News

Leamington will travel to Racing Club Warwick as part of their 2023 pre-season schedule.

The Brakes will make the short journey to Townsend Meadow to face off with their Warwick neighbours on Saturday 15 July, 3pm kick off.

The Racers have been laterally moved for the 2023/24 season and will be hoping to follow on from their strong campaign in last season's Midland Premier League to next season's United Counties League Premier Division South season. 

Ticket details will be released closer to the game. 

With the teams now confirmed in the Southern Premier League Central, we’re taking a whistle stop tour of all of the clubs who we’ll be playing next season with our bite sized info packs! First up on alphabetical order basis is AFC Sudbury…

Name: AFC Sudbury
Founded:1999
Nickname: The Yellows/The Suds
Stadium: King’s Marsh

Representing the Suffolk market town of Sudbury on the Essex border, AFC Sudbury are newcomers to the Southern Premier League Central having won the Isthmian League North play-off final at the end of the 2022/23 season, beating Heybridge Swifts in extra time. Next season will only be their second ever season in the third tier of non-league football after a season-long spell in the Isthmian League Premier in 2016/17.

The Yellows hold the record for the most successive wins of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division (5) and the most successive appearances in the FA Vase Final (3 - all of which they lost). 

They play their home games at King’s Marsh, which has a capacity of 2,500. The distance from Your Co-op Community Stadium is 133 miles, a 266 mile round journey which is the second longest trip that the Brakes will make in the league this season.

Have we met before?

Yes! Brakes have played Sudbury twice in the league before - both in the 2008/09 Southern League Midland Division season.

A 4-0 win away in October thanks to goals from Luke Corbett, Jai Stanley and a Mark Bellingham brace in front of a season record crowd of 509 for the Yellows was cancelled out by a thrilling 5-3 defeat in Warwickshire - Bellingham and Corbett on the scoresheet then too as Leamington fell to their first league defeat of the season… on 31st January!

Give them a follow…

You can find them on Twitter @AFCSudbury, Facebook /AFC Sudbury and Instagram @AFCSudbury_Official!

Photo Credit: AFC Sudbury

One of Manager Paul Holleran’s most accomplished signings and club post 2000 record appearance holder  James Mace has made the decision to look for opportunities elsewhere as he seeks to continue his playing career.

James made his debut for the club in August 2011 against Hemel Hempstead Town in the Southern Premier League and in his first ten years at the club was virtually an ever present, who in his initial years at the club operated as a full-back before moving into a central defensive role a few years later.  His 436 appearances saw him overtake former club favourite Josh Blake in the modern era of the club during which time he kept up a goal a season average eventually scoring 13 goals in the club colours.  No doubt as a Villa fan the one he will remember best of all was his effort in the Birmingham Senior Cup Final at Villa Park versus Stourbridge in 2022.

Manager Paul Holleran stated, ‘James has to go down as one of my best ever signings. Great pace, great attitude and a never say die attitude made him very difficult for opposition forwards to play against.  Even in his mid thirties he was still one of the fittest players in the squad and it was testament to his great desire that he recovered fully from an anterior cruciate ligament so late in his career.’

‘It is going to seem strange not having him around anymore as he has been in the dressing room for almost my entire time as manager of the club.  I am sad to see him leave and I along with everyone at the club wish him well and every success moving forward.’

James Mace responded, ‘I have had a brilliant time at Leamington.  Twelve years is a long time and we have had some wonderful moments.  I want to thank all the supporters, management and people behind the scenes who have been great with me.  I wish the club all the very best for the future and you never know our paths may cross again.’