by Peter Scherer
The road to Wembley starts again this weekend, when Mickleover face Northern Premier Midlands Division side Coleshill Town.
Our visitors have already come through two rounds, having beaten Eastwood 3-1 away after a replay and the Brocton 1-0 away too. It will be the first time the two clubs have ever met too.
Currently 10th in the table Coleshill have won both of their home games, but lost both away from home.
They are now managed by ex Lye Town boss Grant Joshua, who replaced Craig Nicholls in May, with Nicholls moving in the opposite direction.
Keeper Ben Newey is an ex Birmingham City and Burton Albion Junior. He has had experience in the US too and was previously at Leamington and had spells at Lye Town, Rugby Town and Rushall Olympic.
Centre back Niall Rowe returned from Bedworth last October, after only three months away. He started out at Cheltenham and after a loan at Cirencester, he went to Barwell in 2018.
Atherstone, Coventry Utd, Heather St.John, Romulus, Hinckley and Atherstone followed, before his first spell at Coleshill in July 2021. He stayed two years before his brief spell at Bedworth.
Gianluca Bucci is another centre back. A former Lincoln City Junior, he joined Spalding on his release, and after spending last year at Loughborough, he was a pre-season arrival at Coleshill.
Left back Demico Burton was a Derby County Junior, after they signed him from Stourbridge. He returned to his former club on loan, before joining Rugby Town last November on his release. He soon moved to Lye Town where he completed the season with manager Joshua, making the move with him to Coleshill pre-season.
Ben Usher-Shipway is a right back, who had spent his whole career in the West Midlands. From starting out at Boldmere, he joined Solihull Moors, who loaned him to Alvechurch, Sutton Coldfield and Stourbridge, before a permanent move to Leamington in July 2022. He returned to Boldmere last September and was another pre-season signing for our visitors.
Nathan Kabaya is a right back too and a former Wolves and Lincoln City Junior. He had a loan Bromsgrove, before joining Northwich on his release. He then joined Lye last September and is another player to follow manager Joseph pre-season.
Long serving centre back Harry Higginson has started his fifth season at Coleshil, since arriving from Kidderminster.
Current team captain Taylor Carter-Byrne is a defender too. He left the club in June 2022 to join Hednesford, but after just three months he made his return.
Mikkel Hirst is a left back and St.Kitts and Nevis International. He started at Solihull Moors and moved to Atherstone after a loan with Romulus. He has played for Hinckley and Hednesford too, along with a number of spells back at Romulus. He was signed from Melton, where he spent the whole of last season.
Sam Fitzgerald is a midfielder signed from Sutton Coldfield last October. He started off at Atherstone and moved on via Walsall Wood, Rushall Olympic, Alvechurch and Lichfield, before a loan at Hereford. He started last season at Sutton.
Midfielder Gio Dainty is a Coleshill stalwart. He started at Coventry Sphinx and played for Alvis, Atherstone and Bedworth before joining our visitors. He made his debut for the club back in August 2015.
Striker Josh Hesson is another pre-season arrival and another ex Wolves Junior. After a spell at Hull City, he went to the US with Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens, a University side, returning to the UK with Lye Town three years later. He spent last season with Shifnal Town.
Fellow striker Ben Billingham has followed manager Joshua from Lye too, after spending the last two seasons their. He started out at Stourbridge and has played for Littleton too.
Joe Palmer is another striker to come from Lye Town pre-season, as are midfielders Max Ngbeken and Sam Tye and defender Dan Brookes. Ngebeken also played for Alvechurch.
Bassit Mandey, Freddie Cockerell and Laim Ceesay have also been in the squad this season.
Kick off of course is 3pm, BE THERE!!