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.