by Peter Scherer
This Saturday Mickleover FC will start their Southern Premier League campaign, with a visit to St. Ives in Cambridgeshire.
After a 3-2 win over our hosts at the Don Amott Arena last August Bank Holiday, we went down 0-2 in the return fixture in January, which saw the Ives finish 16th in the table.
There will be a whole host of new signings on show for Sports and will give the fans a first sight of new loanees Finn Delap from Burton Albion and the returning George Nunn from Derby County.
St.Ives manager Ricky Marheineke has been in charge at Westwood Road for nine years.
They beat Hendon in their final pre-season friendly, having lost 0-4 to Peterborough Utd Under 21’s, also winning 3-0 against Ware and 3-1 versus Harborough, plus a 2-2 draw with Hornchurch.
Goalkeeper Kacper Kurylowicz was with Tottenham Hotspur until September last year, during which time he was loaned to Potters Bar and Braintree, before joining Yaxley on his release.
Eddie Brearey is a young keeper on loan from Oxford Utd. He has previously been loaned to Ives, as well as North Leigh, Thame and Evesham.
Johnny Herd is an experienced left back who joined our hosts from Peterborough Sports in July last year. He started off at Southend Utd, making 26 League One appearances. He had also played for Ebbsfleet, Bishop Stortford and St Neots.
Centre back Charlie Johnson was a Cambridge Utd Junior, who first joined St.Ives on his release in July 2019. After six months he moved to Yaxley, before returning last November, after spells at St Neots and Bury Town.
Fellow Centre back Jordan Williams is another ex Cambridge Utd Junior. He joined Brackley following his release in July 2017, and was at Cambridge City, Stratford and Stourbridge, before returning to Stratford for the 20/21 season, from where St.Ives signed him for the start of last season.
Defender Patrick Casey started out at Northampton Town. He arrived part way through last season from Harborough Town, but has also played for Rushden & Diamonds, Cogenhoe Utd and Bugbrooke St.Michaels.
Centre back or defensive midfielder Murphy Culkin is a recent signing from Redditch, having previously been at Barton Rovers, Eynesbury Rovers and Biggleswade.
Michael Richens is a midfielder who started out at Peterborough Utd. During his Posh spell he was loaned to Histon, Nuneaton, Whitehawk, Bishop Stortford, Stevenage, and Farnborough, before a permanent move to Stevenage on his release in 2015, after making two first team appearances at London Road.
After another loan at Farnborough, he moved to Hemel, Bishop Stortford and Biggleswade, before a four year stay at Kettering preceded his St.Ives move in July 2021.
Midfielder Fernando Bell-Toxtle is a pre-season signing from Royston. He was a Cambridge Utd Junior, who was loaned to St.Neots, before a permanent move to Rushden & Diamonds. After stops at Basford and Grantham he returned to Rushden for two years, before going to Royston last September.
Enoch Andoh is another midfielder who started out at FC Porto. After a two- year spell in Cyprus with Limassol he moved to the UK with Port Vale, making 12 appearances before a move to Whitehawk.
Nuneaton, Macclesfield, Hednesford and Stratford followed, before starting last year at Biggleswade, arriving at St.Ives in August 2022.
Edmund Hottor is a midfielder that has spent most of his career in Italy. AC Milan signed him from Triestina for £1.2 million and loaned him to Virtus Lanciano, ASG Nocerina and Unione Venezia, before his release in 2015.
His next stop was Inter Milan, who loaned him to Atletico CP in Portugal, Olibia in Italy and Fafe in Portugal, before a permanent move to Maltese club Sliema Wanderers. He first arrived in the UK with Kettering and was at Banbury before coming to St. Ives in December 2019.
Striker Jonny Edwards has been with our hosts since the beginning of last season. As a Peterborough Utd Junior he was loaned to Bishop Stortford and St. Albans, before a permanent move to Hull City.
Further loans at Accrington and Woking were followed by a move to Halifax, moving on via Maidstone, Biggleswade, Royston and FC Romania.
Greg Kaziboni is a midfielder who came from Nuneaton at the start of last season. A former Northampton Town youngster, he has played for Corby, Brackley, Banbury, Tamworth, Rushden and Stratford too.
Tiago Nassunculo is a new signing from Barwell. He started with Grantham and was also loaned to Boston Utd, before joining Peterborough Sports in 2019. He has also played for Wisbech, Redditch and Spalding.
Defender Aaron Smith is a new arrival too, from St.Neots. He started out at Peterborough Utd too and also had a spell at Mildenhall.
Winger or midfielder Tyrone Baker came from Basildon in November 2021, having previously played for Bowers & Pitsea and Heybridge Swifts.
Midfielders Luke Harris and Myles Cowling spent the second half of last season on loan, Harris from Peterborough Utd, and Cowling from Cambridge Utd, both have now made their moves permanent.
Ives also have Brandon Njoku and Dan Barton on loan from Cambridge Utd. Njoku is a former West Ham Utd Junior too, and has been loaned to St. Neots, Cheshunt and Braintree too.
Striker Barton has also been loaned out previously at Dereham and St. Neots.
Kick off is at 3pm and we will try to keep you updated via the clubs Facebook page, with live updates.