Leamington 1-4 Chester (National League North)

A couple of young players I’ve scouted recently are starting to come good. It was great to see Beck-Ray Enoru who I first watched at Barwell a couple of years back now enjoying life at Tamworth where he flourished in the FA Cup third round against Tottenham, destroying at times Spanish international full back Pedro Porro down the left flank. Also, Reda Belahyane who I saw play for Nice U21’s and who surprisingly moved to Verona last January, after a handful of games in Serie A, it now looks like Lazio are coming in for him.
Today is a trip to a place I’ve never been. Leamington FC have roots back to 1953 when a local works team called Lockheed Borg & Beck was set up to play in the Coventry Works League.
They would eventually go on to become AP Leamington (the AP standing for Automotive Products after Lockheed changed names in 1973) before dropping the initials in 1985, lasting only three years as Leamington FC until 1988 following their long home the Windmill Ground being sold to property developers.
Despite being inactive for 12 years, a group of supporters continued to hold naming rights for the club, which returned to competitive action in 2000 and since the brakes have moved up the tiers to National League North, which they first appeared in during 2013 after winning the Southern League, some downs and ups have occurred and last season they regained promotion to the sixth tier after winning the playoffs of the Southern League Central, beating Telford in the final, this season they have been competitive and are currently seventeenth, striker Callum Stewart is joint top scorer in the division with fourteen league goals so far, they beat Hereford last time out and in December thumped league leaders Curzon Ashton 4-1, but haven’t had a game for a couple of weeks due to bad weather.
As for Chester, well I still remember them as Chester City and their days in the football league, but since rebranding to their original name of 1885 to 1983, with a second coming post 2010, the club have bounced between National League and National North, and are now in their seventh season in the sixth tier, finishing tenth last year after a third place finish the season before, they are currently in the playoff picture in good form with one loss in eight, Charlie Caton is there man on fire, he has thirteen in the league this season, one below Leamington’s Callum Stewart, the club have also reinforced goal power with the capture of Connor Woods from Warrington.
It's 5pm, the dark sky has fallen, the temperature risen over the last few days following a cold wintery snap, I’m off down the A46 and onto the M1, M69 and circling south Coventry before being directed onto the A423 and the Fosse Way which feels like a single track road to nowhere.
The Venue
Named the New Windmill Ground it replaced the old Windmill Ground on Tachbrook Road in the town centre which has a public house of the very same name, this venue is outside of Leamington Spa and is completely in the middle of nowhere, but plans are to relocate to a £6m all-weather all-dancing football venue a little closer to home on the Europa Way ring road.
Despite being in the middle of nowhere, it still feels like a proper non-league home, granted no pubs or shops or even houses within a few miles, the only way to get here is by car and parking on site now incurs a £3 charge, unless you live in Leamington where there’s a shuttle bus which runs before and after games.
I’ve arrived and parked up outside the training pitch, walked over the gravel car park and said my name on the gate, walked through the turnstiles of this humble little abode and it’s only then when I’m mildly impressed, more than I thought I would be, on my first viewing of the Your Co Op Community Stadium.
You enter through the corner of the ground, a burger van greets you on arrival, to the left a Portakabin for the club shop next to some toilets which I briefly pop in before another small shed like building, a programme hut full of football memorabilia from years gone by.
I talk to the bloke who runs it, a Welshman and Swansea fan whose own collection dates to the 1800’s. I ask of the oldest programme in the shop, he has a team sheet from the 1930’s and amongst the ‘elite’ programmes on offer I find the 1971 FA Cup Final edition between Arsenal and Liverpool which I flick through. The hut is a joy for football collectors, the best I’ve seen on the circuit and one I hugely recommend to pay a visit.
Outside there’s a long orange seated stand running the length of the pitch which seems to be sectioned in bits, behind the goal to my left is open ended, to my right a covered terrace and also the players changing rooms and tunnel, opposite a large looking green seated stand on half way, it feels like a proper non-league ground, fairly modern, but quintessentially English, a bit of everything, if you could move it closer to town it would be perfect, it’s a shame it looks likely to be replaced.
The Game
I’ve taken a pew in the green seated stand which is slightly obscured by the DAZN TV cameras who are set up to film the match, one slightly troubling issue with the ground is that if you do sit down, you’re likely to have an obscured view wherever you are, the dugouts this side of the pitch are so wide they block out each corner flag.
Leamington are without their main striker Callum Stewart, Chester have their new signing Connor Woods on the bench, and as the two teams come out to warm applause, it’s the away team who start on fire, hungry, thirsty, first to everything they look like they have got off the coach tonight meaning business.
Apparently, they’ve never even scored here, a usually tough place to come they put that right within seven minutes when Charlie Caton, who else, taps home from close range. Leamington aren’t at it without their main striker, the pace and intensity of Chester’s start is startling the hosts, a shot saved by Bainbridge on ten rebounds to Peers who heads in from close range, two-nil and the game has barely started.
Chester add a third when Kurt Willoughby runs through, he scuffs fresh air before finishing at the second attempt, and things get worse when on the stroke of half time the Referee stops play and sends off Leamington’s Dan Meredith for reasons only the Referee knows.
There’s still drama to come, Leamington concede a corner when George Ward almost puts through his own net, the resulting set piece finds Harrison Burke who on the volley makes it four.
The Score
At half time a few Chester fans sat close by nip into the clubhouse to watch fifteen minutes of Forest v Liverpool on the TV, a Reds fans fan myself I’m nervously flicking through flashscore as I read that Chris Wood has put the ‘original’ garibaldi bearers in front of their Premier League title clash.
A couple of substitutions are made at half time, one from each club as Chester look to look after their advantage, ten men Leamington now looking for damage limitation.
The early exchanges of the second half is like a Jake Paul fight, nothing happening bar a free kick from Chester which cannons off the post, Connor Woods is out in front of me after being told to go on by his manager Calum McIntyre, he’s standing waiting, as Chester play the ball between their back four for a good ten minutes, “you may as well go get a burger” a fan shouts to Woods who patiently waits further, eventually he gets his turn to make his debut as Leamington also make a sub, and it’s one of the home team replacements who makes their mark, on a rare forage through the Chester half Joe Clarke finds Will Shorrock in space, he drills low and hard from the edge of the area, the goal of the game, nobody saw that coming.
That goal on 79 is a little morale victory for Leamington boss Paul Holleran who had to adjust at half time and make his side compact and harder to score past, the hosts winning the half 1-0 although that won’t trouble Chester Manager McIntyre who was all smiles at the end, he thanked everyone of his fans for making the journey and was pleased with putting the game to bed before the team even had their half time cuppas. He even admitted aloud “I didn’t even know what to say at half time” they were brilliant Chester, and are certainly in the mix for the title.
The Stars
Charlie Caton is that number ten who finds pockets of space to operate and he got yet another goal to his CV, he’s the one player who could progress up the leagues still aged just 22, but I really liked their diminutive playmaker Ewan Murray, think Jose Dominguez if you can remember the Birmingham winger back in the day, Williams a Chester Academy player in his second spell at the club, cut in often from the left and teased and tormented the Leamington back line.
In truth there wasn’t a bad player in blue from centre half Connell Rawlinson who may as well have lit a cigar, their midfield engine had Declan Weeks and Jack Bainbridge work particularly hard to ensure Rawlinson and co didn't have to, Kurt Willoughby in attack putting himself about a lot. Tall on loan goalkeeper Jimmy Storer only having one shot on target to save, he’ll be annoyed he didn’t do that, but he has the looks of a goalkeeper that could go far.
For Leamington, it wasn’t their night, from the moment the Referee’s whistle blew you just knew it was the away sides evening, Dan Meredith actually did well at right back until his sending off, centre back Theo Streete was busy and game, but the hosts were levels below, disappointing for playmaker Jack Edwards who became the clubs longest serving player on 437 appearances, not a way he would have liked to celebrate that achievement.
The Verdict
Leamington are on 29 points which is still eight above the drop zone, they have been indebted to the goals of Callum Stewart this season and without him weren’t much cop verses Chester tonight, I think with him they’ll be a different beast and will certainly be out of trouble if he continues to fire.
For Chester, nicknamed the Seals, they’ll be hoping to seal promotion this year after a few failed attempts in recent seasons, more than good enough to go all the way, they’ll be dark horses to achieve more than just playoff status and trouble Kidderminster, Curzon Ashton and Scunthorpe for the league, just three points below Kiddy at the top, with 21 games to play there’s still a long way to go.
The Teams
Leamington: Callum Hawkins, Dan Meredith, Josh Quaynor, Theo Streete, Henry Landers (Will Shorrock 60), Adam Walker, Jack Edwards (Joe Clarke 72), Tim Berridge (Ant Lynn 69), George Ward (Rob Evans 46), Jiah Medrano, Ewan Williams.
Chester: Jimmy Storer, Harrison Burke, Declan Weeks, Connell Rawlinson, Tom Peers (Reece Daly 90), Kurt Willoughby, Charlie Caton (Connor Woods 67), Nathan Woodthorpe, Jack Bainbridge (George Glendon 75), Iwan Murray, Kevin Roberts (Noah Wordsworth 46).
7:45pm Kick Off. Tuesday 14th January 2025, New Windmill Ground, Leamington Spa (att 423).
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