Dec 34 min read

Match Preview | Leamington (A)

Halesowen travel to Warwickshire to face an out of sorts Leamington in the Birmingham Senior Cup

Written by Ben Ditchfield

Russ Penn's side make the short trip to face a struggling Leamington in the second round of the Birmingham Senior Cup on Tuesday night as they look to win just their second match in the competition in the last five years.

The Yeltz have failed to score in their last four competitive meetings against Leamington, dating back to 2010. Halesowen have won just three of the nine meetings since 1980, with the last coming in 2010.

They did however beat Leamington in the only Birmingham Senior Cup meeting since 1980, back in 1987 in a 6-2 win at The Grove that saw Paul and Lee Joinson, Jon Ford, Geoff Moss and Kevin Warner all get on the scoresheet. The club also won the recent meeting in August by one goal to nil in the friendly at the Co-op Community Stadium.

Russ Penn was in charge of the club in March this year when they fell to a 1-0 defeat in Warwickshire but Halesowen come into this game against their National League North opponents with just one defeat in their last nine games, with the only defeat in that time coming against another National League North side in Kidderminster.

The Yeltz have recently just got back from the high of a last minute equaliser against Stourbridge in the number 9 derby, that saw McKauley Manning make his 150th appearance for the club. The result at the weekend was just the third draw in Penn's 31 games in charge of the club, as the Halesowen boss marks his first match in the Birmingham Senior Cup for the club tonight.

Halesowen have only won the Birmingham Senior Cup twice in the clubs history and haven't reached the final since 1998, having fallen to three defeats in their last four games in the competition against Lye Town last season, as well as Coventry Sphinx in the 2022/23 season and Burton Albion on penalties in 2021.

Our opponents Leamington, are currently 16th in the National League North having won promotion last season from the Southern League Premier Division Central. They beat Telford United 1-0 in the final at The New Bucks Head, thanks to a goal late on into the second half from Ewan Williams.

They are currently in a rut, having lost five league games in a row, the first time that has happened since August 2017 and they have failed to score in three league games in succession for the first time since March 2023, in a season that saw them suffer relegation from the NLN.

Leamington boss Paul Holleran, has been in charge for a remarkable 15 years, having been appointed all the way back in November 2009. He has overseen 732 games as the Brakes boss and achieved three promotions with the club, two of them via the play-offs, as well as delivering three Birmingham Senior Cup titles in 2022, 2019 and 2017.

The Brakes have lost just twice in their last 12 appearances in the competition and have won the competition eight times in their history, the first coming in 1951 with only Aston Villa (20) and Birmingham City (13) having won the competition more times than them.

The game will see two familiar faces in the Leamington squad for Yeltz fans, as Rob Evans and Josh Quaynor currently reside as the side from Warwickshire, having joined the Brakes from Halesowen in February 2024 and July 2023 respectively.

Evans has featured 20 times for Leamington this season in all competitions, scoring once again Stourport in October. Quaynor has made 21 appearances this campaign and has missed just one game, in the clubs most recent defeat to Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday.

Leamington currently have one of non leagues most in-form strikers, with Callum Stewart notching in 12 goals this season in all competitions, nine more goals than their second highest scorer George Ward. 11 of Stewart's goals having come in the National League North, including a hattrick in the sides 4-1 victory over Oxford City in September.

If Russ Penn's side want to secure a surprise victory against their opponents, a strong second half showing could be pivotal, with the last five goals Leamington have conceded having come in the second half of games and over 62% of the last 160 goals they have conceded since November 2021.

Leamington have conceded first in eight of their last 13 matches, losing seven of them and have won just three of their last 50 when conceding the first goal in a game, add that to Halesowen's strong record when scoring first of no defeats in their 33 games when doing so, an opening goal tonight could be pivotal for the Yeltz's chances of victory.

Key Seasonal Stats

Leamington

League Position - 16th (National League North)

Season Record - PL22 8W 5D 9L 25GS 22GC

Form (Last 5 Games) - LWLLL

Top Scorer - Callum Stewart (12 Goals)

Most Appearances - Callum Hawkins, Callum Stewart (22)

Most Starts - Callum Hawkins, Callum Stewart (22)

Biggest League Win - 4-1 vs Oxford City (Home - 24th September)

Biggest League Defeat - 2-0 vs Scunthorpe United (Home - 23rd November)

Longest Unbeaten Run - 6 Games (26th August - 28th September)

Longest Winless Run - 3 Games (28th September - 22nd October & 23rd November - present)