The Brakes are off – and Leamington FC are just a few weeks away from playing football once more.

Although the last game was played at The Windmill Ground in 1988, the club has existed over the last 12 years without playing a match, and has been going continuously for 110 years.

The potential players are being trained, two pitches have been found and a spectators area put up ready for the new season, starting on August 19.

The fixture list for the Midland Combination Davision Two has not been drawn up, so the first home game could be on the opening day or the following Tuesday.

They had hoped to be in division one – where the team ended up in 1988, but will have to settle for the second division. Derby games will be available against Kenilworth Wardens, Leamington Hibernia, Wilnecote, Rugby United and Rugby Town. Most of their other oppponents will be from the Birmingham area.

About 70 people came forward to play for the new Leamington ‘Brakes’ in the training sessions that have started in the last few weeks. That has come down to 30 with a squad of 20 to be eventually picked by the joint managers Jason Cadden (formerly Southam United) and Barry Proctor (ex-AP Leamington).

And the new director of football is David Draper, a former manager of arch-rivals Racing Club Warwick - proving the top people in the line-up all have connections in the Warwickshire non-league football scene.

In the run-up there will be four friendly games – all played away – including Nuneaton Borough and Cheltenham Town.

David Hucker, club secretary, said:

“If all the people who say they are interested do turn up, then we will have to put out the ‘full’ sings. 

"We would be the best-supported team, not only in the division, but in the league.

“We will have 250 programmes for the first game, which is quite a lot for a club in our league. We had 500 for the last game at The Windmill and that was obviously a very emotional match.

“But the club never ceased. We kept paying our subscriptions to the League and knew we would be back. 

"We have been going since 1890 and we hope people come along and support us.”

The club appealed for money to get itself back on the pitch, and there was also a sale of fixtures from the old ground to raise the money for the ground and facilities.

The revived club will initially play as Leamington FC, but may adopt the name Leamington Town if the bid for town council status is successful. But most people will know them by another name, Brakes, a throwback to their links with the AP plant.

Their new pitch is on Harbury Lane, near Whitnash, and about a mile outside Leamington, towards the Fosse Way.

The club has bought six acres of farmland and has new changing rooms, directors’ facilties and cover for 100 spectators. The main pitch will only be used for league games.

The second pitch will be used for training, and a junior side made up of Warwickshire College players.