by Peter Scherer
Our hosts this weekend are Gainsborough Trinity, a side who have suffered for NPL League form, as a consequence of the financial benefits of successful runs in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy.
We hosted Trinity in December and went down 1-2, in a game lost to careless defending in almost the final kick of the match.
Since that date Mickleover have picked up seven points, to out hosts 13, seven on which came from the last three games, beating Blyth 5-1 on their last home game.
Russ Wilcox has been in charge at Gainsborough since September2023, having previously been at Farsley Celtic, Scunthorpe and York City and had an unchanged side for the last four games.
As a player he made over 700 league appearances, with Doncaster, Northampton, Hull City, Preston North End and Scunthorpe.
Goalkeeper Dylan Wharton was a pre-season arrival, having come straight from Sheffield Utd, after being on loan for most of last season. He started out at Chesterfield and after a loan at Heanor Town, made the move to Sheffield Utd in September 2022.
Right back Sisa Tuntulwana came Grantham Town’s youth scheme and joined our hosts in pre-season.
Aaron Simpson is another right back and former Love Island contestant that arrived pre-season. He was at Whitstable Town and Maidstone Utd at the start of his career before joining Wolves.
He had loans at Portsmouth, Telford, Kilmarnock and FC Jumilla in Spain, before going to the League of Ireland with Waterford on his release. He soon returned to England with Dover Athletic and also played for Sutton Utd, Hemel and Chippenham, before spending last season at Salisbury.
George Hornshaw is a right back too and former Scunthorpe Junior. His first loan spell was at Farsley, before joining Gainsborough for a month in 2019. He came back again in July 2021 on a permanent basis, but after a year moved back to Farsley, only to return to our hosts again after just two months.
Left back Ashley Jackson started out at Ossett Town, before moving on to Boston Utd, where he spent two years before joining Scarborough. He came to our hosts on loan last September, before his move was made permanent two months later.
Lewis Butrod is another left back and another ex Scunthorpe Junior. He was loaned to Spennymoor and Hereford before coming to Gainsborough on his release in August 2021. Six months later he joined Farsley and made the return trip 17 months later.
Will Lancaster is a centre back signed from Bradford Park Avenue in pre-season. Having started out with Barnsley, he was loaned to Bradford initially, before making it permanent at the start of last season.
Captain Dylan Coghill is a centre back too. He was a junior at Huddersfield, after they picked him up from Gildersome Sports. He had a spell in Scotland with Clyde after an initial loan, before returning to England with Farsley Celtic. He came to Gainsborough in August 2022, after two seasons at Scarborough.
Jordan Helliwell was another pre-season signing. A central midfielder, he started out at Barnsley too, and was loaned to Stalybridge Celtic and Esbjerg in Denmark. He also played for AFC Totton and Brighouse, before ending last season with Wakefield AFC.
Striker Javelle Clarke is in his second season with the club, having arrived from Brighouse in July 2023. He started his career at Sheffield Utd’s Academy.
Fellow striker Dec Howe has become Gainsborough’s lead scorer since coming from Ilkeston in September 2023. He started with Staveley MW before a move to Cleethorpes. After a loan at Darlington he joined Alfreton at the start of last season, but moved to Ilkeston after a couple of months.
Right sided midfielder Frazer Preston played his junior football at Sheffield Wednesday. He spent two years with Boston Utd after his release, followed by a short stay at Alfreton before coming to Gainsborough in November 2022.
Bobby Johnson plays in central midfield and came from Farsley Celtic at the start of last season. He started at Goole and then North Ferriby, before a four-year spell at Alfreton, which preceded his move to Farsley.
Left- sided midfielder Joe Stacey started with Belper Town, before moving on via Ossett Utd, Grantham and Guiseley. He then joined Alfreton November 2023, who loaned him to Gainsborough for three months at the end of last season, before the stay was made permanent.
Fellow midfielder Bailey Conway was a Sheffield Utd Junior, moving to Rossington Main and Alfreton before his first spell at Gainsborough in December 2022. After seven months he moved to Guiseley, only to return seven weeks later.
Danny Devine is a midfielder too, who began his career at Bradford City. After a loan at Harrogate he joined Carlisle Utd, moving on to Chester two years later. After a loan spell at Farsley, he left Chester and began last season at Guiseley, moving to our hosts after three months.
Curtis Durose is a right-sided midfielder that came from Matlock last December. A product of Rotherham Utd’s Academy, he spent most of the 22/23 season on loan at Gainsborough. He was then loaned to Scarborough and Matlock before the latter became permanent at the start of this season.
Striker Sam Fishburn has been on a months loan from Scunthorpe, which may have been extended. Scunthorpe signed from Fleetwood at thee start of the season, but he started out with Carlisle Utd.
He has loans at Lancaster, Blyth, Morpeth, York City and Spennymoor too.
Kick off as usual 3pm.