by Peter Scherer (Images: Steve Ingers)

After a tough scoreless first half, a Manni Norkett penalty and Liam Carter’s first senior goal, made sure Mickleover march on to the First Qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Starting line-up: 1-Aaron Chapman; 2-George Wilkinson 3-Sam Sanders 4-Will Atkinson 5-Hamza Bencherif 6-Dwayne Wiley 7-Kane Richards 8-Josh Ashman 9-Manni Norkett 10-Andy Dales 11-Theo Rowe. Subs: Tyrrell Waite; Jack McDowell; Cieron Keane; Terry Hawkridge; Yerim Zeko; Josh Carter; Liam Carter.

Within minutes of the kick off Norkett found himself flattened by the home keeper just outside the box, but Dales free kick was soon cleared.

Although Mickleover tended to dominate possession early on, Chapman had to rush off his line to intercept a seventh minute break from our hosts.

Ashman went close for Sports too with an early header from a corner, but Chapman was in action with another save 11 minutes in, as Winsford tired to maximise any opportunity to break.

Both Richards and Rowe’s early explorations on the wings had been thwarted, but Rowe managed to battle his way into the box after 15 minutes, before Norkett’s shot was well saved by the keeper.

Richards then floated in a corner from the right which was headed around in the box, before Rowe cut inside again from the left six minutes later to fire a shot over the bar.

Mickleover continued to look solid at the back and similarly Atkinson and Ashman in the centre of midfield, which was allowing Dales to push forward.

22 minutes gone and Dales latched onto a Sports corner, but his shot was blocked. Similarly just after the hour mark Dales struck again after Rowe had cut inside, but that shot was blocked too.

Mickleover had comfortably withstood the Winsford breaks but when Sanders committed a foul just outside the box on the left, Chapman had to tip the free kick over the bar as it headed for the top corner.

The breeze and the bone-dry pitch hadn’t contributed to the quality of the first half, but despite chances for both sides it remained 0-0 as the whistle went.

Sports seemed to start the livelier of the two sides in the second half and after some hard work from Dales cutting in from the left, Rowe sent a curling shot just wide of the far post.

A couple of minutes later Rowe set up Norkett after outrunning the defence on the left, it was another good save from the keeper though.

Only minutes after he had been the hero, the keeper became the villain when he felled Norkett in the box. Up stepped Norkett with a perfect spot kick, making it 1-0 after 55 minutes.

Keane was the first sub on for Ashman just before the hour. But Richards tested the keeper too, with a chip tipped away at full stretch.

Waite then replaced Norkett, but apart from one break which was nicely stopped by Wilkinson and Sanders, Winsford showed little urgency to retaliate and seek an equaliser.

Both Josh and Liam Carter came on too and almost on time Josh had a great chance for a Mickleover second, but put it wide of the left-hand post as the keeper advanced.

Liam had earlier had a shot over the bar, but there was still a Carter on the score sheet. Into stoppage time the home defence seemed to freeze, but Liam continued, beat the keeper and secured his first senior goal for the club.

So it’s on to the first qualifying round on August 22nd when we visit Barwell, just four days after we lay them at home in the league.

 

by Peter Scherer

The road to Wembley starts here, with Mickleover heading to Cheshire to face Midland Football League Premier Division Winsford Utd in the Extra Preliminary Round on Saturday.

Our hosts finished third in the table last season under the joint managership of Dean Jones and Dom Johnson, but lost out to Northwich in the play-offs. It was their first season in the higher league, having been promoted as North West Counties First Division South Champions.

They started their new league season last Saturday, with a 2-0 home win over Dudley Town, before visiting Cheadle Town on Tuesday evening claiming a late 1-0 victory

Goalkeeper Ryan Brown came out of the Port Vale Academy and joined Kidsgrove Athletic following his release. After a loan at Eccleshall he moved to Hednesford, but was loaned back to Kidsgrove. He is of a number of our hosts pre-season signings.

Jacob Kirwan is second choice keeper and was the league’s goalkeeper of the year in their 24/25 promotion year. He came to Winsford in July 2024, for his second spell at Alsager Town.

Defender Ewan McGeady was originally part of Altrincham’s youth scheme, he spent most of last season at Witton Albion.

Fellow defender Ashton Brogan was signed from Alsager Town, where he had been since December 2024. It was his second spell at Alsager after a short spell at Market Drayton.

Kaylan Wilkinson is a defender too, dual registered with Northwich. He’s also played for Wythenshawe, Alsager and Cheadle Heath Nomads.

Left back Junior Brown is an England C International, with experience in leagues one and two. He started out at Crewe Alexandra, before moving onto Halifax, Northwich, Fleetwood and Tranmere. After spells at Oxford Utd and Mansfield, he spent three years at Shrewsbury, before moving on to Coventry City, Scunthorpe and Bristol Rovers. After a spell at Whitchurch he had a career break, but returned with Hednesford in 2024. He joined our hosts in November last year from Alsager, after a brief spell at Nantwich.

Former Port Vale junior Josh Hall can player anywhere across the back four. He was previously at Congleton Town before joining the new intake.

Centre back Henry Briscoe is a recent arrival from Chester. He has also had loan spells at Hanley Town, Burscough and Northwich.

Ste Jenyons is know as Captain Marvel, he’s the club captain and a centre back. He has just started his ninth season with the club, having signed from Knutsford back in 2018.

Harry McGowan and Kerr Dollochin are midfielders on loan from Macclesfield, for Dollochin it’s an extension of a loan from last season.

Fellow midfielder Diego McGann began his career with S Puma Generaleña, Academia River Plate, Santa Ana FC, Deportivo Saprissa and LD Alajuelense in Costa Rica, He then joined Irish club Linfield, but coming to England with Stafford Rangers. Newcastle Town and Eccleshall followed, before coming to Winsford after nine months at Whitchurch a couple of weeks ago.

More midfielders and another new arrivals, Harry Johnson played for Burscough and Clitheroe last season, while Dan Brown has come from Madeley White Star and Sam Taylor has signed from Crewe FC.

Sam Latham is another former Alsager Town player, a midfielder who was part of the teams promotion push last season.

Jordan Johnson has recently returned for a second spell with our hosts. The striker was previously at Winsford between 2016 and 2019 and has played for Burscough, Middlewich Town, Lostock Gralam and Crewe FC.

Teenager Danny Guiver is a striker too and another recent arrival from Alsager Town, similarly Zach Gatwood, a new arrival from Bollington Utd.. Niza Chilufya was one of last years stars though, known as the Zambian Pitbull.

Winger Mykah Skervin started his career with a US scholarship at Michigan and arrived at Winsford pre-season from Hucknall Town.

Regan Hughes is a young striker who has stepped up from the clubs academy, fellow striker Adam O’Mara has recently moved across town from Winsford Town.

Kick off at Barton Stadium is 3pm. If you are going via junction 18 of the M6, allow extra time due to a diversion for long standing roadworks entering Middlewich.

by Peter Scherer (Images: Steve Ingers)

A goal in each half made sure that Mickleover retained the Keith Calladine Memorial Trophy, the annual pre-season fixture against Burton Albion.

Starting line-up: 1-Aaron Chapman 2-George Wilkinson 3-Sam Sanders 4-Will Atkinson 5-Dwayne Wiley 6-Trialist A; 7-Kane Richards 8-Cieron Keane; 9 Manni Norkett; 10-Josh Carter; 11-Theo Rowe. Subs: Tyrell Waite; Stuart Beavon; Liam Carter; Josh Ashman; Trialist B.

Mickleover made their now customary pacey start, which soon led to the opening goal. Rowe outran the visiting defence on the left, fired in a cross which met Richards and goal number one was into the far corner, 1-0 after just four minutes.

From there Burton seemed to settle more and the play and possession were fairly even up to the completion of the first half hour. Norkett then shrugged off a challenge to break down the right wing. He then cut inside and fired in a shot just over the bar.

Mickleover continued to press down the wings and after 39 minutes Richards tried his luck cutting in from the right. The ball went across the face of the goal, but there was no one to tuck it home.

With just one minute on the clock before the half time whistle, Sports went close again, with Norkett getting on the end of another telling cross, to see his header agonisingly hit the post. So it stayed 1-0 as we reached the interval.

There were no half time changes but there was soon another goal for Mickleover. 50 minutes in and a Josh Carter strike brushed a Burton defender and had the keeper beaten 2-0.

Sports made their first change when Waite replaced Norkett after 62 minutes.

But the attacks continued to flow and six minutes later Keane almost crowned a starring role in midfield, sending in a cross that had the defence beaten, only for Waite’s shot to be well saved by the keeper.

Burton pulled one back with a 71st minute penalty, while further changes were made as Liam Carter replaced Rowe, and Wiley and Richards made way for Trialist B and Beavon.

And so the pre-season schedule came to an end with a 2-1 victory making it four wins out of six, as we now look forward to the FA Cup on Saturday, when we visit Winsford Utd.

 

by Peter Scherer

Mickleover headed for National League North Worksop Town for their penultimate pre-season game, going down 0-1 to a second half goal, in other an otherwise strong performance.

Starting line-up: 1-Aaron Chapman 2-George Wilkinson 3-Sam Sanders 4-Will Atkinson 5-Hamza Bencherif 6-Dwayne Wiley 7-Kane Richards 8-Josh Ashman 9-Manni Norkett 10-Trialist A 11-Theo Rowe. Subs: Ty Waite; Jack McDowell; Josh Carter; Liam Carter; Trialist B; Cieron Keane.

It was a now customary lively start from Mickleover, with an early free kick after Norkett was fouled on his opening run. As at Matlock where he scored the opening goal, Richards stepped up to take the kick, curling goalwards but well taken by the home keeper Dearnley.

Four minutes in and Norkett outpaced the defence again on the left, but his Crossfield ball was just out of range for Richards’ pursuit.

Worksop had their first shot three minutes later when Whitman-Brown shot just wide, but it was end to end with both sides looking to attack.

Wiley put in a strong header just wide from a 13th minute corner, before Worksop earned a free kick, taken short and faded away.

Ashman and Atkinson were looking extremely solid in the middle for Sports, which allowed Richards and Rowe to attack down the wings to support the chasing Norkett. Their combination gave Richards the chance for a telling cross from the right after 17 minutes, but the home defence had it covered.

Gradually our hosts began to apply more pressure and after a 22nd minute corner, there was a further spell of sustained pressure, which Wilkinson, Bencherif, Wiley and Sanders not only soaked up but looked solid and comfortable.

28 minutes and Bencherif went close from a header after another corner, but it continued evenly matched as we reached half time 0-0.

Mickleover made one change for the second half with Keane on for Ashman, but three minutes into the restart it was Worksop that opened

the scoring. A break down the Mickleover left saw a deflected cross sent into the box. The deflection appeared to have wrong footed Chapman in the Mickleover goal and the ball fell nicely for Whitman-Brown who slotted it home 0-1.

Both Trialist A and Norkett then made way for Waite and Trialist C, but now in front Worksop were starting to look stronger and had another shot on goal deflected wide for a corner on the hour mark.

It was nearly a second for our hosts after 66 minutes. Chapman had made an initial save, the ball was fired back in but Wilkinson was on the goal line and headed it clear.

The next change was Josh Carter on for Richards and over the next few minutes Trialist B replaced Wiley, McDowell for Chapman and Liam Carter for Rowe as we were into the final 15 minutes.

Keane managed to make some space to try a shot from distance which was just past the post, but Worksop kept McDowell busy in the closing minutes. Firstly he held a close range shot and the made a diving save to his right and make sure it remained 0-1.

 

by Peter Scherer

It’s our penultimate pre-season game of the season and our toughest, as we head up the M1 to face National League North Worksop Town on Tuesday night. But Mickleover’s 4-1 at Matlock with an impressive all-round performance should make it an interesting encounter.

Our last meetings were back in October 2024 when we went down 0-4 at home and 0-6 away, having knocked them out of the FA Trophy a year earlier away 5-0, with Oli Greaves, now a Worksop player scoring two of our goals.

Under Craig Parry’s guidance they won promotion as NPL Division One East Champions in 22/23 and after finishing second in the Northern Premier in 24/25 they were promoted again via the play-offs.

They have played six pre-season games, the last being a 4-0 home win over Garforth last Saturday. They have also beaten Hallam, Retford, Ilkeston and South Normanton and drawn at home to a Barnsley XI.

Parry has been in charge for six years, with Luke Jeffs his assistant and were 16th in last years National League North standings, their first season at step 2.

Goalkeeper Max Dearnley has just arrived from Macclesfield. He started his career at Penistone and Ossett Utd, before signing for Huddersfield Town. His next stop was Farsley Celtic, before spending a year at Buxton, which included a loan spell at Chorley.

Deegan Atherton is a right back who is starting his sixth season at the club, since arriving from Rotherham Utd.

Former Sheffield Wednesday junior Josh Wilde is a left back, who joined Buxton following his Owls release. Gainsborough, North Ferriby Utd, Halifax and Alfreton were his next stops, before joining our hosts in July 2022. He spent part of last season in loan at Cleethorpes.

Mason O’Malley is left back to and a Republic of Ireland Under 21 International, with League Two experience. Huddersfield Town signed him from Hunslet Boys, before he spent four years at Scunthorpe Utd. After a loan at Ilkeston he joined Bradford Park Avenue and came to Worksop in September 2024.

Centre back Andrew Boyce is another new signing, recently arrived from Scunthorpe. He started at Doncaster Rovers and was loaned out to Worksop and Mansfield before a permanent move to Kings Lynn. After spells at Gainsborough and Lincoln City he joined Scunthorpe in 2014. Loans at Grimsby, Hartlepool and Notts County followed, before he went back to Grimsby. He’ played for Eastleigh too before spending the last four years back at Scunthorpe.

Jay Abudu has just arrived too. A defensive midfielder who spent the second half of last season at Ilkeston. He started out at Chesterfield, but had spent the last couple of seasons in Portugal, with Nogueirense and Leixoes.

Central midfielder Liam Waldock is currently on a season long loan from Boston Utd. He started at Sheffield Wednesday and joined Gainsborough following his release. After two years at Alfreton he moved to Boston July 2025 and spent the latter part of last season on loan at Worksop too.

Sam Wedgbury is a midfielder and part of the coaching staff. He’s had League One and Two experience, having started at Worcester City. He spent four years at Sheffield Utd, including loans at Mansfield and Ferencvaros in Hungary, before returning to the UK with Macclesfield. Altrincham, Stevenage, Forest Green, Wrexham, Chesterfield and Buxton are on his CV too, before he arrived at Worksop in July 2022 from Stalybridge.

Central midfielder Sam Essien has recently arrived from Ilkeston. His career started at Halifax and was loaned to Golcar Utd before going to Boston Utd following his release. He also spent eight months at Matlock Town before joining Ilkeston in March 2025.

Vaughan Redford is another central midfielder who has been with our visitors for a second spell since 2020, playing over 200 games and scoring over 50 goals since arriving from Pontefract Collieries. He started out at Liversedge.

Attacking midfielder Oli Greaves is well-known to Mickleover, as part of our play -off team from 23/24. He started out at Sheffield Utd and was loaned to Barrow before a full time move to Dover Athletic. Spells at Matlock and Gainsborough then preceded a seven month stay in Spain with Almunecar. After a short spell at Buxton he joined Mickleover on October 2022 and was an immediate success. He then moved onto League Two Newport County and had five months back a Buxton, before joining our hosts last February.

Alex Starcenko is another long server and another attacking midfielder. He came from Pontefract in October 2020.

Primarily left winger, Lewis Witham came from Guiseley at the start of last season. He started his career with Stocksbridge and has also played for Alfreton and Liversedge.

Chae Whitman-Brown is a right winger, who came to Worksop at the start of last season, following his release from Mansfield Town. He’s also had a loan spell at Hucknall Town.

Striker Kian Haratt is our hosts newest arrival having signed from Oldham Athletic just over a week ago. He has played 72 times in the Championship and League Two and scored seven goals, since starting out in Barnsley and Huddersfield’s Academies. He had loans with Harrogate, Guiseley, Port Vale and Bradford City, before a permanent move to Fleetwood. He joined Oldham in March 2025 and was also loaned to Brackley.

Ben Tomlinson is a striker and part of the coaching staff. He started out at Worksop 18 years ago, before moving on to Macclesfield, Alfreton, Lincoln City and Barnet. He was then loaned to Grimsby, Tranmere and Barrow, before a move to Carlisle Utd. Halifax and a return to Alfreton were his next stops, before a short stop at Frickley Athletic preceded his Worksop move in November 2020.

Kick off at the KC Sofa’s Stadium is 7.45. Parking is limited and the railway station is a 10 minute walk from the ground.

by Peter Scherer

Mickleover’s pre-season build up took a huge leap forward, with a convincing 4-1 win at Matlock Town last night.

Starting line-up: 1-Jack McDowell 2-George Wilkinson 3-Sam Sanders 4-Will Atkinson 5-Hamza Bencherif 6-Dwayne Wiley 7-Theo Rowe 8-Josh Ashman 9-Manni Norkett 10-Jude Taylor 11-Kane Richards. Subs: Archie White, Callum Minkley, Liam Carter, Josh Carter, Tyrell Waite, Cieron Keane, Trialist A, Trialist B.

It was another lively start for Mickleover when after four minutes Rowe whipped in a cross from the left, which Taylor just headed over.

A couple of minutes later Sports won a free kick, but Richards’ effort was punched away by the home keeper. Wiley then put a long ball out of defence for Taylor to run onto, but the keeper was quick rush out to intercept.

Matlock had the first corner of the game after 11 minutes, it was taken short and came to nought, before a Matlock striker tried a random shot from distance, well wide of the target.

Richards then set up a half chance for Rowe, but his shot was blocked. Both Rowe and Taylor were taking on the home defence at every opportunity and when SportS were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box after 26 minutes, Richards stepped up to send a curling shot into the right-hand top corner, with the keeper well beaten, 1-0.

Just a minute later it was another Rowe cross from the left that had the defence beaten. Norkett connected but his flick was just over the bar.

There was another free kick for Mickleover on the half hour, when a long clearance from McDowell was heading in Richards direction until he was fouled.

But four minutes later Matlock made a break and another distance shot was well saved by McDowell, making a diving save to his right.

Another free kick soon followed in Mickleover’s favour when Norkett was fouled. Richards free kick found Bencherif’s head, but a deflection sent Sports skippers head out for a corner.

Matlock continued to have chances too, none more so than when the Matlock number nine broke through. McDowell was quick to react and dashed off his line to block. But the ball was still free until Bencherif and Sanders covered the line and cleared the danger.

Ashman and Atkinson had both looked strong in midfield, ahead of Wilkinson, Bencherif, Wiley and Sanders making a solid back four.

Rowe then completed an outstanding first half with a solo run down the left, cutting in he fired a perfect shot towards the bottom right-hand corner, but the keeper managed to tip it around the post at full stretch.

So it remained 1-0 at half time but Mickleover had shown the promise that we had seen glimpses of, but this time it had been for the whole 45 minutes.

There were no immediate changes for the second half, but as expected Matlock came out with all guns blazing. There was an early scramble in the Mickleover box, but the defence held firm. Our hosts then had their best chance of the game, when one of the strikers headed wide from close range on the 50 minute mark.

Matlock had put other chances over the bar, when Rowe picked the ball up, cut through the defence for solo effort to make it 2-0 in the 53rd minute.

Both Norkett and Richards had efforts blocked, before the first substitutions were made, with Trialist A and Minkley on for Atkinson and Wiley.

61 minutes and Richards broke free but his shot was saved by the keeper, before he then made way for Josh Carter. Taylor then came off, replaced by Keane but Mickleover were dominating.

Rowe tried his luck again after 70 minutes, but the keeper had it covered. He was then sent scurrying back to his goal line to make a diving save from his own number five, who made a bizarre headed back pass, which was heading goalwards.

McDowell made light of another Matlock shot in the 75th minute, just before Liam Carter came on for Rowe, who had a magnificent game.

But Mickleover weren’t done yet, as Josh Carter emerged from a midfield melee, making a solo run, before placing it past the keeper for his third goal in three games, 3-0.

More changes were made with Bencherif, Norkett and Sanders going off, replaced by Waite and more trialists.

Waite had only been on the field just over a minute when he was fouled in the box. He stepped up to take the penalty to make it 4-0, going in off the keepers hands.

Conor Washington scored a late consolation for Matlock to make the final score 4-1 on a very impressive night for Mickleover. “This is now the standard,” said assistant manager Billy Heath.

 

by Peter Scherer

Mickleover continue their pre-season build up with a Tuesday evening visit to Matlock Town.

Our hosts have played four games so far, all at home, with draws against Belper Town and last Saturday hosting Rotherham, and have lost to Barnsley and Quorn.

Ryan Cresswell is the Gladiators manager, assisted by former Sports player and assistant manager Ricky Ravenhill.

In our last meeting we lost 2-0 at home last season at home in the FA Cup, having both been relegated from the Northern Premier League in 24/25. Our last league meetings were a 2-0 win at home and a 0-2 defeat in the return game.

Matlock were pushing hard for promotion back to the NPL Premier last season, they finished second in the East Division but lost out in the play-offs.

Goalkeeper Alfie Roberts recently arrived from Ilkeston Town, having previously spent two years with Belper Utd. He was a youngster at both Nottingham Forest and Derby County, during which time he was loaned to Barwell and Newcastle Town.

Centre back Jo Cummings is a new signing from Halifax, where he spent the last three years, including a three-month loan at Alfreton last season. He started out at Sheffield Utd before heading south with Charlton Athletic. After a loan at Guiseley he joined Scunthorpe and has also played for Radcliffe, Sheffield FC, Spennymoor and Boston Utd too.

Pierce Bird is a centre back too with League Two experience. Notts County originally signed him from Dunkirk, during this time he had loans at Leek Town, Alfreton and Grantham, before joining Eastleigh on his release. After a loan at Boston Utd his next stop was Kings Lynn, followed by a loan at Halifax before moving to Fylde. He’s played for Buxton and Eastbourne too and spent last season at Kidderminster.

Left back Jeremie Milambo was a Bradford City youngster, who went to Farsley Celtic following his release. After a loan at Ossett Utd he played for Albion Sports and Whyteleafe, before going to the Republic of Ireland with Waterford. Since returning to England he has played for Bowers & Pitsea and Ossett and came to Matlock in November 2024 after 10 months at Liversedge.

Joe Leesley is a midfielder or left back too and returned to Causeway Lane a few weeks ago after leaving for Alfreton 11 ½ years ago. He then moved to Harrogate and was loaned to Stockport, Stevenage and Boston Utd, who he then joined on a permanent basis. He moved on to Darlington, Kidderminster, Scunthorpe and Worksop, where he spent the whole of last season.

Defensive midfielder Fouad Bachirou came to our hosts in October 2024, with masses of international experience. From a youngster with Paris St.Germain, he played for Morton in Scotland, Ostersund and Malmo in Sweden and then had a year with Nottingham Forest before going to Cyprus with Omonia Nicosia. He is also a full international having played 41 times for Comoros.

Declan Eratt-Thomspon can play centre back or central midfield. He arrived from Ilkeston at the of last season, having played his junior football at Sheffield Wednesday and Stocksbridge.

Defender Tom Senior is graduate of Barnsley’s Academy. He previously had loans at Guiseley and Grantham and also had a spell at Mickleover.

Central midfielder Jed Abbey started out in the Wolves Academy, before joining Telford following his release. Alvechurch and South Shields followed before an 18 month stay at Alfreton. He started this year at Marine and came to Matlock a couple of weeks ago.

Midfielder Ben Sault is well-remembered at Mickleover as one of our 23/24 play off team members. He came to us from Kettering, having previously been at Boston Utd, Oadby and Lincoln City and joined the Gladiators at the start of last season, after a year at Buxton.

Brandon Bradbury has recently arrived from Hallam, where he spent the last six years after leaving Chesterfield.

Left sided midfielder Tom Elliott came from Buxton at the start of last season. He started at Worksop and has also played for Nuneaton, Darlington and Hednesford.

Experienced midfielder Josh Waldram has recently arrived too from Brighouse Town, where he had been captain during his two-year stay.

Ryan McLean is a winger recently arrived from Buxton. From Shrewsbury Town’s youth team he moved to Newcastle Town and Hereford, before joining AFC Wimbledon, where he played in league two. He was loaned to Kidderminster and Yeovil before going to Buxton at the start of last season and has also been loaned to Harborough Town.

Another winger is Jesurun Uchegbulam. He played youth football at AC Milan, before starting his UK career with Stockport Town. He first came to Matlock in July 2021 from Mossley and moved on a year later to Chesterfield. Rochdale, Oldham, Eastleigh and Eastbourne followed before moving to Chelmsford City in November 2025. After a loan at Buxton he joined The New Saints in Wales at the beginning of this month, but never played a game, before quickly moving to our hosts.

Striker Keke Jeffers is another new arrival. Stoke City signed him from Bradford City and loaned him to Torquay and Ashton Utd, before he went to Carrick Rangers in Northern Ireland following his release.

Fellow striker Conor Washington came from Derby County at the beginning of last season. He has made over 350 senior appearances before gong non-league, scoring over 70 goals. After starting at St.Ives Town, his CV reads Newport County, Peterborough, QPR, Sheffield Utd, Heart of Midlothian, Charlton Athletic and Rotherham, before his two year stay at Pride Park.

Kick off is at 7.45 and remember it’s street parking with restrictions.

by Gareth Holmes (Images courtesy of Retford FC taken by Jon Knight)

It was an excellent day for football as Mickleover FC travelled to take on Retford FC on a superb playing surface. Fresh from their successful promotion campaign last season, Retford arrived full of confidence, having already tested themselves against the likes of Worksop Town and Heanor Town during pre-season. The contest promised to be a strong examination for both sides, and it certainly delivered.

Starting line-up: Aaron Chapman; George Wilkinson; Sam Sanders; Hamza Bencherif; Callum Minkley; Will Atkinson; Josh Ashman; Kane Richards; Jude Taylor; Andy Dales; Manni Norkett.

Second half subs: Jack McDowell; Liam Carter; Dwayne Wiley; Archie White; Trialist A, Cieron Keane; Theo Rowe; Tyrell Waite; Trialist B; Josh Carter.

The opening exchanges were competitive, with neither team willing to give an inch as they battled to earn the right to play. Both sides approached the game with intensity and purpose, making for an entertaining start.

After 10 to 15 minutes, Mickleover began to find their rhythm. Dales, Taylor and Norkett looked particularly dangerous in attacking areas, combining well and causing problems for the Retford back line. A composed piece of play from Atkinson released Dales down the left flank, and after cutting inside onto his right foot, he produced the first meaningful effort of the game, forcing a smart save from the Retford goalkeeper.

Despite Mickleover’s growing influence, it was Retford who struck first. A ball played over the top was chased aggressively by Nsiah, whose determination and bravery drew a foul on the edge of the Mickleover penalty area. From the resulting free-kick, Retford produced a moment of real quality, expertly curling the ball into the goalkeeper’s top-right corner to take an early lead. 0-1.

Mickleover’s response was immediate and impressive. A corner delivered from the right-hand side caused problems in the Retford box, and after Mickleover won the initial contact, Taylor reacted quickest to produce an outstanding overhead kick which flew into the bottom-right corner. It was a goal worthy of any occasion and brought Mickleover level. 1-1.

The equaliser injected confidence into the visitors, who began to control the game with greater authority. Dales continued to be a constant threat down the left-wing, using his pace and trickery to repeatedly get the better of his marker. One such run resulted in a superb low cross into the six-yard area, where Richards arrived perfectly to convert and score his second goal of pre-season, giving Mickleover a deserved 2-1 lead.

With several new faces within the squad, pre-season provides an important opportunity for players to develop relationships and understanding on the pitch. It was therefore particularly pleasing to see Mickleover’s work rate, togetherness and team spirit on display throughout the first half. At the back, Bencherif and Callum Minkley provided a commanding presence, helping to establish a solid defensive foundation from which the team could build.
Mickleover went into the break leading 2-1.

Mickleover started the second half exactly as they had finished the first, continuing to work hard, play with purpose and look forward whenever opportunities arose. As is often the case in pre-season, several changes were made at the interval, with Wiley, Keane and Rowe among those introduced, but the intensity and commitment remained unchanged as players looked to make their mark.

The game was effectively put beyond doubt after 75 minutes. Rowe picked up possession, drove infield and unleashed a superb strike from distance that gave the goalkeeper absolutely no chance, extending Mickleover’s lead to 3-1.

With confidence flowing, Mickleover continued to pose a threat in attacking areas, particularly through their pace out wide. In the 81st minute, Trialist B played an excellent pass to release Josh Carter, who sprinted clear before calmly slotting the ball beyond the advancing goalkeeper to make it 4-1 and cap off an impressive performance.

Speaking after the game, Sports gaffer Gareth Holmes said:

Thank you to Retford FC for hosting the game. Today’s been an excellent test for the group and a chance for players to get to know each other a little bit more on the field.

I thought we looked more cohesive than we did on Tuesday night. The balance of the team looked good and it was a good step forward. It’s always nice to win because winning breeds confidence, but the most pleasing thing today was the performance.

There’s still an awful lot of things that we want to work on, but the players did well and implemented the things we had spoken about on Thursday in training. Thanks again to Retford FC and we would like to wish them all the very best for the coming season.