The Brute-iful Game

Leamington 1-2 Merthyr Town (National League North)

Two days ago I'm sat watching Luka Modric spray balls for AC Milan across the San Siro, tonight I'm in Leamington for the visit of Merthyr Town. How football can so quickly bring you back down to earth.

I'm knackered, Monday was about return flight and recovery, flicking channels over to Walsall & MK Dons every time Everton had a corner in their awful match against Manchester United. I saw some complaints of the Premier League clubs jostling which seemed to take a couple of minutes for each and every set play, the tactical margins overtaking the 'fun' and 'flow' aspect that should provide the spontaneity of players playing football, it's too static, too regimented, too organised, the game deep down below is becoming far more watchable than the over-analysed coach driven tripe in the world's 'best' division.

It's a reason I probably even prefer Serie A. So far from the quality of the Premier League you actually get a better spectacle of the better players standing out more. After all, defence v attack is more fun than watching defence v counter-defence, it feels limited, with nullified attacking structure that all seems too pre-determined.

Back to tonight, Leamington are shite. Bottom of the league their Manager of 16 years Paul Holleran resigned in January, replaced by Chris Knott, the Brakes have lost their last four and are without a win in six, having won just once this year, they have picked up just six points from their last fifteen games.

Merthyr meanwhile have been doing ok, that was until the end of January where since the club have won just once in seven, all be it a 7-1 win v Bedford, they lost at struggling Alfreton last time out but still sit third in the division.

A 100% fan owned club, Merthyr Town reformed in 2010 as a direct descendent of Merthyr Tydfil FC, who were liquidated with debts of £300,000.

Not exactly lying north, located just 23 miles up from Cardiff in the South Wales valleys, the club voted against moving to the Welsh Premier League last year, having won promotion from the Southern League South Premier, their penalty for pleasure was being made to play in the furthest located step 2 league possible to their actual home base, but they are doing more than ok in holding their own amongst northern counterparts, as one of the favourites to go up again, the side has ambition for National League football and beyond.

I've done limited research on each team line-up having not yet seen neither this season, head too busy back in work emails from my day off yesterday, I'm racing against time having been stopped by my South African neighbour who wants to talk rugby union after England's ass whooping to Ireland at the weekend, I'm finally out the door for 5pm, heading down the A46, across to Coventry down the M1 and M69, shortly onto the A46 before taking the back roads, the Old Fosse Way to the Your Co Op Community Stadium on Harbury Lane, which is literally, the middle of nowhere.

The Venue

Otherwise known as the New Windmill Ground (replacing the Old Windmill Ground which was actually in Leamington), the venue is south of the town centre on a country road, no parking nearby other than the clubs official car park which holds over 300 motors (they do also operate a shuttle bus from the town centre), there is a suggestion that they will move to a new home in the town of Leamington Spa, but progress has been halted since purchasing the land back in 2019.

Should they eventually move, one thing they must take with them, is their iconic programme hut, which after pulling up, and walking through the turnstiles to this quaint little country ground, was my first port of call, as I said hello to the Welshman who operates the hut, saying "So who are you supporting today?"

"Oooh don't you start" he says. "I'm from Aberdare originally. I've been dreading this match all season".

The hut is no bigger than a large shed, packed to its rafters with programmes, fanzines, memorabilia and books, it even has celebrity faces often pass by. "Robbie Savage was in here the other week" I'm told. "Lovely fella, god knows what he was doing up here".

After rummaging around a few retro magazines I'm off for a walk towards the Mick Brady Main Stand on the far side, a seated roofed section which centre's the sideline, there's about seven or eight rows to it, the back offers a good view partially obstructed by each dugout to the right and left, but you are elevated and well perched, enclosed, with a view of the rest of the place, muddy pitch after weeks of bad weather, low roofed seating opposite, a covered terrace and the clubhouse behind the goal to my left, open ended to the right, I do like the look and feel of the place, if only they could pick it up and move it closer to town.

The Game

As i'm jotting down tonight's teams I notice more Welsh names in the Leamington line-up, Dan Meredith, Ewan Williams, Owen Farmer, there's a couple of faces I recognise from last season, Adam Walker is their talisman, now 35-years-old he has played for the likes of Telford, Brackley and Solihull Moors in recent years.

It's my first ever viewing of Merthyr, they do have ties to a local club in Nottingham where I live, playing Carlton Town annually in a pre-season friendly, which I think is down to a Jonny Owen connection?

The only player I really recognise is that of Kiban Rai, a player who I rate highly, who's on loan from Aldershot, Welsh-born he's a playmaking forward aged just 21.

As the game starts, you feel the likes of Rai, and another attacking playmaker in Lewys Twamley, have too much for Leamington, they are a level above, gliding effortlessly on a tricky surface, pushing the ball into space with one or two touches, two delightful players behind a bigger man in Cawley Cox who puts a shift in.

Despite their quality, however, you feel Merthyr aren't totally at it tonight, they play a slow half-arsed tempo and try one or too many soft passes on this increasingly mudded surface, you get the feeling they feel they just need to come here, and turn up, and they are given a scare early on, when Walker races clear, but when through one on one, he fluffs his lines, he should have scored and put the hosts one up.

Leamington you feel lack confidence, in defence they lack leaders, the programme hut guy telling me before the match they have been in plenty of games, but not getting the rub of the green.

And despite that lack of confidence, the game is end to end, shots in both boxes, whilst they don't look particularly like keeping a clean sheet, they do look like scoring.

The Score

On seventeen minutes after an almost identical scare, Cawley Cox runs through on goal all too easily, and is felled by the goalkeeper Eddie Brearley who earns himself a yellow card, no question of it being a penalty, easily dispatched by Lewys Twamley.

You wonder what that does for Leamington confidence and for a good few minutes they are all over the place defensively, on 19 they survive another attack by conceding a corner, but the resulting set piece is swung in, stabbed home, Ryan-Phillips the man seemingly taking the applause.

It's one sided, suddenly Merythr are showboating, it feels like they are that sort of team, which is why they have perhaps come unstuck during the winter months? They are ok defensively, neat and nice in midfield, but heavily reliant on their attacking options to sprinkle some magic, I can see how they got beat against Alfreton, if they aren't up for it, you have a chance, if you aren't up for it, they'll probably beat you.

At half time Leamington are probably happy to get in at 0-2 down, the Welsh fans have been singing all half, it's been like Top of the Pops as I've heard numbers from David Bowie, Elvis, Bob Marley, even Michael Bublé and Danzel's Pump it Up.

It's very much a happy away day for the visitors but the second half turns on its head somewhat, two-nil is a dangerous score, and the longer it stays, the more Leamington grow in confidence, suddenly the hosts are putting balls into the box, placing the Merthyr defence under pressure, it's one way traffic and to be fair the Welsh side dig in, but they are up against it, and when Will Glennon stabs one in from Dan Meredith's blockbuster, the game is on, and the final few minutes are like a boxer winning on points, defending his title against a plucky rejuvenated challenger.

By now all those technical talents are off, Rai relinquished, Twamley replaced, Merthyr go into defence mode as the Brakes pepper their goal, but it doesn't come, and in injury time all hell breaks loose, a foul on Livermore results in a mass brawl, Merthyr sub Garrick gets himself sent off, so does their coach Craig Reddy, their might even have been a third card shown to a Leamington member of staff, by the time it settles down, the woman in charge is pretty much ready, to blow her whistle, and end it all.

The Stars

I don't particularly feel Merthyr played well, but I do see some talented footballers in their makeup, star for me was Twamley, an attacking midfielder who likes to get on the ball and pop it around, who maybe small in size but has buckets of quality, Kiban Rai beside him they link well together behind Cawley Cox who's an honest young lad, he'll battle in the nine role and nick a goal or two along the way.

Another stand out, the neat midfielder Jacob Maddox, even on this pitch he hardly gave the ball away, an England youth international he started out at Chelsea before dropping down the leagues with Burton, Walsall and Forest Green Rovers, still only 27, he probably should be playing league football at least.

As for Leamington, their all action right back Dan Meredith caught my eye the first time I watched him last season, I liked him again in this game, game and busy, he's the swashbuckling type who will rather run through you, than around you, perhaps just as much danger to his own team-mates than his own, if you're in his way, perhaps move, he whacked a clearance directly into the midriff of team-mate Tom Berridge during the first half, before patting him on the back and running back to his spot to defend the resulting throw-in.

I liked Owen Farmer, he's a young kid who they signed from Wolves, whilst Max Brogan I was told, has been their stand out performer, he's on loan from Scunthorpe and was one of many who's spirited second half performance provides hope that Leamington aren't quite as bad, as their results may suggest.

The Verdict

Reverting back to my Welsh programme seller who told me pre-game "We will go down" but in response, I suggested "sometimes a reset isn't a bad thing".

The predictable nature of Leamington's destiny perhaps making it easier to plan ahead for next season, the remainder of this is now about improvement, and if the club can keep the basis of what they have, then they aren't at all bad, just a few old heads short of sorting themselves out.

As for Merthyr, they are a good team, no doubt about it, can they do it on a cold afternoon at Radcliffe? Or even away at South Shields? We are about to find out next month, before then, a home game with Buxton, which they should win, but although they have the ingredients to beat anyone on their day, I worry that they do have some which suggests that also, anyone can beat them, if they aren't quite on their day.

I predict a playoff slot, because they are certainly good enough, but I wouldn't be too worried if I were a team drawn against them. Containing Twamley and Rai is key.

The Teams

Leamington: Eddie Brearley, Dan Meredith, Josh Quaynor, Will Glennon, Adam Walker, Owen Farmer, Ewan Williams (Joe Clarke 75), Tim Berridge (Frank Tattum 59), Max Brogan, Eric Yahya (Mro Pais 59), Ben Blythe.

Merthyr Town: Jacob Dennis, Callum Ryan-Phillips, Tom Handley, Kiban Rai (Tate Xavier-Jones 74), Alex John (Aneurin Livermore 59), Lewys Twamley (Matthew Harris 87), Jack Evans, Noah Smerdon, Jacob Maddox, Cawley Cox (Jordan Garrick 89), Jay Williams.

7:45pm Kick Off. Tuesday 24th February 2026, New Windmill Ground, Leamington Spa (att 432).