During this week we are going to be looking at four players that have donned the red and black of Mickleover FC and moved on to well established league clubs.
You can read how they got to play for us and where they are playing football now.
Tuesday’s will be defender Jake Bennett, with striker Connor Hall on Wednesday.
The Thursday and Friday players both have Derby connections, as it’s defender Morgan Williams and winger Andy Dales that complete our quartet.
Burton Albion have offered to bring their full first team squad to the Don Amott Arena to play Mickleover FC in a friendly match.
With Mickleover manager John McGrath and striker Stuart Beavon both ex Brewers players, the connections between the two clubs remain close.
It could be new player manager Jake Buxton’s first games in charge since taking over from Nigel Clough, plus Buxton is also due to play in the NHS All Stars Charity match.
We want to thank Burton chairman Ben Robinson and Jake Buxton for offering to bring their team to help us survive and at no cost, also for loaning some kit for the Charity match. It’s absolutely brilliant that a local football league club would do this to help us.
said Mickleover chairman Don Amott.
by Peter Scherer
We have now covered all the ex and current footballers due to play in the NHS Allstars match and some of the guests, so we are now going to look at the final three participants.
Derbyshire cricketer Tony Palladino is a medium pace right handed bowler and right handed batsman. He made his First Class debut playing for Cambridge University against Essex in April 2003 and joined Essex on a full time basis later that season.
He had seven years at Essex, but after a spell in Namibia and with Suffolk, he was released by Essex in 2010 and began his long association with Derbyshire.
Among his career highlights are seven wickets in an innings against Leicestershire in May 2019 and figures of 7-53 again with Kent the victims in 2012.
With 374 wickets in 146 games, he is one of Derbyshire’s most historically prolific bowlers and having taken five wickets in an innings on 16 occasions, he is the only Derbyshire bowler to achieve the feat in the 21st century.
The final two supporters won’t be on the field of play but do have their part to play. Radio Derby and Derby County legend Colin Gibson. After over 30 years covering Rams games he joined the club on the media side and currently works for Rams TV.
Colin’s duties during the Charity match will of course be match announcer.
Bob Badwal won’t have far to travel as he is a Mickleover resident. He runs an electrical business in the day time, but at night transforms into an Elvis tribute act.
His act is called Aaron – Memories of Elvis, and he has been touring the UK and entering competitions for 20 years. So Elvis will be in the stadium!!
NHS CHARITY MATCH JUSTGIVING PAGE
All donations raised for the match will go straight to the NHS.
by Peter Scherer
Stuart Beavon is another current Mickleover player due to join the NHS Allstars Charity match action. He became the third generation of his family to play professional football, following in the steps of his Father Stuart and Grandfather Cyril.
But it all started for Stuart junior at Hellenic League Ardley United, before swiftly moving on to Combined Counties side Wallingford. He scored 13 goals in 36 games between those clubs, before being snapped up by Didcot Town.
Despite stepping up to the Southern League South & West Division, he quickly found his goalscoring touch and had two seasons with the club. He played 139 games and scored an amazing 107 goals and was a winner in the 2004/5 FA Vase too.
His next step was to the Conference with Weymouth, spending three seasons on the South Coast, and adding 27 more goals to his tally from 90 appearances.
For 2008/09 he had his first spell in the Football League with League 2 Wycombe Wanders. He scored on his debut and his initial loan became permanent.
He was a prolific scorer again but the team were promoted and relegated twice during his stay. After 125 games and 34 goals he moved to Preston North End in League 1 again.
There was debut goal again and having settled at Deepdale he stayed for two years, before an initial loan at Burton Albion became permanent for the 2014/15 season.
He gained promotion again with the Brewers to League 1 but part way into his third season he left in January 2017 with 15 goals and 102 games under his belt, destined for Coventry City.
A strange end of season saw the Sky Blues win the EFL Trophy, but were also relegated to League 2. Although he was a Coventry player for the next two seasons, his final one was spent on a years loan at Wrexham.
Early into the 2019/20 season he joined Nuneaton, but it was when he began his current connection at Mickleover that he regained his scoring touch.
NHS CHARITY MATCH JUSTGIVING PAGE
All donations raised for the match will go straight to the NHS.
by Peter Scherer
Mickleover assistant manager Ricky Ravenhill has been at the Don Amott Arena for almost two years. He started as a youth player at Barnsley in 1998, but got his break when he joined then Conference side Doncaster Rovers in 2002.
His forceful midfield role played a part in Doncaster’s play-off win in 2003, which took them back into the Football League, only to celebrate a double promotion success as Division 3 Champions a year later.
He had five season with Doncaster, making 159 appearances and scoring 10 goals, before a loan spell at Chester preceded a permanent move to Grimsby for the 2006/7 season. They lost out in the League 2 play-off final and after a change in management, Ravenhill had another loan at Darlington, which after 15 games and a goal was made permanent.
His stay at League 2 Darlington lasted a couple of seasons, making another 84 appearances with five goals.
The next stop was with Notts County, joining in the summer of 2009, he was League 2 title winner. But in his second year it was considerably tougher in League 1, although the Magpies avoided relegation, another loan spell beckoned at Bradford City.
He had made 97 appearances at Meadow Lane and hit three goals, before his move to Bradford City became permanent again in 2012. They were League Cup runners up and League two play-off winners by the end of the season.
But 68 games and two goals under his belt and the next stop was Northampton Town. An initial loan again became permanent, before a brief spell in the League with Mansfield Town in 2015.
He then played moved into the Northern Premier League with Buxton, before joining Mickleover in September 2018.
NHS CHARITY MATCH JUSTGIVING PAGE
All donations raised for the match will go straight to the NHS.
Do you think you’re ready to play semi-professional football?
We’re giving one of you a brilliant opportunity to win a contract with Mickleover Football Club!
Join us for trials 1-2 August. The Gaffer, Assistant Manager as well as players Stuart Beavon and Pablo Mils will be overseeing the whole selection process. Successful applicants from Saturday’s trial will be invited back on the Sunday to train and play a full sided game.
With the current climate the way it is we felt we needed to change our recruitment strategy this season. Our aim at Mickleover FC, through this trial scheme, is to unearth a talented footballer that might have slipped through the net or not had the opportunity to showcase his talents.
Halifax Town ran a similar program a few years ago and the successful applicant was Jack Hibbs who went on to win the the FA Trophy and play a pivotal role for Halifax. Jack is currently playing for conference north outfit Spennymoor Town.
These trials are for 16+ years, and players from far and wide are all welcome, all that is required is if you believe you are good enough to play football at semi-professional and professional level then this could be your opportunity.
We have had huge success in being a pathway for talent to realise their dreams of playing in the football league. Morgan Williams, Andy Dales and Jake Bennett are just a few of who have came through our ranks.
The whole program will be overseen by myself the first team manager and my management team and I believe it’s an amazing way for me to get to see and review the best talent which in turn will make my first team stronger.
John McGrath, MFC Manager
It is £25 to book your place. Over 16s only.
Please contact johnmcgrath@mickleoverfc.com for more information and to book your place.
#GetBehindTheSports
by Peter Scherer
Even the NHS Allstars teams will need managers and on this occasion the men for the job are Ted McMinn and Mickleover’s own boss John McGrath.
As a young 16 year old McGrath was a star of Irish youth side Belvedere, who won the FAI Youth Cup, Leinster Youth Cup and Under 18 Premier League.
The success brought him to the attention of Premiership club Aston Villa, who he joined in 1999.
He made two Premiership starts before going out on loan to Conference side Dagenham & Redbridge in November 2002. 31 games and two goals were accumulated as he saw out the rest of the season, before joining newly returned to the Football League, Doncaster Rovers.
As part of the squad that won the squad that won the Third Division title, he made 14 appearances.
A loan spell at League 2 Shrewsbury then preceded a permanent move to fellow League 2 club Kidderminster Harriers. It was only a short stay and after 19 games he was released and returned to Ireland to see out the season with Limerick in the League of Ireland First Division.
He scored against Athlone Town but returned to England in 2006 with Conference South club Weymouth Town. His 13 games and 3 goals helped the club take the league title, but McGrath was on the move again to Conference National’s Tamworth.
It was a one season stay with five goals in his 48 games, before his long association with Burton Albion began.
He was player of the year in his first season as a Brewers player and won the Conference Premier title in the second. Continuing as a regular first choice in midfield, he totalled 247 appearances and scored 20 goals as Burton became established Football League members.
After six years at Burton he had a short loan spell at York City and then joined Alfreton Town for 2013/14. He had one season there before joining Mickleover as a player initially, taking over the reins a year later to remain as player/manager.
He also gained International honours with the Republic of Ireland Under 21’s, making five appearances.
NHS CHARITY MATCH JUSTGIVING PAGE
All donations raised for the match will go straight to the NHS.
by Peter Scherer
Another of Mickleover’s current players to grace the pitch in the NHS Allstars Charity Match is former Republic of Ireland International Clinton Morrison.
His career started with his local club Crystal Palace and having come through their youth development, made his first team debut in May 1998, scoring on his debut too.
The team were relegated to Division 1 but Morrison had six successful years at Selhurst Park, scoring 71 goals in his 180 appearances, before moving to Birmingham City in a £4.25 million deal.
It took a while for him to settle with the Premiership club, but he stayed for three years, scoring 16 goals from his 97 games, before returning to Palace for £2 million.
Palace were in the Championship and Morrison struck up a successful partnership with Andrew Johnson, who had joined them as part of the deal that originally took Morrison to St Andrews.
He stayed for another three years adding 41 more goals and 135 appearances to his club tally, before moving on to fellow Championship side Coventry City in August 2008.
His form had been good, with 23 goals in his 101 games, but after being released at the end of 2009/10, Sheffield Wednesday was his next stop, in League One.
With a goal on his debut for the newly relegated side, it started well, but after struggling to get a starting place, he had loan spells at Milton Keynes and Brentford.
After his release from Sheffield Wednesday he joined League 1 Colchester United. By then his media work was building up, but he managed to fit in a few games for Long Eaton United in the Midland Premier League, before signing for League 2 Exeter City, for his final season of League football.
In the latter years he played for Redditch United, but has been a Mickleover player since 2016, fitting in the occasional reserve appearance between his work on Sky Sports and Radio 5.
He made his International debut for the Republic of Ireland in 2001 and went on to make 36 appearances, scoring nine goals too.
by Peter Scherer
Mickleover FC’s own Pablo Mills, an ex Rams graduate, joins the NHS Charity match support.
Mills had joined Derby County as a 14 year old and graduated to make his first team debut under John Gregory’s management in 2002.
Primarily a defender, his versatility over the years has seen him play both midfield and striker too.
He stayed at Derby until the summer of 2006, having played 64 games in the Derby colours, as well as loans at Milton Keynes and Walsall, scoring his first league goal during the MK stay.
League Two Rotherham was his next stop, spending four years with them. For a while he was team captain, making 138 appearances and scoring three goals. He had another loan spell during that time, playing 14 games for Crawley Town in 2007.
He played for Rotherham in the 2010 League Two play-off final, but was then released and joined Crawley on a full time basis.
Two years at Crawley saw him make 53 appearances and score five goals, before moving to Macclesfield Town for a season.
The following year he returned to Rotherham, for a short stay before joining Bury for the 2014/15 season. After 39 games for the Shakers, plus a loan at Cheltenham, he made a couple of appearances for Conference North side Brackley Town, before beginning his long association at Mickleover from 2016.
by Peter Scherer
Another former Mickleover player, but striker Chris Beardsley spent his formative years at Station Road from 11-16 years of age.
He was snapped up by Mansfield Town and made his debut for the Stags in League Two in 2002, but they couldn’t avoid relegation.
After a loan spell at Worksop Town, where he scored once in four games, he returned to Mansfield but couldn’t get a regular first team place and was released at the end of the season, after he had played 22 times and scored one goal for them.
A move to newly promoted League One side Doncaster Rovers in July 2004 followed, but once again he struggled to get a start and five months later after only eight games, he moved to League two Kidderminster Harriers, where he completed the season.
He had scored five times for Kidderminster in his 25 games, but the following year returned to Mansfield. But his 2005/6 season was suddenly ended after a collision left him with a broken leg, leaving him out of action for a year.
It was a struggle to get back into the side, so 20 more games and two goals under his belt, the next move was Rushden & Diamonds after a short loan.
They were in the Conference, but his stay was short, before moving to another Conference side York City.
He stayed in the Conference too when he joined Kettering Town in December 2007 following another loan. He was a regular with 66 games in his two seasons scoring 16 goals.
In 2009 he joined former Rushden manager Graham Westley at Stevenage and was part of the side that won the Conference Premier title in 2009/10 and were runners up in the FA Trophy the same year. One year later he played in the play-off winning team to earn promotion to League Two also.
He had made 117 appearances and scored 22 goals, but with Westley moving to Preston North End in League One, Beardsley followed.
In his second season he struggled to get into the starting line-up again and went out on loan to Bristol Rovers. The following two seasons were spent returning to Stevenage and Mansfield, before joining Burton Albion as fitness coach in 2018 and he is still registered to play as part of the Brewers first squad.
