Following the late disappointment at Alfreton, the Martyrs are back on the road for a midweek match away at Leamington with the hopes of returning to winning ways. Despite the narrow defeat at Alfreton, it was Lewys Twamley and Kieran Evans who were on the scoresheet for Merthyr. The hosts Leamington currently find themselves at the foot of the Enterprise National League North table after only achieving 19 points out of their first 31 fixtures of the campaign. Last time out, Leamington hosted Chester FC but were defeated 2-0 at the New Windmill Ground which now sees 'The Brakes' sit 14 points adrift from survival.

Previous Encounter:

The previous clash between Merthyr and Leamington was at Penydarren Park during the first half of this season. It was an excellent performance and result for Paul Michael's side as they ran out 4-1 winners after a brace from both Ricardo Rees and Noah Smerdon before a late consolation goal for Leamington was scored by Seb Thompson.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | KEY STAFF

First Team Head Coach | Chris Knott

First Team Coach Chris Knott initially joined Leamington to help assist the creation of the Academy at the club. Knott still leads the Academy programme while also becoming Head of Football Development in 2022 and First Team Coach since 2020. Chris Knott began his playing career at 16 where he was a goalkeeper for Knowle in the Midland Combination League. Chris Knott went on to represent the league in the FA National League System Cup where he reached the final in the 2007/08 season. Unfortunately, Knott was forced to retire at 26 but he went on to become involved in the management team at Knowle, first with the reserve team and then as the assistant and manager of the 1st team prior to his decision to leave and focus on gaining his coaching qualifications. He earned his UEFA license in April 2018 and worked at Lowestoft Town and first team coach at Heather ST Johns before joining Leamington. Following Paul Holleran's decision to resign from the management role after 789 games in charge of 'The Brakes', Chris Knott is now the interim first team manager, tasked with keeping the club above the drop zone to remain in the Enterprise National League North for the 2026/27 season.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | SEASON SO FAR

Since the defeat at Penydarren Park in November, Leamington have had an extremely poor season in which 'The Brakes' have only managed to win 1 game. Their first game after facing Merthyr came at home against Worksop Town. Leamington conceded early in the first half before scoring on the brink of halftime to head into the interval at 1-1. However, 'The Brakes' weren't level for long, as Worksop reinstated their lead and made it 2-1 swiftly after halftime and the game ended 2-1 to Worksop. The next 2 games also ended in defeat for Leamington as they were defeated 3-1 at home by AFC Telford United and they then lost 2-1 away from home at Radcliffe. In the game after their defeat at Radcliffe, Leamington managed to pick up a point as they hosted Bedford Town which ended as a 2-2 draw. However, 'The Brakes' returned to their poor form as they lost back-to-back games away at both Alfreton Town and South Shields. Chris Knott's side managed to pick up their first victory since September as they defeated Curzon Ashton 2-1 at home after a late goal from Tim Berridge was enough to seal the deal and claim a hard-fought 3 points. Leamington backed up this victory by having 2 solid results in the games after Curzon Ashton as they drew 1-1 away at Chorley, while also holding Oxford City to a goalless draw at home. In the 4 games prior to hosting the Martyrs, Leamington have loss four consecutive games against Macclesfield, Marine, Spennymoor and Chester, during a run of form that has seen them score just 1 goal while conceding 12. The top goal scorer for Leamington so far this season is midfielder Seb Thompson who has scored 6 goals this league season.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | 2025/26 SQUAD

Goalkeepers | Eddie Brearey, Zander Watson, Jacob Humphries

Defenders | Theo Streete, Archie Crowther, Josh Quaynor, Demico Burton, Dan Meredith, Ben Blythe

Midfielders | Oli Buckby, Adam Walker, Will Glennon, Ewan Williams, Joe Clarke, Hisham Chiha, Max Brogan, I-Lani Edwards, Will Shorrock, Miro Pais.

Attackers | Eric Yahaya, Riley Stubbs-Jeavons, Owen Farmer, Tim Berridge, Luis Rose, Frank Tattum

Match Details

Date | Tuesday 24th February 2026

Competition | Enterprise National League North

Time | 19:45

Stadium | Your Co-op Community Stadium