by Peter Scherer
Back in September the Mickleover squad had one of their most positive wins of the season, against a fairly poor Rushall Olympic side.
Since then manager Liam McDonald’s side have gone from strength to strength and currently sit fourth in the table, with only two defeats in the last 15 games and beaten just once all season away from home.
McDonald has been in charge for five years, having previously managed Solihull Moors and Hednesford, after ending his playing career as a player coach with Redditch.
With George Nunn back on loan from Derby County, Mickleover will have more choice up front, with Stuart Beavon, Elliott Reeves and Marcus Marshall all available, while hopefully Andy Dales and Mitchell Rose will be fit again after a further weeks rest.
Our visitors goalkeeper Jake Weaver has been receiving excellent reviews this season. A former Birmingham City youth player, he was loaned to Hungerford, Kidderminster, Hednesford and Leamington, before a permanent move to Leamington in August 2020. He arrived at Rushall pre-season.
Right back Kristian Green came from Stourbridge in July 2020, having also played for Halesowen, Solihull Moors and Tamworth.
Sam Whittall is one of the long serving players. A midfielder, he started out as a Wolves Junior, before joining Cambridge Utd. He came to Rushall in July 2016 from Brackley and scored a hattrick in Tuesday’s 5-1 Walsall Senior Cup win over Sutton Coldfield.
Former England Under 17 International Sam Mantom started at Walsall, but spent most of his youth career at West Bromwich Albion. He was loaned out to Haukar in Iceland, Tranmere, Oldham and Walsall, before joining the Saddlers permanently in 2013, where he later became captain. He then moved on to Scunthorpe and Southend, before arriving at Rushall in October 2020, with over 250 league and FA Cup starts under his belt.
After only a month he moved to Hemel, before rejoining our guests again in pre-season.
Left back Reece Mitchell came from Boldmere St Michaels in July 2019, having come through the youth team at Leamington.
After a spell at Hereford he joined Cheltenham Town and has also played for York City, Nuneaton, Macclesfield and Bradford PA in between three spells at Kidderminster, from where he joined our guests pre-season.
Andre Carvalho-Landell is a striker that arrived earlier this season. A former Wolves Junior, he moved to Bath City before joining Rushall in August 2012. After a year he moved to the US with Tiffin Dragons and Michigan Bucks, before returning to our guests in September 2017.
He then moved on via Alvechurch, Stourbridge and Bromsgrove, before a year at Hednesford preceded his third spell with Rushall.
Midfielder Alex Fletcher is another pre-season signing. Starting out as a Shrewsbury Town Junior, he played for Telford and Tividale, before joining Welsh League Newtown. He also played form Southport and Stafford, returning to Newtown in between. He spent a year back at Stafford, before arriving at Rushall.
Callum Coyle is another midfielder who joined the club in August 2021, after spending most of his career with Solihull Moors. He was loaned out to Sutton Coldfield, Romulus, Nuneaton, Halesowen and Grantham, before moving to Stafford on his release in 2020.
Midfielder Richard Batchelor is well known to Mickleover, as he was at the Don Amott Arena before joining Rushall in November 2019.
He started at Romulus, moving on to Chasetown, Leamington, Hednesford, Brackley, Worcester, Stafford, Stourbridge and Highgate, before coming to Mickleover from Redditch in July 2019.
Will Shorrock was another product of Walsall’s youth scheme. A midfielder, he went to Bromsgrove after his release in 2018 and came to Rushall pre-season too.
Another former Bromsgrove midfielder, Jordain Masidi arrived in November 2020, he also played for Littleton.
Jermaine Hylton is primarily a left winger, signed by Birmingham City from Kidderminster as a junior. Following his release he played for local club Continental Star, moving to Redditch after three years.
He then had a spell at Swindon Town, moving to Solihull after a loan spell at Guiseley. Next stop was Motherwell and Ross County, before heading south again with Newport County. He came to Rushall just before Christmas, after 11 months without a club.
Centre back Jordan Brown is a former AFC Wimbledon Junior, who then played for Staines, before trying his luck with VPS in Finland and Floy in Norway.
After two years he was back in the UK with Hayes & Yeading, before heading to the Midlands with Redditch, Stafford and Stourbridge. He came to Rushall in March last year from Tamworth.
Midfielder Owen Parry came in from Boldmere St Michaels in June 2021.
Striker Sam Moore was another pre-season capture. A fairly prolific scorer, he started out at Coalville, before moving to Quorn, Shepshed, Birstall, Barrow Town, Eastwood, Coleshill and Corby.
Kieran Cook is a striker too. He came back to Rushall in 2020, after a couple of spells at Alvechurch and time at Stourbridge too.
Alex Cameron is yet another striker that arrived in June last year. He started out at Stourbridge and has played at Dudley Town, Tividale, Sporting Khalsa and Redditch.
Centre back Liam Daly arrived from Ilkeston in October. Vastly experienced, he started at Evesham, before moving rapidly on to Corby, Redditch, Solihull, Halesowen, Leamington, Barwell, Gloucester, Barnet, Stourbridge and Nuneaton.
He started last year at Nuneaton, but moved to Kettering in March and Ilkeston in August.
Declan Riley and Tyreese Hughes have both come through Rushall’s own youth scheme. Riley is a striker, recently added to the Rushall squad, similarly winger Hughes, who has also been selected for England Under 19 Schools.
Teenager Miguel Ngwa recently arrived on loan from Northampton Town. The young midfielder had already been loaned to Rushden.
Kick off at the Don Amott Arena is 3pm as usual, and with the Rams not playing until Monday, why not give Derby’s number two team your support?