By Peter Scherer
Having gone 10 days without a match following the postponement of our visit to Anstey Nomads, Mickleover are back in action on Saturday, as we welcome second placed Basford Utd to the Don Amott Arena.
Back in October we were 2-1 winners in the corresponding away game, with goals from Archie White and Stuart Beavon.
Since then our visitors have gone from strength to strength under Martin Carruthers’ leadership, only ending a fourteen game unbeaten run last Saturday, with a 0-1 defeat at home to Bedworth.
Despite Sports lack of consistency their ninth place is only eight behinds behind Basford and still well in touch with the play-off positions, such is the closeness in the table.
Mickleover should be at full strength with strikers Manni Norkett and Josiah Dyer’s loans now confirmed to the end of the season.
For our visitors first choice goalkeeper is Matt Yates who arrived pre-season from Ilkeston. He spent last season at Ilkeston after joining them from Gainsborough, where he had spent the previous two years. He was a Derby County Junior and was loaned to Gloucester City, Hereford and Telford Utd prior to his release.
In our FA Trophy defeat back In September, he was the difference between us winning and losing and now also captains the side.
Yates’ understudy has been the vastly experienced Saul Deeney. He 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 2023, before returning to Basford at the beginning of last season.
Harvey Woodward has also been on the bench as sub keeper, a former Ilkeston Town player, who has also played for Gedling, Gresley Rovers and Kimberley MW’s.
Centre back Ethan Stewart was signed at the beginning of last season from Stafford Rangers. 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.
Left back or centre back captain Henri Wilder has just started his third season with the club, since signing from Ilkeston in November 2023.He played his youth football at Brighton and Mansfield and was loaned out to Lewes. Following his Stags release he went to Tamworth and played for Alfreton too, before a year at Ilkeston.
Right back Osa Soloman came from Grantham in pre-season. He is an ex Nottingham Forest Junior, who was also loaned to Redditch. He joined Grantham following his release in summer 2023.
Lynden Joyce is another defender who returned to the club after starting off in their youth scheme. He started the season with Shepshed Dynamo and has also played for Sherwood Colliery and Eastwood.
Ryan Ebanks was a pre- season arrival. He plays on the right side of the defence and lists Grantham, Newark Flowserve, Newark & Sherwood Utd and Coalville on his CV after playing junior football at Notts County.
Eli Christie is a former Derby County Academy centre back. He joined Ilkeston following his release and played for Grantham to before joining our visitors from Gresley Rovers in pre-season.
Jordy 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.
Connor Dimaio is another experienced midfielder. He has League One and Two experience after starting at Sheffield Utd. Chesterfield was his next stop, followed by Stockport, Boston Utd, Curzon Ashton, Matlock and Bradford Park Avenue, from where joined our hosts in pre-season.
Callum Cocks came from Long Eaton in the summer. A right back or midfielder he was previously with Loughborough Dynamo and has played for the Army and Royal Artillery.
Right sided midfielder Nyle Blake arrived from Eastwood a couple of weeks ago. He is a former Mansfield Town junior, who joined Alfreton following his release. Frickley, Belper Town, Carlton, Hyde, Gainsborough, Stamford, Newark & Sherwood and Anstey are all on his cv before joining Eastwood last November.
Nat Peters is a midfielder that came through Basford’s own scheme, before moving onto Kimberley MW. He returned to our visitors in November.
Fellow midfielder Rev James in his fourth spell with our visitors. He started out at Rotherham and Oxford Utd, before a loan spell at Basford in 2018. After a spell at Tamworth he made his second visit in November 2019, moving on to Nuneaton who laned him back again, before that became permanent. He finally came back in December 2023, after four months oat Belper Town.
Jack Thomas arrived last month. He’s an ex Notts County and Mansfield youngster, who was loaned to Hednesford, Barrow, Boston Utd and Tamworth, before joining Basford at the start of 2018/19. After further spells at Ilkeston and Tamworth he returned to our visitors again in May ’23, moving onto Anstey, Rushall and Tamworth before his latest move.
Strikers Tyler Dacres, Luca Burton and Covarne Leon are three young strikers that have come through the clubs own Academy and is now a regular in the first team squad.
Curtis Durose was signed early into the season, a striker he is an ex Rotherham youngster and he had loans at Gainsborough, Scarborough and Matlock before a permanent move to Matlock at the start of last season, following his release. He came to our hosts after 10 months at Gainsborough.
Oli Wilson is another striker who came from Hednesford in November. He played his junior football at Mansfield Town and has also played for Carlton and Boston Utd.
Dameer Rose and Taylon Cevirir both made their first team debuts earlier this season, having come through the clubs youth scheme.
Kick off is at 3pm, with usual bar and refreshment facilities.