Category: Club News

From The Sports to Football League: Connor Hall

by Peter Scherer

Striker Connor Hall has had two spells at Mickleover, but is remembered for his prolific goal scoring.

He started playing football as a four year old at Binfield and played junior football both there and at Eldon Celtic, before joining Ascot United under 18’s.

It was from Ascot that he made his first step into the football league with Sheffield United in January 2015.

I was offered a six month contract straightaway and then it was extended for another year,

he explained.

Having played in the Blades under 18’s, he went out on loan to Sheffield in the Northern Premier League.

I had a bad start and didn’t score in my first five games,

he added, but went on to score 13 times in 17 appearances.

His stay at Mickleover followed and after his release from Sheffield United, he was jointly registered for both National League Woking and Mickleover. 

I had been playing well at Woking, but then got injured and joined Mickleover to get back to full fitness. I would call my manager at Woking, if I wasn’t selected that week I then continued to play at Mickleover.

In total he made nine appearances for Sports, but scored 11 goals, including five against Ilkeston on Boxing Day.

It was during his time at Woking he was offered a trial at Bolton Wanderers.

I did well at that and they signed me for a year

He was Bolton’s Young Player of the Year in 2017/18 and made his first team debut in the FA Cup in January 2018.

To continue his development he had a loan spell with League One Accrington Stanley. He played 17 games and scored twice in his six month spell,

A lot of the time I was coming off the bench

Having returned to Bolton he was playing in the Under 23 side, when financial troubles began to affect the club.

I was hoping to break into the first team but got an ankle injury again at the start of the season and was out for over three months.

He decided to join Chorley on loan to get match fit, but the current pandemic brought a swift halt to his stay. Hopes are still high that when Bolton get to play again, he will be part of their line-up.

From The Sports to Football League: Jake Bennett

by Peter Scherer

Defender Jake Bennett was a key member of the Mickleover side between December 2014 and 2016.

He started his career playing for his home town team Telford AFC.

I joined them when I was 15 and made two starts in their first team, before going out on loan to Market Drayton

he said.

It was during a game against Mickleover that Jake’s potential was spotted.

I had a good game against Andy Dales and was made an offer. As the team were pushing for promotion back into the Premier Division of Northern Premier League, I went for it.

In his first season he played about half of the games, but then became a first choice team member.

His two years at Mickleover came to an end after a series of offers of trials from league clubs.

I spoke to an agent and Sheffield United offered me a contract. I made my first team debut against Walsall in the EFL Cup in 2017 and played some friendly matches too. But was due to go on loan to Chesterfield, but injured my cruciate ligament playing against them and was out for 10 months

A thigh injury then precluded any games for Chesterfield and in October 2019 his time at Sheffield ended and he joined National League Alfreton.

I was only at Alfreton a short time and was in and out of the team. As I wanted regular games I decided to step down again and joined Coalville Town in the Southern League Premier Division Central

Jake is still looking to rebuild his career but looks back fondly at his time with Mickleover.

My lasting memory was winning the title, the first medal I had ever won in football.

They all moved on to League clubs!

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.

Brewers to visit Station Road

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.

Allstar Charity Match Supporters: The Final 3

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.

Allstar Charity Match Supporters: Stuart Beavon

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.

Allstar Charity Match Supporters: Ricky Ravenhill

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.

Mickleover FC Exit Trials: Win A Semi-Pro Contract!

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

Allstar Charity Match Supporters: John McGrath

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.

Allstar Charity Match Supporters: Clinton Morrison

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.