by Peter Scherer

Mickleover start their Easter weekend at home to Leek Town on Friday evening. Our visitors were promoted to the NPL Premier Division last season and had a tough start to this seasons campaign.

Back in August Sports were 3-1 winners at Leek, as Josh Brehaut’s team spent their early months trying to escape the relegation zone.

We also knocked them out of the FA Cup in October, when we visited again and Dylan Edwards scored the only goal of the game.

With Mickleover’s fate sealed with a 1-1 draw at Hebburn last weekend. But our visitors have gradually climbed the table and are unbeaten in their last five games to lie mid table in 12th, having won their last two games both at home, against Bamber Bridge and Workington.

Kick off at the Don Amott Arena is 7.45.

Easter Monday is our final away game of the season, travelling to play off hopefuls Ashton Utd. Steve Cunningham’s team have spent all season in the top half.

When they visited us on Boxing Day the first attempt was abandoned due to fog when they led 0-3, but the return trip in late January ended in another defeat 1-3.

They had a slip themselves last month, losing three games out of five before bouncing back with a 5-1 win over Hebburn Town,

Our hosts are currently fifth in the table, holding onto the final play-off place, but went down 0-2 at home to Gainsborough last Saturday. So they need a win to too to secure their place.

Currently 21st in the table, Sports will be making the most of their final away game in the Premier Division for now, needing all the points they can muster before the end of the season, to stand any chance of taking a lifeline to remain in the NPL top flight.

Kick off at Ashton is 3pm.

by Peter Scherer

It was need to win match for Mickleover as they travelled to Hebburn Town for their penultimate away game of the season. They came away with a 1-1 draw, which confirms relegation to one of the regional NPL Division One Leagues.

Starting line-up: 1- Yusuf Mersin 2-Jake Bennett 3-Ryan Wilson 4-Will Atkinson 5-George Wilkinson 6-Tom Senior 7-Andy Dales 8-Curtis Weston 9-Stuart Beavon 10-Gaby Adebambo 11-Kwaku Donkor. Subs: Brandon Ferron, Cieron Keane, Bernard Nsiah, Marcus Barnes, Michael Hollingsworth.

It was a difficult start for Mickleover, as they were almost immediately under attack from their hosts. It was only nine minutes into the game when Posthill’s cross was slotted home at point blank range by Gomes, to make it 0-1.

But just seven minutes later a reckless challenge from Thompson on Atkinson earned him a straight red card, from when Sports responded to chase for the equaliser.

19 minutes gone and Adebambo made a break and went close, but a minute later the midfielder went clear again, placing his effort neatly past keeper Cameron to make it 1-1.

Cameron denied Mickleover again after 24 minutes, before Adebambo went close after 37 minutes, this time just wide of the left-hand post, before a following shot was blocked by Elsdon, before Cameron picked up the rebound.

Barnes replaced Adebambo for the second half, but it was Beavon next to test the home keeper. He forced a 52nd minute save from Cameron, just after Keane had come on for Atkinson.

But Hebburn had chances too, when Murray sent a long shot sailing past the left-hand post after 63 minutes.

Nsiah then replaced Donkor a couple of minutes later, but it was Hebburn following up with another missed opportunity. Mersin saved from Turner and just three minutes later he came out on top again when Murray lost out in a one on one.

Ferron was late sub for Beavon but it remained 1-1 and consigned Mickleover to relegation from the NPL Premier Division.

by Peter Scherer

It’s back to the North East this weekend as Mickleover face their penultimate away game of the season at Hebburn.

Earlier in the season our hosts looked like play-off contenders, but it’s now seven games without a win following their 2-1 home defeat to Ilkeston last Saturday, leaving team in 14th place.

For Mickleover it’s a must win to stay in the Premier Division mathematically.

It’s player/manager Daniel Moore’s third season in charge of the Hornets, having previously led Shildon to the Eastern Division play-offs.
A former Mansfield Junior, he captained the Spennymoor side that won the FA Vase, despite missing the Wembley final, before returning to Shildon as captain again too. He is still registered as a player.
Kieran Hunter is one of three goalkeepers used recently. He came from the Sunderland Academy, had three years at Gateshead and spent time at Chester Le Street on a dual registration too, after arriving at Hebburn.

Dan Cameron is a keeper on loan from Sunderland, while Callum Dobson came from South Shields in pre-season, and had previously been loaned to Newcastle Blue Star.
Centre back Matty Elsdon was a junior at both Sunderland and Middlesbrough. After a loan at Inverness he joined Barrow following his release and was then loaned to Whitby and FC Utd, before a permanent move to Blyth Spartans. He then returned to Scotland with Clyde, before returning to Blyth in July 22, where he spent one year before joining the Hornets.
Jack Donaghy is a homegrown talent, who came through the clubs youth set up to make his first team debut in 2017. Another centre back primarily, he has been a mainstay at the club for the last seven years.

Liam Noble is a central midfielder with over 250 league appearances under his belt, since Sunderland picked up from Cramlington Boys Club. After a couple of loans at Carlisle he moved permanently and then signed for Notts County in July 2014. His next stop was Forest Green, before returning to Notts County, from where he moved on to Hartlepool. He then 4 ½ years with Morpeth, but came to Hebburn in pre-season after ending last season on loan.
Aaron Thompson plays central or defensive midfield. A former South Shields player, he came to Hebburn from West Auckland in September 2022.
Robbie Spence is a midfielder who became a Hornet back in 2018. A former Scunthorpe junior, he also played for Team Northumbria in the Northern League and was on loan at Heaton Stannington earlier this season.
Liam Murray is a midfielder that has come through our hosts own youth scheme, having joined at the age of four. He had some time at the Newcastle Utd Academy and has played for Jarrow too.
Another midfielder is Paul Van Zandvliet, signed from Ashington in September. He has played for North Shields too and is currently dual registered with Newcastle Blue Star.
Striker Olly Martin was a Junior at both Newcastle and Sunderland, before moving on to Gateshead, Jarrow Roofing and Whitley Bay. He signed for Hebburn in June 2019 and scored the winner for them in the 2020 FA Vase Final at Wembley.
Amar Purewal is a striker who arrived from West Auckland in June 2020. A Punjab International, he started out at Newcastle Utd, before moving on to Newcastle Benfield and Bishop Aukland. He was then Durham City’s leading scorer before joining Darlington, before joining West Auckland in 2016.
Fellow strikers Joao Pedro Gomes Carrington and Dan Savage are loanees from South Shields. They also had loan spells at Blyth Spartans earlier this season.
Winger Joe Walton was manager Moore’s second signing for the club, after the pair played together at Spennymoor. He started at Sunderland RCA and has played at Washington and Morpeth too.
Defender Michael Turner arrived from Morpeth at the beginning of this season, while Joe Posthill is a striker who arrived pre-season, after being Shildon’s top scorer last term. Posthill started out at Hartlepool and played for Stockton before his move to Shildon.
Gildo Da Silva and Harry Richardson have also been on the bench this, having come through the Academy and reserve side.
Kick off as usual is 3pm.

by Peter Scherer (Images: Steve Ingers)

A second half penalty robbed Mickleover of victory against FC United of Manchester, after Dylan Edawards had given them a first half lead.

Starting line-up: 1-Yusuf Mersin 2-Jake Bennett 3-Ryan Wilson 4-Will Atkinson 5-George Wilkinson 6-Tom Senior 7-Brandon Ferron 8-Curtis Weston 9-Andy Dales 10-Dylan Edwards 11-Marcus Barnes. Subs: Cieron Keane, Stuart Beavon, Gabby Adebambo, Josh Maskall, Toby Smith.

The was little separate the teams for the first 20 minutes, before Mickleover had their first real chance when Edwards crossed from the right, found Barnes’ head, but his effort was too high to challenge keeper O’Keefe.

But just after the half hour mark it was Sports that broke the deadlock, when Edwards chested the ball past O’Keefe into the bottom right hand corner, to make it 1-0 after 33 minutes.

Mickleover finished the half the stronger too, highlighted by some telling runs on the wings by Ferron and Dales, while Bennett, Wilkinson, Senior and Wilson held firm in defence.

But there was a late scare when a 42nd minute free kick from the visitors caught Mersin at his best, with a brilliant save from a deflected effort.

Early into the second half Senior pulled off last ditch saving tackle to keep Sports ahead, but the game had become more end to end, with FC United shooting just wide of the left-hand post after 50 minutes.

But two minutes later Mersin was penalised for a challenge on Donohue, and Le Fondre stepped up to convert the penalty 1-1.

On the hour mark Maskall and Beavon replaced Barnes and Ferron, but two minutes later Edwards nearly restored the advantage in Mickleover’s favour, only for Palinkas to make a goal like clearance and keep it level pegging.

Sport made their final changes after 76 minutes when the had working Weston and Atkinson were replaced by Keane and Adebambo.

But the score remained 1-1 and sports now look forward to their trip to Hebburn on Saturday.

by Peter Scherer

Mickleover have signed Huddersfield keeper Oliver Riva on loan to the end of the season, as back-up for Yusuf Mersin.

The 6ft 5in 18 year old joined the Terriers at the start of this season from Accrington Stanley and recently spent a month on loan at Sheffield FC.