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Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Leamington boss resigns after 16 years
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| Leamington fans at Edgar Street |
While Holleran also mentioned health issues and a need to look after himself, he leaves the Warwickshire side rock bottom of National League North - seven points behind Hereford in 23rd.
Despite the poor position, the club's chair said the 55-year-old leaves a "lasting legacy that is unlikely to be matched".
First taking charge in November 2009, overseeing a 2-2 draw at Cambridge City in the Southern League Premier Division, the highly-regarded manager has managed 789 games.
After tendering his resignation on New Year's Eve, Holleran, a former Birmingham City scholar, said: "I have been on a wonderful journey with the football club and want to thank everyone for their fantastic support throughout my sixteen years.
"I just feel the time is right for someone else to take over the reins and provide fresh ideas and impetus within the dressing room. Allied to this I have a number of health appointments in the coming month and my focus in the short term has to be on looking after myself."
As a player, he featured for Alvechurch and Solihull Borough before two knee operations forced early retirement and a move into coaching.
Before joining Leamington, he was instrumental in setting up reserve and youth teams at Solihull before his first managerial role at Kings Norton Town where he guided them to runners-up spot in the Midland Alliance and a cup win.
He then had spells with Solihull, Halesowen Town and Rushall Olympic.
Brakes chairman Jim Scott said: "We always knew this day would come and there are insufficient words to express our thanks for the fantastic contribution Paul has made to the club.
"He may have had the title ‘first team manager’ but for all the volunteers, fans and those who interacted with him within the club, his efforts went way beyond his job title and he has left a lasting legacy that is unlikely to be matched.
"Following our discussions post his resignation, Paul has agreed in a number of weeks time to discuss options with the Board of Directors on a possible further role within the club."
With the new year at Your Co-op Community Stadium starting with the hunt for a new boss, current first team coach Chris Knott will take interim charge of the team away at Chorley on Saturday.
Among the well-wishes in reaction to the news, former Hereford keeper Paul White posted on X: "The word Legend is so fitting! All the best with everything coming up @Hollers07 top top football bloke & gaffer! 👌"
Match Highlights: Merthyr v Hereford
Highlights from last night's match between Merthyr and Hereford are now online.
Rees Joins Forest Green
It's been confirmed that Ricardo Rees is to join Forest Green Rovers for a undisclosed fee.
Rees scored one of Merthyr's goals last night in the game against Hereford.
This from Merthyr:
Merthyr Town Football Club can confirm an agreement has been reached with National League side, Forest Green Rovers for the transfer of Ricardo Rees, for an undisclosed fee. The transfer, which will become active from 1st January 2026, was reached between the two clubs after a large amount of interest from across the English pyramid.
Ricardo has simply become a club hero since he joined the Martyrs in the summer of 2022, after Paul Michael brought him from Yate Town. His appearance against Hereford in his final game for the Martyrs marked his 168th appearance for the club, in which he has scored 120 goals. I am sure many will remember his first goal for the club at home against Bracknell Town in the 2022/23 Southern League campaign, and the 118 in between, finishing with a goal in front of 4,000 supporters at Penydarren Park as he grabbed the first against Hereford last night.
The move to Forest Green Rovers, who are currently 5th in the Enterprise National League, presents a new challenge and opportunity for Ricardo in a full-time environment, as they battle for promotion to the EFL. Speaking on his time with the Martyrs, Ricardo had this final departing message to supporters, “I just want to thank everyone associated at Merthyr Town Football Club, from the staff, volunteers, my teammates and of course the supporters. Everyone has made my journey with the club such a special one, and we have created some lifelong memories together. Merthyr will always be in my heart and I class everyone there as my second family. Thank you for everything. UTT!”
Everyone at Merthyr Town Football Club would like to wish Ricardo all the best for his future and exciting opportunity, and thanks him for his service to the club over the last three and a half seasons.
After The Final Whistle At Merthyr
A selection of pictures from after the final whistle at Merthyr last night.
Hereford in worst New Year National League North position ever
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| Hereford's starting XI at Merthyr on Tuesday |
The National League North table does not make good reading for Hereford fans at present.
The Bulls are languishing in the relegation zone as 2025 draws to a close.
Despite picking up a point with a 2-2 draw at high-flying, free-scoring Merthyr Town on Tuesday evening, they dropped a place to 23rd.
That was because Alfreton Town, Saturday's opponents and fellow strugglers, beat the league's bottom side Leamington.
So as Hereford sit 23rd on 31st December 2025 with 21 points from 21 games, they sat 7th with 37 points from 23 games a year ago.
Looking back through the years, Hereford are in the worst position they have ever been in National League North heading into the New Year.
They are lower in the table, with fewer points and a lower points per game average than ever before.
31st December 2025
23rd | 21 points from 21 games | Average 1 point per game
31st December 2024
7th | 31 points from 23 games | Average 1.61 points per game
31st December 2023
4th | 42 points from 25 games | Average 1.68 points per game
31st December 2022
17th | 25 points from 21 games | Average 1.19 points per game
31st December 2021
15th | 23 points from 17 games | Average 1.35 points per game
31st December 2020
14th | 16 points from 11 games | Average 1.45 points per game
31st December 2019
17th | 25 points from 23 games | Average 1.09 points per game
31st December 2018
18th | 24 points from 22 games | Average 1.09 points per game
Match Report: Merthyr v Hereford
Nigel Preece was at Merthyr last night for the game against Hereford.
There was quite some hype around this fixture. Living in South Wales the attention on the upward progress of Merthyr Town FC hasn't gone unnoticed; their unexpectedly successful form in their first season at this level since they were Merthyr Tydfil several decades ago has been hitting the press for some time.
A part time squad, a mix of local and other players and a positive attitude (it can be done) has taken Merthyr into undreamt of nose bleed territory with comments voiced like they could be playing Newport (struggling at the bottom of the EFL) next season.
They've always been a bit of a second team for many South Wales valleys football fans, even their best known fan, Jonny Owen is a Nottingham Forest fan (allegedly the Forest chairman was in attendance for this) and their crowds and comparative success over the years have often been in contrast to that of Cardiff City in particular; when the latter were struggling with only a few thousand diehard regulars in the late 80s, early 90s Merthyr had, similar to now, a good side playing enterprising football. They spent several years in the Conference (I went several times) as it was then before a fairly typical crash and burn. In passing, while I may be gently ribbing their floating support, I'd just like to mention their number one fan; Mark Evans, of Dial M for Merthyr fame, FAW fixer, a real Merthyr footballing legend in my eyes.
Welsh club football is a political minefield of course and Merthyr are the last of the non EFL clubs to resist returning to the Welsh pyramid, even turning down a supposed multi million pound FAW bribe recently. I doubt there would have been such a clamour for tickets if they'd been playing Bala or, even, Barry in the Cymru Prem. Their opponents certainly helped the hype, many middle aged South Wales football fans, whether Swansea, Cardiff and or Merthyr remember their regular encounters with Hereford United.
Enough of my attempt at scene setting, other than to compare recent records; Merthyr 10 wins out of 11, in contrast to our 1 league win in a similar time frame, so only one winner likely. Football, thankfully, is not always so easy to predict.
I had a couple of beers in Cardiff before catching the train up. A pint in the Winchester (yes, the jokes were made about staying there until it's all blown over) and it was off to Penydarren Park. A fine, compact, very hemmed in football ground, though those unlit steps up towards the entrances felt rather like an accident waiting to happen.
We were on the open terrace again, thankfully a dry (albeit cold) evening, some facilities seemed improved since our visit in the Southern League. Home terraces were pretty packed in places but plenty of room in others (those furthest away from the entrance and the bar, I guess).
Our line up was Richardson, Skinner, Quansah, Howkins, Hudson, Mafuta, a welcome return for Richards, White, Edwards, Hamilton and Williams.
I was anticipating with no lack of gloom our normal slow start as we defended the goal at our end, but we had the first effort, an Edwards shot into the side netting. Nevertheless, Merthyr were seeing plenty of the ball, they looked confident (not surprising) and zipped the ball from side to side probing for openings without creating much. Richardson made his first top save of the evening after around 15 minutes off the impressive Twamley and I was starting to feel a home goal was inevitable.
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| First Yellow Card Of The Game Was Shown After A Poor Tackle On Richards |
Annoyingly, when it did come it was from our own error. A hopeful punt was headed by Hudson back to Howkins and, in turn, back towards Richardson, we could see what was coming from behind the goal before our back line did as goal machine Ricardo Rees nipped in to open the scoring.
It could have got worse, some poor finishes and more Richardson saves kept us in it but like other recent games we gradually started to get forward more often and to better effect; Hamilton wriggled through but his shot wasn't crisp enough to beat Cogman before he then hit the inside of the post (we thought we had scored etc).
The queue for the half time loo was ok, not sure i can say the same for the catering by the looks of it. The mood was predictably glum, though not without some hope (the standard football fan's lot perhaps?).
Merthyr started the second half on top again, a deflected cross looped onto the bar, a long range shot smacked against the post and Richardson was again called into action. A second home goal would probably have been decisive but, with Osborne on for Edwards, gradually we started to look the more likely.
10 minutes or so into the half we found an equaliser. A corner was laid back to Hudson about 12 yards out and his crisp shot was too sharp for Cogman to keep out. This was followed by a wave of Bulls’ attacks, Williams and Osborne having decent efforts along with more corners.
The many neutrals (sort of) in the home areas of the crowd would have been enjoying the open nature of the game, while I felt we had more territory, the home side's passing and movement when they had the ball was quicker and sharper than ours, understandable given the respective levels of confidence stemming from our form guides I suppose. It was from such play that Merthyr took the lead again; a couple of first time passes, an early cross and a header well attacked by Jarvis from around 10 yards that gave Theo no chance. Looked a bit too easy perhaps from the away end, but it was quality football played at pace, a good goal.
D'Ath had come on for Richards and, after the goal, Campbell for Mafuta as we desperately searched for an equaliser. I felt if a goal was to come it would be for the home side on the break (I'd gone for a 3-1 loss in the prediction league), thankfully I was wrong.
A succession of game slowing subs by the home side perhaps lost any momentum they may have had but it was still a very pleasant surprise when we snatched a late leveller. Four of the minimum six minutes of injury time were up when a free kick was swung in hopefully towards the penalty spot, the home keeper came rushing out, got nowhere near the ball and Kyle Howkins’ uncontested header floated into the unguarded net.
No post match lock in and I was able to escape fairly quickly, though those steps really aren't great. A friendly chat to a couple of slightly disappointed but gracious locals before I located my lift back down the A470. Home by 2230 after an evening game is most unheard of!
The relief of a point was somewhat tempered by dropping another spot to 23rd and the news of the loss of Sterling-James (we knew) and Osborne (had been rumoured). On the past two showings, Hamilton needs to encouraged and given a run in the side but clearly reinforcements are needed.
COYB
Nigel Preece
So, where is Sterling-James heading?
Hereford manager Paul Caddis has confirmed that the Bulls have agreed a deal for Omari Sterling-James to leave the club.
The play-maker was not in the squad for Herefords FA Trophy match against Radcliffe on December 13, and he hasn't featured since.
Following Tuesday night's match at Merthyr, Caddis confirmed that a deal has finally been reached and Sterling-James is set to "double his money" at a Step 3 club.
That club is believed to be Hednesford, who are top of the Northern Premier League Premier Division and have several former Hereford players in their ranks.
Montel Gibson - who had a second spell at the Bulls earlier this season - is at Keys Park, as is fellow striker Akheem Rose.
Other former Bulls players include Simeon Maye and Dom McHale.
Last Saturday, Hednesford had a club record attendance of 4,784 for their top-of-the-table clash with FC United of Manchester.
Second Half Pictures From Merthyr
A selection of pictures from the second half of last night's game between Merthyr and Hereford.
Top Goalscorer To Leave Merthyr
The Gloucestershire press have suggested that Merthyr Town,'s Ricardo Rees is expected to move to either Forest Green Rovers or Bristol Rovers in the next few days.
Ress scored one of Merthyr's goals last night and assisted in a second in the game against Hereford.
Altogether he has scored 25 goals this season to date, that number is more than all the Hereford players combined.
Rees came through the Bristol City academy and has since played for Bath City, Salisbury and Yate Town before signing for Merthyr in the 2022/23 season.
First Half Pictures From Merthyr
Some pictures from the first half of last night's cracking game between Merthyr and Hereford which ended 2-2.
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