Connect with us

Features

The Step 3 & 4 stars all the scouts are watching…

There’s plenty of hidden gems in Non-League.

mikel-miller-640x459

By Jon Couch
Carshalton Athletic striker Mikel Miller has been given a chance of top-flight football – at Scottish Premiership side Hamilton Academical.
The 21-year-old fans favourite has scored 21 goals in 32 games for the Bostik South Robins this season, including the fifth in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over East Grinstead Town.
Miller, who made his first-team debut at the club as a 17-year-old, attended Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy last season, earning himself a summer trial at Sheffield Wednesday.
Now, however, he is set to ply his trade north of the border after the Robins agreed terms with the Accies as they bid to maintain their top-flight status in Scotland.
His move comes in a week where two more Step 3 players have attracted the attentions of Football League scouts.
Stratford Town striker Ben Stephens, 21, was rewarded for his 17 goals in the Evo-Stik South this season by being invited by Coventry City for a trial.
Stephens, who recently turned down a move to league rivals Banbury United, has also been invited to train with Championship side Ipswich Town next week.
Stratford boss Carl Adams said: “Whilst we wish to retain our talent at Stratford, we will not stand in the way when we receive the right opportunities for our players.
“We are pleased Ben is being given these opportunities, with the latest being at Coventry.”
Another player looking to make the step up is Brightlingsea Regent midfielder Rob Harvey, who has been invited to train with Championship side Millwall this week.
Harvey, who has previously trialled at Ipswich and West Ham, has attracted a number of scouts to the Taydal Stadium this season and will play in an in-house Lions’ Under 23 fixture on Thursday.
Regent boss Tom Rothery said: “Everyone should be striving to be the best they can be, either by moving up with the club, as has happened in the past, or naturally outgrowing the club and moving onto bigger and better things.
“I don’t want players here who are just content to stay at this level. I don’t want them to be satisfied with that. I want them to become better and we’re at that level now where other clubs – professional clubs, in some instances – come and watch players.
“It’s a great shop window for all the players and everyone has to have that dream and ambition.”

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Add us as a Preferred Source on Google

Tackle the News

- Sign Up for our weekly Non-League Newsletter
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
My Betting Sites
Pro Direct
Isuzu

free bets

online betting online betting

free bets

More in Features

  • Non-League clubs like Gateshead have now become interesting propositions for potential investors Non-League clubs like Gateshead have now become interesting propositions for potential investors

    What entices investors to Non-League football? How a community makes clubs an attractive proposition

    From Gateshead to Goole, overseas money is starting to find its way into Non-League. In the latest of their monthly boardroom updates, Tim Fuell, of the Football Pyramid Partnership asks what investors are seeing, what clubs stand to gain and whether the game is ready for the consequences?

  • A Hopper’s menu won’t ever change

    FANS’ FORUM I DON’T know if I was meant to smile or not at Shane Roberts’ take on food at matches, but I did anyway (Fans’ Forum, October 11). As a groundhopper with no affiliation to a particular club, my highlight on a Saturday is a meat and potato pie...

  • Our grounds are no places for vegans!

    FANS’ FORUM WHILST I sympathise with John Barnett (Fans’ Forum, Oct 4) concerning the lack of vegetarian food in football grounds, I would suggest that he tries putting himself in the shoes of a vegan! I became vegan primarily on moral grounds in 1990 – long before it was trendy,...

  • Place extra sales into a central pot

    FANS’ FORUM WITH National league attendances totalling 1,545,344 for last season, a minimal increase of say £0.25p per ticket sale would have yielded a total income of £386,336. The National League could then place this in a central “holding fund” specifically for the aid of clubs who have had “long...