by Peter Scherer
Tuesday night sees Mickleover host neighbours Basford Utd at the Don Amott Arena.
Back in September Mickleover travelled to Basford and came home 2-0 winners, but despite success in the FA Trophy our visitors have struggled of late in the league.
Last Saturday they bowed out of the FA Trophy, losing 1-4 to Eastleigh in the fourth round.
Currently 20th in the table and two points ahead of Mickleover, they went down 0-5 at Ilkeston on New Years Day, their sixth successive league defeat.
It proved to be a positive start to the New Year for Mickleover though, not only a valuable away point at Lancaster, but a clean sheet too.
Our visitors have recently changed manager after Martin Carruthers resigned. Luke Potter is now in charge, with Saul Deeney continuing as assistant.
Goalkeeping duties have been shared recently between Deeney and Harvey Woodward. Deeney started his career at Notts County, and after loan spells at Gresley Rovers, Ilkeston and Hull City, he made a permanent move to Burton Albion in 2005.
He then returned to Notts County, for a year, before a short stay at Hucknall Town preceded a return to Burton too. 4 ½ years at Derby County followed, before his first spell at Basford in 2015. Moving on to Coalville and Ilkeston, he joined Matlock in January last year, before returning to Basford pre-season.
Woodward is a former Ilkeston Town player, who came into the Basford side in November when Deeney was suspended. He also played for Gedling and Kimberley MW’s.
Ethan Stewart was signed in pre-season. He started his career with Nottingham Forest, who loaned him to Billericay and Alfreton, before joining Nuneaton on his release. He then returned to Alfreton, before moving to Stafford Rangers in October 2021.
Josh Barnes is a former Nottingham Forest Junior defensive midfielder. He was loaned out to Truro City on two occasions, before signing for Basford in July 2022 following his release.
Bermudan International central midfielder Kacy Butterfield was another pre-season signing from Stourbridge. He was a junior at Walsall and was loaned to Rushall before joining Kidderminster on his release.
After moving on to Chesterfield, he was loaned to Guiseley and then made moves to Alfreton and Nuneaton, before joining Stourbridge in January 2024.
Right sided midfielder and captain Matt Thornhill started out at Nottingham Forest too. He was loaned to Brighton, Hibernian and Cheltenham, before a permanent moved to Hibs. He then spent three years at Buxton, before moves to Shaw Lane and Gainsborough and has been at Basford since March 2017. He has played in the Championship, League’s One and Two in England and the Scottish Premiership.
Rev James is in his fourth spell with our visitors, after playing his Junior football at Rotherham and Oxford Utd. He first came to Basford in December 2018 onloan, but then joined Tamworth after his release by Oxford.
In November 2019 he came back to Basford, stayed 2 1/2 years and then moved to Nuneaton, initially on loan. But he came back again in February 2023, started last season at Belper Town, but after four months he was back again.
Jordan Hallam is an attacking midfielder, who has spent most his career at Sheffield Utd. With 28 EFL appearances under his belt, he had loans at Southport, Viking Stavanger and Chesterfield, before joining Scunthorpe following is release. His next stop was Ilkeston after an initial loan, but after three months he moved to Basford in October 2023.
Striker Ash Chambers was signed from Coalville pre-season. A former Leicester City Junior, he was loaned to Wycombe Wanderers and Grimsby, before joining York City after an initial loan, following his release.
Cambridge Utd, Dagenham & Redbridge and a return to Grimsby were his next stops, before making his loan spell at Nuneaton permanent. Stops at Kidderminster, Brackley and Buxton followed, before spending two years at Coalville. He played over 150 games in the Championship and leagues one and two.
Fellow striker Tyrell Waite moved from Mickleover to our vistitors in the close season, having joined Sports from Ilkeston last February.
He started out at Notts County and had loans at Nuneaton and Ilkeston before joining Lincoln City on his release. He spent time in Sweden with Skelleftea FF, before returning to Nuneaton the following year. Kidderminster, Matlock, Boston Utd, Tamworth and Coalville all followed, before he signed for Ilkeston in September last year.
Kane Richards is another well-travelled striker, after starting out at the Derby County Academy. He had a loan at Matlock before signing for Ilkeston on his release. Chester was his next stop, with a loan at Gainsborough before heading south to Dover Athletic. After another loan at Telford, he joined Kidderminster, before joining our visitors for the first time in July 2019.
Three years later he moved to Nuneaton and then started this year with a very brief stop at Kettering, before returning to Basford in February last year.
Striker Tyler Dacres is a young striker that came through the clubs own Academy and is now a regular in the first team squad.
Harvey Ridgley has come through the Academy too, a young defender who was loaned out to Loughborough Dynamo last season.
Striker Joe Uveges and defenders Nelson Aideyan and Diamond Atai are also Academy Graduates, who have made their first team debuts this season, along with Dameer Rose and Saikou Brown.
In October Mansfield Town Juniors Taylor Anderson and McKeal Abdullah both arrived on loan. Anderson is a defender who made his first team last season and Abdullah is a striker, who has also played internationally for Pakistan.
Louis Nicholson is a recent arrival too, a left sided defender from Grantham Town. He has also played US College football and was previously in Basford’s own academy.
Defensive midfielder Alex Swallow joined the club in November and both Jacob Gratton and Kevin Da Silva Bastos are new arrivals too.
Striker Gratton came Worksop just before Christmas. A former Rotherham youngster, he was loaned to Guiseley before a permanent move to Farsley Celtic. He then had two spells at Belper Town, with a year at Whitby Town in between. He started this season at Belper too, before his short stay at Worksop.
Winger Bastos left Basford in July 2023 to join Belper too, but after a year went to Kosevo with KF Istogu. A former Nottingham Forest junior, he played for Ilkeston and Tamworth too and has rejoined Basford from Loughborough Dynamo.
Finally defender Archie Aves has recently arrived on loan from Notts County, and made his debut in last Saturday’s FA Trophy defeat.
Weather permitting kick off is 7.45 as usual.
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