by Peter Scherer
It’s cup tie time again as Mickleover welcome Kevin Wilkin’s Telford to the Don Amott Arena, in the isuzu FA Trophy.
Most of the Telford line-up featured in last seasons Southern Premier League Central defeat and currently lie eighth in the table, after going down 3-1 at Redditch last Saturday. In the last FA Trophy round our visitors were taken to penalties at home to Cleethorpes Town, finally taking the tie 5-4. Club Manager Kevin Wilkin was a striker with Cambridge City, Northampton Town, Nuneaton and Grantham, before becoming Nuneaton’s manager in 2006. Wilkin has been in charge at Telford since October last year.
First choice keeper Brandon Hall started out at Charlton Athletic, before spending seven months at the Nike Academy. His next move was up to Scotland with St.Mirren, but returned south with Hayes & Yeading. Ebbsfleet, Lewes, Woking, Kidderminster and Hereford were his next stops, with a loan spell at Banbury. He came to our visitors at the beginning of last season, after a year with Gloucester City and is an England C International too.
George Scott is Hall’s deputy, having returned to the club last December, after a year without a club and came into the side a few years ago, while Hall was injured. Centre back Fraser Kerr started his career at Motherwell before moving South with Birmingham City. He spent two years with the Blues, before an initial loan back to Motherwell became permanent. He moved on to Cowdenbeath and Stenhousemuir too, before going to Gateshead, with 54 Scottish Premiership appearances and 45 in League One, plus Europa League Qualifiers too. Stops at Hartlepool, Torquay and Chesterfield followed, before spending last season at York City. He has represented Scotland at Under 16, 17,19 and arrived at Telford at the start of last season.
Jordan Piggott is another centre back. He started out at West Bromwich Albion before heading for Scotland too. He played for Dundee and East Fife, before heading to North Wales with Bangor City. Halesowen was his next stop, moving to Solihull Moors after a year, spending another year before a move to Gloucester City on loan. He spent four months at Telford at the beginning of last year and then returned to our visitors permanently.
Orrin Pendley is a centre back too that also arrived at the start of last season from Hereford. He started at Highgate before joining Redditch. He soon moved on to Kettering and Rushall Olympic, before spending a year at Tamworth. Nathan Fox is a left back who spent his junior career at both Notts County and Derby County. Following his Rams release he joined Corby Town, moving to Rugby Town after a four year stay. Only a month later he moved again, with a very short stay at Coalville, he briefly went back to Corby, before joining Sutton Coldfield.
Redditch, Hednesford, Kings Lynn and Alfreton Town followed by a year at Buxton, preceded starting last season at Peterborough Sports. He was another of Telford’s pre-season signings last year. Jared Hodgkiss played his early football at Wolves and West Bromwich Albion. Right back by choice, he was loaned to Aberdeen and played seven games in the Scottish Premiership. After a further loan at Northampton, he joined Forest Green Rovers on his release, staying almost five years, before spending another two years at Kidderminster, who also loaned him to Torquay. His next move was Macclesfield, before a four year-spell at Hereford preceded his summer 2023 move to Telford.
Right back Ellis Myles is another right back that came from Kettering at the start of last season. He started off at Leicester City. He moved to Brackley Town on his release, before going to Rugby, Stamford, Corby and Boston Utd. He went back to Brackley in 2016 and stayed six years, before moving to Boston Utd and had eight months at Kettering before his Telford move.
Midfielder Remi Walker continues the list of signings having arrived pre-season, following his release from Birmingham City. He spent the last few months of last season on loan at Alvechurch Right midfielder Byron Moore is one of the select retained players from last season, having joined Telford from Torquay February last year. He has over 400 league appearances to his name in Leagues One and Two, having started out at Crewe. He was loaned to Kidsgrove Athletic but joined Port Vale on his release. After two years he moved on to Bristol Rovers and Bury, before spending two years at Plymouth.
Striker Ricardo Dinanga started out at Cork City, before Coventry City brought him across the Irish Sea. He had loans at Hereford and Nuneaton last season, but came to Telford following his release last July. Reece Styche is both an England C and current Gibraltarian International, having scored three goals in 27 games for the latter. He came from Telford in October from Matlock Town, having played for a huge raft of clubs in his 14 year career, including Buxton, Alfreton, Darlington, Macclesfield and Wycombe, having started out at Hednesford.
Centre back Sam Whittall came from Rushall in October. He is an ex Wolves Junior and played at Cambridge Utd and Brackley, before his seven year spell at Rushall. Fellow centre back George Burroughs was a Coventry City Junior, first loaned to our visitors in September 2022. He joined Altrincham on his release and has played for Redditch and Stafford too, before joining Telford in August. Alex Gudger is another centre back on loan from Brackley. He’s also played for Bedworth Utd, Rugby Town, Worcester City and Solihull Moors. Centre back Steffan Jones came from Cefn Druids in July 2023 and has also played for Bala Town.
Rhys Hilton was a Birmingham City youngster who had been playing for Copeswood FC. A right sided midfielder, he was signed from Stamford and has played for Bedworth, Sutton Coldfield, Redditch, Colesill and Halesowen. Midfielder Ellis Brown just after Christmas, having been without a club for a while, after a year in Scotland with Hamilton Academicals. He started out at Boreham Wood.
Striker Matty Stenson came from Nuneaton at the end of January. He started out at Hinckley Utd and after spells at Leicester Road and Barwell, signed for Leamington in 2018. He then moved to Solihull Moors, from where he came on loan to Telford for six months. His next stop was Halifax, who also loaned him out to Tamworth and Kidderminster, before his 18 month spell at Nuneaton.
Kyle Storer is an experienced midfielder who managed Nuneaton until they dropped out of the league in late January. He was a Leicester City Junior, who joined Bedworth following his release. Twariq Yusuf came from Brackley early last season and can play as a striker or midfielder. He has also played for FC Kidlington. Also Billy West captained our visitors under 18 side, following his release from Shrewsbury Town and in his fourth season with the first team too.
Finally striker Harvey Solley made his debut earlier last season, having come through the clubs youth scheme.
Kick off is 3pm BE THERE