Position: Defender

Ryan Wilson

MARCH 4TH 1993

Son of former Rams player Kevin, Ryan is a left back or midfielder who started at Ilkeston Town. Having moved onto Gateshead for a year, he then returned to the Midlands for a two-year spell at Alfreton Town.

After moving onto Coalville for another season, he had a short spell at Matlock before joining Telford in September 2017. He then had a year out before signing for Basford, from where Mickleover brought him in for the start of the 22/23 season.

He scored six goals in his first season too and is one of the clubs free kick experts and led last season’s campaign by example, as club captain.

George Taft

DOB: July 29th 1993

A former Leicester City Junior centre back, George was also capped by England at Under 19 and Under 18 levels. He was loaned out to Kettering, Karlstad in Sweden and League two York City before joining Burton Albion on his release in 2014. He spent two years with the Brewers and was part of their promotion team to League one alongside Stuart Beavon. Loans at Cambridge Utd and Mansfield followed, before a permanent move to Cambridge in 2018. He then moved on to Bolton Wanderers and Scunthorpe, still in league two, before spending last season at Worksop Town.

Jake Bennett

February 22nd 1996

Like so many others, Jake started playing for his hometown club Telford AFC as a 15 year old, making two first team starts before going out on loan to Market Drayton.

He was initially spotted by Mickleover management during a friendly match against Market Drayton, and with Sports then pushing for promotion back to the Premier Division of the NPL. He was made an offer which he readily accepted to become a Sports player in December 2014.

After being part of the squad for his first half season, he became a first choice defender over his two year stay and began to receive offers of trials from League Clubs.

He joined Sheffield Utd in 2016 and making his first team debut in the EFL Cup in 2017, plus other first appearances in some friendly matches.

He was then due to go on loan to Chesterfield, but played against them in a friendly and collected a cruciate ligament injury, putting him out of action for 10 months.

A further thigh injury on his comeback meant he never got to play for Chesterfield, and following his release by Sheffield Utd in October 2019, he had a brief at Alfreton Town, before joining Coalville Town in December 2019 in the Southern League Premier Division Central.

He opted to return to Mickleover during the summer, of 2020 as he was still looking to rebuild his career and looked back fondly at his previous two years with the club.

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

A first choice right back, Jake has fought back from some serious injuries, but always comes back stronger and even more determined, as he looks forward to his fifth successive season at the club.