TICKETS
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.’
Paul Holleran has confirmed that both Kelsey Mooney and Louis Hall have left the club.
We'd like to thank them both for their efforts during their time at Leamington and wish them the best for the future.
Our long standing Secretary Richard Edy advised the club yesterday that he was stepping down from the role that he has held for the past 16 years. Richard said,’ Sixteen years, a third of my life. I have agonised over it for the last six months and the time is right for me and my family. It’s been an honour to say I am a tiny part of the history of this great club. Thanks for everything and I have no doubt the good times will return soon. I will always keep an eye out for the results.
Chairman Jim Scott said, ‘I interviewed Richard along with David Hucker back in 2007 and it is fair to say that he has made a great contribution since his appointment. We are sad to see him go and will miss his experience and knowledge. He will now have more time for his family and to pursue his other interests. Enjoy Richard and you will always be a most welcome visitor.’
Leamington Football Club is delighted to announce that local independent builders merchants BPS (Building and Plumbing Supplies Ltd) have passed a landmark twenty years supporting the club as a ‘Main Sponsor’. Their partnership with the club started back in Season 2001-2002 and they have remained steadfast ever since, increasing their support each time the club climbed another step in the non-league football pyramid.
The successful partnership has seen the football team be promoted six times, allied to the development of a stadium that now has a 3000 capacity with covered seating and standing for 500 fans each. Throughout this period BPS additionally supported the club with cost price materials and played a major part in supporting the opening of a new clubhouse and dressing room facility in 2005.
Leamington FC Chairman Jim Scott stated: ‘BPS have been and continue to be wonderful partners to the club. Their Managing Director John Dibble truly believes in supporting community organisations and clubs and they are a local/regional business whose ethos matches our own of aiming to deliver benefit to the wider community. Their support over the years has also included sponsorship of our boys and girls sections and use of our facilities to raise monies for various charities. Quite simply they are a family orientated business with great values that have been an absolute pleasure to deal with’.
John Dibble, Managing Director at BPS said: ‘We are proud to have been involved in Leamington Football Club and believe the sponsorship deal promotes a local family business working with a family orientated club. It gives us immense pride to see our logo on the front of Leamington’s shirt. I’m sure our old Commercial Director, Mick Brady would approve of this long lasting relationship.’
Following discussions between Leamington Football Club and Southport Football Club and the Police, any individual that is the subject of a current stadium ban from either club will not be permitted entry to Your Co-op Community Stadium for the league fixture between the two clubs on Saturday 29 April 2023.
Both clubs strongly advise any such individuals not to travel to the ground.
The club held its annual Awards Presentation in the clubhouse following the final game of the season against Southport FC on April 29th at our Your Co-op Community Stadium. Supporters were able to cast their vote for the ‘Supporters Player of the Season’ at the game with voting slips positioned next to turnstiles following entry.
Adam Walker picked up the Players Player of the Season and the Supporters Player of the Season awards to mark his outstanding contribution during the campaign.
Dan Turner scooped the Top Scorer Award.
Jack Lane was named the Directors' Player of the Season.
Dan Meredith was Manager Paul Holleran's Player of the Season.
Callum Hawkins scooped the Media Team Player of the Season.
Sally Ellis picked up the Clubman of the Season award, while Max Passantino was named Junior Clubman of the Year.
We caught up with Paul Holleran at training last night, and here's what he had to say.
“It turns into a mini league really, a one month league. We’ve had time to recover from the schedule, we’ve had a bit of a breather this week - a couple of one on one training sessions on Tuesday and a light one tonight (Thursday) just because the players needed that. You could see they were physically and mentally really tired after Saturday. It’s a gruelling schedule and we’ve had time to reflect and we know the targets - they haven’t changed. We know the points tally that we need to stop in this division, we all 100% believe we will get there. There’s a lot of positivity around the place.
"We know we’ve got to do better at certain times in games. We know we’ve got to cut out these individual errors that keep popping up, and in amongst that there’s been some really good periods in games. A lot of spirit and fight. Against Boston we did really well for an hour, at Spennymoor we showed a lot of character but when you dissect the goals and you look at mistakes, the set play at Spenny. Two or three weeks ago we tightened up and had a little run and we need a little run now - it’s as simple as that.
"I’m convinced there’s enough quality and spirit in the group, I’ve just had to remind them of that tonight, remind them of what we need to do, it’s not mission impossible. We’re in an area of the league where there’s a reason there’s 8 or so teams down here, no one’s going to win six games on the spin but if we can keep the scoreboard ticking over, the three home games are massive for us and then the away games are all different games.
"Alfreton, we know all about Alfreton. The battles we’ve had over the years, we’ve come off the wrong side the last few games against them, they’re very experienced, knowledgeable and effective but if we can defend our box well and play with a bit more aggression and be a bit more positive then we’ll ask questions. Kettering’s the local derby and then Fylde is Fylde. Last year you looked at Gateshead and they were the outstanding team, I haven’t really seen an outstanding team this year and I know that on their day they can get the results and that’s something we’ll have to do.
"There’s lots and lots of quality in the changing room and we were showing that in our performances. Darlington, Chester, Curzon, Brackley. And we need to finish strong, we know what the season entails - yeah there’s always a hint of disappointment because we can look at 7,8,9,10 points we should’ve picked up but it hasn’t happened and we are where we are. We’ve got to deal with it and be mentally better than we have been in recent games.”
“I think the thing that is one of the most pleasing things is the numbers we’ve had - especially away from home. I think relegation battles are the way forward! It’s been great, that probably wounded me the most on Saturday. The atmosphere was electric. We’ve been good at home the last three or four games and the atmosphere’s been great, but we pressed the self destruct button. But Boston are a good side, some good players.
"We all want those afternoons where there’s over 1000 people on Non-League Day and we’ve had decent performances and we want to keep it going and reward the fans. I don’t think anyone would have had a weekend like I had but listen, you dust yourself down and reset on Monday morning and go again. But just touching on the away support, down at Brackley, up at Spennymoor, over at Peterborough. You can’t ask for any more, you cannot ask for any more.
"It was one thing, I don’t point too much at the players but I said to them ‘we can’t be letting these people down'. Fans can forgive a lot of things but fans want to see their team doing the right things, working extremely hard and trying to outwork, outrun and outthink their opposite number and it’s something we’re not guilty of very often.
"There’s one thing we’re going to be in the next six games - and that’s really positive and aggressive. I’ve taken stock of it, had a think about it and something that we’ll be looking to do is playing on the front foot from minute one, we’ll have a real go to make sure we get the points we need.”
“One of the things we have done is brought in players that haven’t played much football. The schedule has been a stretch. I think this week’s been a blessing for us, it’s nice to have seen everyone bubbly and bouncy tonight and we have to move on quickly, try and not make these mistakes again. The reality is we have, but we just need a few real positive weeks now like we had in February and the start of March.
I’m convinced we can do that, I know it’s going to be tough. As much as how Alfreton will cause any team problems with the ball going into the box non stop and Matt Rhead as good as any target man, we feel we’ve got enough energy and pace to cause them problems and we’ll be going there to do that.”
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