Leamington Football Club - A Revised History
Extensive research of our clubs history by club historian Paul Vanes has led to the discovery some years ago that there is NO connection between our club and that of Leamington Town - they were two separate entities. The Windmill Ground where both clubs once played provided a link between the two, but that is where it ends. As a club we respect and appreciate the fact that Leamington Town were the pioneers of the game in our great town, but we cannot claim a history that is not ours, hence the decision to re-evaluate. Below is our football club’s history - from 1933 to the present day.
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There is a common misconception that Lockheed/AP Leamington are not the same club as Leamington FC because of the 12 year gap in our playing record, which is emphatically NOT the case.
The origins of Leamington FC are ingrained in Tachbrook Road, which runs out of the town to the South. Just before you pass the Windmill pub on the left is where The Windmill Ground was sited, and opposite was the enormous Lockheed car parts factory that employed so many of the townsfolk and would become the driving force behind the football club and its many successes until things unfortunately turned sour in the 1980’s. It is here that our club was born, in 1933, as Lockheed, Borg & Beck.
The team first competed in the Warwick & District League in the 1933/34 season, moving into the Coventry Works League the following campaign, where they spent six seasons before a move to the Leamington & District League in 1940/41. It was back to the Coventry Works League two years later before a switch to the Coventry & North Warwickshire League, where they spent three seasons before being accepted into the short lived Central Amateur League in 1947. It was around this time that the Lockheed company purchased the Windmill Ground from Coventry City, who had themselves brought the stadium in 1937 for use by their ‘A’ team after Leamington Town had folded. Also during this time the club name was adjusted to Lockheed - Leamington. After two seasons the club successfully applied to join the Birmingham Combination. It was whilst in this league, early in the 1949/50 season, that they turned semi professional. The committee realised the club were heading in the wrong direction by staying purely amateur and after signing Les Latham as player/manager the club embraced semi professional football.
At this time support was good for the combined works and town team, and the nickname ‘The Brakes’ was adopted by virtue of the car products the company manufactured. It was also around this time that the original club colours evolved - Gold trimmed Royal Blue shirts, Royal Blue shorts,
and Gold socks. Our current colours originated sometime after the second World War, but the Gold and Black combination apparently came about quite by accident when somebody at the club made an error when ordering new kit, and from then on we played predominantly in those colours.
It was during their five seasons in this league that Brakes won the Birmingham Senior Cup for the first time with victory against Hereford United in 1950/51. In 1956/57, with the club now in the Birmingham and District League the Senior Cup was won for a second time with victory over Redditch United.
The 1960’s proved to be groundbreaking for the club. They began by winning the Senior Cup, thrashing local rivals Rugby Town, and winning the Birmingham and District League before becoming the first to win the renamed West Midlands Regional League the following season. 1963/64 saw a move to the Midland Counties League, where the Championship was won in only their second season.
After eight seasons the club was on the move once more - this time into the Southern League, which at the time was arguably the strongest, most established league outside the professional game. The Birmingham Senior Cup was captured for a fourth time in 1969/70.
The club underwent a name change in 1973 as Lockheed became Automotive Products, and AP Leamington, as we are more widely remembered, entered another boom period in their history. The Birmingham Senior Cup had been won for the fifth time in 1972, and the Southern League Cup and the Southern League Championship Cup followed in 1974, both over Premier Division opposition. Progression to the First Round of the FA Cup was achieved for the first time this year also - Southend United the victors by 2-1 at a packed Windmill Ground. Brakes went on to reach the competition proper five times in six seasons, reaching the second round twice, but were unable to claim a Football League scalp.
1975/76 saw promotion to the Southern League Premier Division (as Runners-Up) for the first time, and Brakes established themselves in a highly competitive league before becoming founder members of the Alliance Premier League (Now the National League) in 1979, as the Non League Pyramid as we know it today began to take shape.
Leamington spent three seasons in this new league before being relegated in 1982, but under young manager Graham Allner, the seeds had been sown for further success, and the following season saw them win the Southern League Championship and with it promotion back to the APL, or so they thought.
Promotion was refused by the APL on supposed ground grading issues, while ith the club at its playing pinnacle, Automotive Products decided to sell the club’s Windmill Ground on Tachbrook Road for housing, leading to the break up of one of the most exciting teams in non league football and the departure of manager Allner, but not before he had led his team to another Southern League Championship Cup, and into the FA Cup 1st Round.
Under new manager Jim Watson, Brakes won the Southern League Cup for a second time, making them the first club to hold all three of the League’s trophies at once.
The fight to find a new stadium for the club dominated the next few years as the club tumbled down and out of the Southern League. Leamington FC Limited was formed on September 6th 1983 with the intention of purchasing the Windmill Ground. Our association with Automotive Products ended on July 1st 1985, and the name of the club reverted to Leamington FC. A simple club crest, the first in our history, was created as the club battled to stay alive, but by 1988, now in the Midland Combination and at its lowest ebb, the decision was made to place the club in mothballs while the search for a new stadium site continued. A small but determined band of supporters continued to raise money and kept the club’s registration with the FA each year.
In 1990 a field was purchased in Harbury Lane from a local farmer and a rudimentary ground was created. Re-launched in 2000, and playing at what was called the New Windmill Ground, initially under joint managers Jason Cadden and Barry Proctor, Leamington FC did not look back. The first two seasons saw successive promotions: the Midland Combination Division Two title in the first year and as runners-up in Division One a year later.
Brakes finished third in the Midland Combination Premier in 2002-03, lost out on the final day of the season in 2003-04 (Jason Cadden's first in sole charge) and were promoted as champions to the Midland Football Alliance in 2004-05 with a league record 109 points.
In 2005-06 Leamington reached the 1st Round Proper of the FA Cup, their first time in the competition since reforming, losing heroically at Colchester United. The cup run enabled the club to move forward its planned infrastructure development and with continued work and progress over the intervening years it now boasts a modern clubhouse, terracing for 1500 (400 covered) plus seated covered stands for a further 250 spectators and a total capacity of 3,102. The ground has more recently undergone further improvement ensuring it satisfied Football Conference guidelines.
Brakes completed a magnificent season in 2006-07, returning to the Southern League after 20 years by winning the Midland Football Alliance title and the League Cup, becoming the first club in the League’s history to complete the double, also reaching the quarter finals of the FA Vase.
2007-8 saw Leamington narrowly fail to be promoted again, slipping up to a Stourbridge goal in the dying minutes of a Southern Football League Midland Division promotion play off final after a Runners-Up finish in the Midland Division.
The 2008-09 campaign saw the team build upon their experience of the previous season by winning the title by 9 points from Nuneaton Town and returning to the Southern League Premier Division after a gap of 24 years.
The club’s first season in the Premier Division saw a managerial change with Paul Holleran leading the team to a comfortable 10th position. 2010-2011 saw a strong finish securing fifth place on the final Saturday. A tough Play-Off semi-final at Hednesford Town unfortunately led to a 3-1 defeat.
2011-2012 saw a top of the league position at Christmas. However, an inexplicable two months without a win in the New Year saw Brakes slip out of reach of the play-offs, despite finishing with a twelve match unbeaten run at the end of the season. The start of 2012-13 saw a further 14 matches unbeaten and despite some fierce competition from old rivals Stourbridge, Hemel Hempstead Town and also Gosport Borough in the second half of the season, Brakes won 10 and drew 2 of their final 12 matches to win the Southern League Premier Division for the second time, 30 years after their previous triumph. The return to South Warwickshire of Football at Step 2 of the Non-League Pyramid, and more importantly, back in the Football Conference, presented a brand new set of challenges for the club.
The inaugural season in the Conference North contained many highlights. Although the season started well with a home win against Bradford Park Avenue it was tempered by several lengthy injuries, including three cruciate ligament injuries which ruled players out for the rest of the season. Points were difficult to come by and fans’ relegation concerns were only quieted by a fantastic festive period with a competent 13th place achieved by the end of the season.
The second season in a new league can often be difficult, and Leamington found this to be very true. A ‘reasonable’ position halfway through the season was not sufficient, and the loss of players (especially goalkeepers) throughout the season meant relegation became a reality in the penultimate game of the season.
The 2015-16 season saw a return to the Southern League Premier Division. A poor mid-season spell saw all apparent hope of a return to the Conference North lost by the fans, so a strong finish, resulting in a play-off place, was unexpected, as was the win over second placed Redditch United in the semi-final. However, the final was a game too far with a 2-1 loss away at Hungerford Town.
Key players were added to a mixture of youth and experience for 2016-17, and barring early exits from the national cup competitions, the team made a very good start, topping the table for some time. They were finally toppled by eventual and deserved Champions Chippenham Town at the end of January, but finished the season strongly to secure the runners-up spot. Home advantage was key as Slough Town were defeated in the play off semi final, before an eventful final in front of a new record crowd of 2,102 saw Brakes finally taste play off glory with a 2-1 victory over Hitchin Town, a late equaliser and a red card for the visitors taking the game to extra time before a spectacular winner from top scorer Courtney Baker-Richardson, who went on to sign for then Premier League Swansea City as a result.
The Birmingham Senior Cup was also added to the trophy cabinet for the first time in 45 years, a young Wolverhampton Wanderers side were beaten on penalties at their Molineux stadium after a 1-1 draw.
Competing in the National League North once more in 2017/18, Brakes achieved safety by a single point, defying their tag as relegation favourites.
‘Second season syndrome’ did not materialise last time out as a storming start kept us away from the bottom three, and despite a wobble mid season, the sparkling form of striker Colby Bishop helped Leamington to a comfortable 13th place finish once more, and a second Birmingham Senior Cup win in three seasons. With almost all the squad having returned for 2019/20 and some quality young additions, Paul Holleran will be confident of celebrating 10 years as manager of Leamington Football Club by establishing us further in the National League North.
