by Peter Scherer
For the second consecutive week Mickleover are at home, as we welcome Coventry Sphinx to the Don Amott Arena.
It was another disappointing weekend for Sports last week, going down 1-2 to Wellingborough Town, which saw us slip back to ninth in the table as we started the second half of the league season.
Hopefully Danny Benson and Stuart Beavon will be back from injury, enabling manager Gareth Holmes to go into the festive programme with a full squad.
Our visitors started the season strongly after defeating Mickleover 0-2 on the opening day of the season. But with just two wins and five defeats in their last 10 games, they’re now 16th in the table.
Manager John Woodward has been in charge at Sphinx since the start of the season , having been a co-manager last season. But he is assisted by Louis Guest, former club captain and currently recovering from a long term injury.
Keeper Charlie Woods was signed from Alvechurch in September 2024 and has played for Quorn and Barwell too, since being released by Northampton Town.
Reserve keeper Tom Cross came from Hinckley AFC in 2019., where he had spent the previous four years. He’s played for Sheffield FC, Corby Town, Irchester Town, Rothwell Town, Wellingborough Whitworth, Bedworth United, Banbury United, Evesham United, AFC Rushden and Diamonds and Southam Utd..
Centre back Ryley Nicholson arrived at the beginning of last season, Nicholson has played for Lutterworth and Coventry Utd too.
Right back Kyle Burke was a regular last season, but started this term at Boldmere St.Michaels. He returned to Sphinx in late September.
Defender Jordan Hayward has also been a regular mainstay of the team in the last few seasons.
Danny Monger is a defender too, and has also spent time at Coventry Alvis.
Defender Jamie Draper is home grown talent, having come through the clubs under 18 side. He recently made his 150th appearance.
Patrick Zito is an ex Aston Villa junior. A centre back he came from Quorn at the start of last season, after spells at Sutton Coldfield and Stratford Town.
Currently captaining the side in Guest’s absence is central midfielder Callum Woodward. He is in his second spell with our visitors, having originally left to join Coalville in September 2010, spending four years there until a move to Barwell, preceded a return to Coalville. He has now been back at Sphinx for nearly nine years.
Preferably a right sided midfielder, Matty Bowman is another ex Mickleover player in the visitors squad. A former Repton School pupil he played youth football at Middlesbrough and Hull City, before heading to Scotland with Dunfermline Athletic. He came to the Don Amott Arena from Basford in November 2023 and started last season at Bridlington. He arrived at Sphinx last month.
Finlay Shorrock is a midfielder and had spent the last two seasons establishing himself in the Sphinx side. He moved to Barwell during the summer, but rejoined our hosts in September.
Another midfielder is Jac Redhead, signed in September 2023 from Hinckley AFC. He’s also played for Coventry Copeswood, Barwell and Halesowen.
Devonn O’Sullivan was an early season singing from Quorn. He started off at Stratford and has also played for Rugby Town and Highgate Utd.
Iddriss Fuseini is a midfielder who joined our visitors in November last year. He stated out with Goldberg in his native Ghana, before a spell in Serbia wit Radnicki Nis.
Jack Downes is a midfielder who came through the clubs youth scheme. After being part of a successful youth team in 2015, he moved on, but returned in February 2017.
Striker Kyle Carey was at Mickleover back in 2018 and his previous clubs include Coventry Utd too. When he returned to Sphinx in September 2024, he was only the second player in the clubs history to sign a contract, having previously played youth football for the club.
Fellow striker Jamal Adams is in his third spell at the club, after starting out at Nuneaton. H first arrived from Ruby Town in July 2020, but after a year moved onto Bedworth. He retuned in January 2022, but left again just over a year later, joining Nuneaton Griff. Coventry Utd, Studley and Rushden & Diamonds then followed, before starring this season at St.Ives Town. He finally rejoined our visitors last month.
Daniele Reka is a young striker signed from Rugby Town at the start of this season. He was previously at Alvechurch and Worcester Raiders.
Harvey Smith and Djibril Diedhiou are strikers too, Smith was signed from Studley in November 2020.
Kick off as usual is 3pm