Premier Division

Hanley Town

Hanley Town have made some encouraging moves to bounce back at step five under manager Scott Dundas. The Stoke side have signed a host of players who impressed in the premier division last season and should help them at this level.

They have signed Eden Bailey and Michael Shorthouse who impressed for 1874 Northwich last season on their way to reaching the play off final.

​Eden Bailey led the line well last season for 1874 with 15 goals from 22 starts in all competitions. Michael Shorthouse really stepped up in goal and made 35 starts last season which included notable clean sheets against the likes of Shifnal Town and Brocton.  

Both should add experience and know how for Hanley this season following relegation from the Northern Premier League (Division One West) last time out.

They have also added players from the local Stoke non-league scene who have impressed in steps five and six. Kacper Milkulsi and Jack Van Der Lann join from Stone Old Alleynians who guided them to a top half finish last season in the premier division.

​Jake Twyford and Kyle Stubbs have also signed to bring some experience to the midfield and defence.

There’s also a few notable signings from the NWCL (First Division South) which look intriguing for Hanley.

Fin Pattison (Foley Meir), Sam Finney (Market Drayton Town) and Joe Minshall (Eccleshall) have all joined the squad for the upcoming season in the MFL Premier Division.

It feels promising for Hanley supporters with a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes to recruit players for the new season. It feels proactive and focused from the Stoke side and could play a big part in building a winning culture under Scott Dundas.       

Lye Town

The Flyers are another side looking to bounce back at step five following relegation from the Northern Premier League last time out.

​It was a tough season for Lye at step four in 24/25 who finished 20th with 27 points in NPL (Division One Midlands).

The club reacted well to relegation though and have quietly been building for the new season. They appointed their new management team back in May with Richard Ball and the new coaching staff joining the Flyers which gave them time to settle in and prepare for the upcoming season.

They have made some interesting signings over the last week in the build up to pre-season getting underway. Defender Joe Burroughs has been retained for the upcoming season who has considerable experience at this level.  Sam Hall, Danny Cartwright and Matt Saunders have also been retained by the club to provide some continuity going into the MFL.

​Goalkeeper Matt Horton has joined the club who was previously with Hereford and could be a key player for the Flyers this season.

Luke Sidaway joining the squad is another intriguing signing by Lye and he could be a real attacking force up front having impressed for Gornal Athletic in step six last season. He was a reliable presence up front with 17 goals from 32 starts for the Peacocks in all competitions.  

New signing Brad Ward has impressed in MFL division one for Cradley Town over the last few seasons and could be one of the more astute singings in the premier division if he can make the move up to step five. He scored 21 goals from 42 starts for the Hammers last season at step six on their way to reaching the play offs.

There’s been a lot going on at Lye Town over the summer and there’s a mixture of continuity and new signings on their return to the MFL following a two year stay in the NPL.     


​Division One

AFC Bridgnorth

AFC Bridgnorth have been making some interesting signings going into the new season in division one.

The Shropshire side have added Lee Blake to the club to join the coaching staff as their assistant manager alongside Jack Griffiths.

​They have also signed former Bilston Town midfielder Mitch Evans to the club to add some grit and experience to the squad. It’s a really encouraging signing for AFC Bridgnorth with Mitch Evans making 63 starts in division one for the Steelmen over the last two seasons.

He does a lot of the work in midfield that can go unnoticed and should make AFC Bridgnorth harder to break down from holding midfield.

It’s been an interesting week for the club in terms of player news, and it will be intriguing to see how they get on at step six. Jack Griffiths joined the club as manager in the middle of last season and built some real momentum to guide them away from the bottom three.

​With a full pre-season in place, it should be a time of hope for AFC Bridgnorth supporters going into this season following some tough years at step six.   

Gornal Athletic

Gornal are building for the new season and have made some notable signings over the last few weeks.

The Peacocks appointed Stuart How as their new manager back in May and have made some good additions to boost their squad.

Reece Francis and Dan Hadley have joined the club having impressed for Cradley Town in division one last season. Both players bring considerable experience of competing near the top of the league and should provide Gornal with that know how and experience in division one.

Midfielder Ryan Winwood has joined the squad over the last few days which is a brilliant signing for Gornal and should shore up their midfield. He was excellent for Darlaston on their way to achieving promotion from the MFL Premier Division back in 23/24 and feels like a statement signing by the Peacocks.

Tom Turton has also joined the squad who has experience at higher levels of the national league pyramid. He’s played for the likes of Halesowen and Stourbridge in the past and has that experience which should help Gornal this season.

It genuinely feels ambitious from Gornal Athletic with the club looking to push on in their second season at MFL Division One following a 16th place finish last time out.

It’s shaping up to be an exciting season for Gornal supporters who loyally stuck with the team throughout last season despite some of the challenges of adapting to step six football.

They could be rewarded if the team can click on the pitch and build some early momentum under new manager Stuart How.

Round up feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League 

Premier Division

1874 Northwich

It’s been a busy week for 1874 Northwich with a host of players staying or leaving the club as the Greens prepare to go again for 25/26.

Goalkeeper Jack Atkinson is staying on for the upcoming season who played a key role in 1874’s success last time out. He made eight starts in all competitions throughout the 24/25 season and notably made some impressive saves in their win against Atherstone Town in the play off semi-final.

It feels like a big move by 1874 with Michael Shorthouse leaving the club earlier in the week to join fellow MFL side Hanley Town. He was an ever present for 1874 last season with 35 starts in all competitions.

There could be a changing of the guard in goal with Jack Atkinson getting more game time as the number one this season.

The Cheshire side also saw another key departure this week with defender Matty Fenton leaving to join NPL side Leek Town higher up the pyramid. He impressed at centre back last season with 42 starts in all competitions for the Greens on their way to the play off final.

1874 have kept hold of midfielder John McGrath and wing-back Liam Fitzpatrick who both played well and showed potential for the Greens throughout 24/25.    

Coton Green

Coton Green have been making some encouraging moves for their debut season at step five over the last few weeks.  

A lot of key players from last season’s promotion winning squad have stayed on board for their premier division campaign.

Oli Roome, Cameron Lee, Dean Morris, Lewis Landers, Matt Hunt, Tom Hurdman, Jay Henry, Corey Powell, Tom Weale and more have been retained for the 25/26 season.

It feels positive and proactive from the Tamworth side who have also added notable players who impressed in step six last time out. An eye-catching addition was Harry Higginson joining the squad who stepped up at centre back for the likes of Gornal and Cradley in 24/25.

Another notable addition to the squad is full back Jake Wilkes who impressed for Smethwick Rangers with a combined 52 starts over the last two years. Tom Kinsey joining from division two side Hampton is another intriguing signing for Coton and boosts their options in midfield.      

The Green Army have really built some momentum under manager Nic Oakley who joined in the middle of the 23/24 season. They clinched promotion from division one thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout win against Leicester St Andrews in the play off final back in May.

They look in a good place to be competitive at step five and cause a few upsets across the season.

Romulus

Romulus are building for the upcoming season with continuity being a big theme of their off season so far.

The Roms have announced the management team of Joe Ballinger and George Evans will be staying on board for the upcoming season.  

It feels like the club are looking to build on the positives of last season’s 13th place finish. They went a bit under the radar last season but finished the campaign strongly with four wins from their last six matches.  

It will be interesting to see how they get on this season with a proper pre-season programme available for the current management team to prepare for 25/26.

​Joe Ballinger and George Evans were appointed in the middle of last season and did relatively well at step five to guide Romulus to a comfortable mid table finish.

A lot of last season’s squad have committed for the upcoming season which can only be a positive for Romulus who can carry on the culture and momentum they built at the back end of last season.

The top four players with the most starts for Romulus last season have been retained with Jordan Francis, Lewis Gwilliams, Joe Clarke and Reece Nunn making a combined 124 starts across 24/25 for the Roms.

There’s also further experience up front with striker Dom Dell committing for the new season who has a distinguished goalscoring record at step five for the likes of Darlaston and Tividale in the MFL premier over the last few years.

Romulus have gone slightly under the radar over the last few years but could be a dark horse to challenge for the play offs if it all clicks on and off the pitch.

There’s a lot of leadership and experience in the squad which could help them this season.    

Uttoxeter Town

Uttoxeter have been making some positives moves ahead of the new season in the MFL Premier.

The Staffordshire side have been a reliable presence at step five over the last few seasons with comfortable mid table finishes of 12th (23/24) and 15th (24/25) under manager Phil Adams.

Similar to Romulus, they can go a bit under the radar in the premier division but are making some interesting signings.

The Town have signed goalkeeper Charlie Wood back to the club who impressed throughout 23/24 as the number one with 33 starts in all competitions.

The club have also retained key players from the last couple of seasons with midfielder Mikey Conlon staying on board for the upcoming campaign. He’s got that quality on the ball to open teams up and find some space from attacking midfield.  

Another key retention for Uttoxeter is Lewis Dawson who emerged as a real attacking threat for them last time out with 18 goals from 29 starts in all competitions.

Uttoxeter could surprise a few teams this season in the MFL premier and could be a side to watch out for if they can build some early season form.

Round up written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League