Defender Ben George and striker Richard Gregory have become the first members of last seasons' promotion winning squad to leave the club for pastures new.
Ben was with us for two seasons, and although he had some rotten luck with injuries and subsequently struggled to get game time after Richard Taundry's impressive switch to his right wing back position, he made 73 appearances for us, scoring one goal. Over half of those came in his first season, where he was an integral part of our defence as we reached the play off final.
Richard Gregory joined midway through last season in December, making his debut in a 0-0 draw at Frome Town, but he really made his mark in the following two games, scoring both in the win at Kings Langley before scoring on his home debut on Boxing Day against his old club Stratford Town. He did not score again until March as he was restricted mainly to appearances from the bench, but bagged a goal with his first touch after coming on against St Neots Town. Having made 18 appearances for us but only 7 starts, he has decided to join Evostik Northern Premier League Stafford Rangers, where he will find a familiar face in Richard Batchelor.
Paul Holleran had this to say about the departing pair: 'After discussions with Ben George and Richard Gregory, both players have decided to leave the club.
'Richard found it difficult to break into the starting eleven after a good start for us, and he has decided that his future lies elsewhere. He scored some important goals for us to help us gain precious wins, and while I'm sure he is disappointed that things didn't work out a little better here he was always a model professional, and I am sure that with a regular run of games he will be successful wherever he chooses to go next.'
'Ben has been with us for two seasons now but he has seen his opportunities limited of late, and we agreed that it would be best for him to be getting regular games at this stage of his career. He has also been a great professional despite his disappointments, and he will be an asset to whichever club he signs for. Both players will always be welcome back at Leamington.'
Richard Gregory got in touch to leave the following message for all at the club:
First of all I would just like to say a big thank you to everybody at the club for making me feel welcome when I first arrived. The chairman, manager, staff and players were brilliant with me from the second I joined right the way through 'til the end. Another thank you to everybody else behind the scenes who make Leamington such a good club to be at. In the 6 months I was here I enjoyed every minute of it, and it was fantastic to play a part in the promotion with everybody. A special mention also from myself to the fans, who were brilliant with me in my time here.
Finally I Would like to wish the club the very best for next season in the conference north and in the future. Up the Brakes !!
