's shown that financial limitations are no barrier to success at the level and picking up young players from below and developing them works just as well as signing players from divisional rivals and putting them on big money.
You can speak to the manager on Thursday night at Your Co-op Community Stadium as we host a Meet the Manager & Call to Arms event. Doors (and the bar) open at 7pm with Play Off Final footage with the event set to start at 7:30pm.
And yes, we'll save the Birmingham Senior Cup wins for next time...
