by Peter Scherer
It’s another tough game for Mickleover this Saturday at the Don Amott Arena, when we face fifth in the table AFC Telford Utd, our first game of the New Year.
Currently four points adrift of Mickleover, Needham Market and Redditch level on points at the top, Telford are unbeaten in their last 13 league matches.
Sports were 2-1 winners when we visited Telford in September and apart from Needham Market’s visit later in the same month, they are undefeated.
Manager Kevin Wilkin was a striker with Cambridge City, Northampton Town, Nuneaton and Grantham, before becoming Nuneaton’s manager in 2006.
After eight seasons he moved onto Wrexham, but after 18 months of his two-year contract he moved to Brackley Town, winning the 2018 FA Trophy. He 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 pre-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 month, after a year without a club.
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 21 levels and was another pre-season arrival at Telford.
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 for the start of last season.
Pre-season signing Orrin Pendley is a centre back too. He started at Highgate before joining Redditch. He soon moved on to Kettering and Rushall Olympic, before spending a year at Tamworth and spent last season at Hereford.
Welsh teenager Steffan Jones is another centre back and pre-season signing too, having come through Bala Town’s youth scheme.
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 is another of Telford’s pre-season signings.
Club skipper 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 pre-season move to Telford.
Right back Ellis Myles is another right back and pre-season signing from Kettering, who 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 James McQuilkin is a Northern Ireland at Under 17, 19 and 21, but began his career in the Czech Republic, with Zlin B and Tescoma Zlin, before returning to the UK with Hereford in 2009.
He joined Walsall in July 2013 and after a year moved onto Hednesford. But he was soon on the move again to Torquay, before a stay at Kidderminster, preceded his first spell at Telford for the start of the 2017/18 season.
After just over two years he returned to Hereford, before stops at Stourbridge and Hednesford were followed by his Telford return in July.
Central midfielder George Forsyth has spent almost his whole career in the West Midlands. Having started at Kidderminster, he was loaned to Halesowen before joining Gloucester City.
Worcester and Stourbridge were followed by a return to Halesowen and Hereford followed by another return visit to Stourbridge and Bromsgrove, who loaned him to Kettering, from where he joined Telford pre-season. He is currently back at Kettering again on loan.
Midfielder Remi Walker continues the list of new pre-season signings, having arrived following his release from Birmingham City. He spent the last few months of last season on loan at Alvechurch.
Ty Webster is a midfielder too, who arrived in August, after being released by Crewe Alexandra.
Right midfielder Byron Moore is one of the select retained players, 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 Argyle.
Striker Montel Gibson has been a regular goalscorer since his pre-season arrival from Ilkeston. He was a Notts County Junior and was loaned out to Romulus, Barwell, Hednesford and Sutton Coldfield, before going to Ilkeston after his release in 2017, having made 24 League Two appearances, scoring two goals.
Spells at Redditch, Bedworth and Halesowen followed, before joining Grimsby Town. He was the loaned to Altrincham, before a permanent move to Stourbridge, but started 2022 back at Ilkeston. He spent six months on loan at Telford at the end of last season and returned again on a permanent basis pre-season.
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 in July.
Tre Mitford is another early seasonigning, having come from Boston Utd. The striker started off at Aylesbury Utd, and has played at Bedford, Kettering, Brackley and Gloucester City too.
Twariq Yusuf came from Brackley earlier this season and can play as a striker or midfielder. He has also played for FC Kidlington and Ardley Utd.
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.
Having graduated through Telford’s own youth scheme, left back Brad Blood is now in his third season with the first team squad. Also Billy West captained our visitors under 18 side, following his release from Shrewsbury Town and in his third season with the first team too.
Midfielder James McQuilkin is a Northern Ireland at Under 17, 19 and 21, but began his career in the Czech Republic, with Zlin B and Tescoma Zlin, before returning to the UK with Hereford in 2009.
He joined Walsall in July 2013 and after a year moved onto Hednesford. But he was soon on the move again to Torquay, before a stay at Kidderminster, preceded his first spell at Telford for the start of the 2017/18 season.
After just over two years he returned to Hereford, before stops at Stourbridge and Hednesford were followed by his Telford return in July.
Midfielder Ellis Brown was signed a couple of weeks ago. He has been without a club for a while, after a year in Scotland with Hamilton Academicals. He started out at Boreham Wood.
Striker Harvey Solley made his debut earlier this season, having come through the clubs youth scheme.
Kick off is 3pm as usual, SHOW YOUR SUPPORT & BE THERE!!