by Peter Scherer
For our penultimate away game of the season we visit local rivals Long Eaton Utd on Saturday. Back in August they were 2-0 winners when they visited the Don Amott Arena, but have struggled with only one win in their last 13 games.
Following last weekends home win, Sports will be hoping to get back into the top half of the table with just three games left, while our hosts currently lie 15th.
Long Eaton player manager Bradley Munn started his career in the Mansfield Town Academy, before joining Burton Albion. He has played for Bedworth, Coalville and Loughborough Dynamo too.
He started his managerial career at Loughborough, but after five years at the club he came to Long Eaton initially as joint manager in August 2023, taking full charge three months later.
Goalkeeper Lewis King is the first of the ex Mickleover players in the Long Eaton line-up. He came through the youth scheme at Derby County and Sunderland, before joining Stockport County on his release.
Eastwood Town, Boston Utd, Stalybridge and Matlock Town followed, before coming to Mickleover in July 2016 from FC United. He stayed for three years before a move to Stafford and a return trip to FC United. He joined our hosts at the start of last season, after spells at Gresley Rovers and Loughborough Dynamo.
King had been out injured and missed a few matches recently. He was replaced by Ben Allsop, who played for Long Eaton a couple of seasons ago, but has been at Kimberley MW more recently. He has also played for Belper Utd and Borrowash Victoria.
Gianluca Bucci is a centre back who came through Lincoln City’s Academy. He then spent a year each at Gainsborough, Spalding and Loughborough, before joining Long Eaton last September, after two months with Coleshill.
Full back Callum Cocks returned to out hosts last month from Loughborough Dynamo, having left Grange Park in April last year after an 18 month stay.
Defender Jayden Cotterill was signed at the beginning of last season. A former Burton Albion graduate, he has also played for Hanley Town, Barwell, Gresley Rovers and Belper Town.
Fellow defender Oscar Hugenholz came through Long Eaton’s own Academy. He left to join Shepshed Dynamo in August 2024, but returned this season.
Jamie Hanson played Championship and League One football, racking up well over 100 appearances, during his time at Derby County, Wigan and Oxford Utd. His non-league career started at Ilkeston in July 2023, before a loan to Long Eaton in May last year, became permanent two months later.
Defender Owen Betts is club captain. He started off at Notts County and played for Spalding and Worksop too, before coming to Grange Park from Basford in February 2024.
Defender Jake Finnerty was signed In August, having spent the last few seasons at Loughborough Dynamo.
James Taylor is a central midfielder, who came through Long Eaton’s own Academy. He made his first team debut in 2020. After a move to Heanor Town in July 2023, he rejoined our hosts at the start of last season
Connor Pace is a central midfielder too, a former Burton Albion Junior. He arrived at Grange Park last season having previously been loaned to Gresley Rovers.
Striker Evan Garnett is the second ex Mickleover player. He started with Burton Albion and moved to Worksop after a loan spell with Hucknall Town. Belper Town, Ilkeston and Kidderminster followed, before he came to Sports in July 2017, after a year at Alfreton.
After two years at Mickleover he moved to Stafford, and has played for Loughborough Dynamo too, before arriving at Long Eaton at the start of last season.
Dexter Walters is a left sided midfielder and the third ex Mickleover player. He joined the Coventry City youth scheme after starting out with Romulus and Tamworth. After a loan at Leamington, he rejoined Tamworth after his release and came from there to Mickleover in October 2021 on loan.
He moved to Long Eaton last March, after spells at Stratford, Stourbridge and Bedworth.
Jahvan Davidson-Miller is the fourth ex Sports player. He was a Derby County striker before joining Barwell on his release. Coming to Mickleover in November, he struggled to hold down a starting role and returned to Barwell 11 months later. He then came back to Mickleover for a very short spell last season, before going to Redditch and Rugby Town and finally joining our hosts at the start of this season.
And the fifth former Mickleover player is midfielder George Atwal, a graduate of our own Academy and spent the 23/24 season at Long Eaton, before moving on to Redditch and Bromsgrove. He came back to Grange Park pre-season.
Assistant manager to Munn is ex Derby County Junior Aaron Cole, a sixth ex Mickleover player in the Long Eaton squad. Eastwood, Stockport, Barrow, Hinckley Utd, Rocester, Worksop and Belper Town were all his ex clubs before arriving at the Don Amott Arena in 2017.
He moved on to Market Drayton, Belper, Stafford and Gresley Rovers and has been assistant player/manager at Long Eaton since November 2023.
Fellow striker Tristan Thompson-Matthews had spent most of his career with Corby Town, having moved from Loughborough Dynamo in 2022. He joined Long Eaton in February 2024.
Our hosts latest signing needs no introduction, as he has only recently left Mickleover. Louis Bonser is on loan from Mansfield Town again, having spent most of this season at the Don Amott Arena. He previously had loan spells at Carlton Town and Rushall Olympic and is the seventh ex Mickleover player in their squad.
Kick off is 3pm, all support is welcome.