MFL Weekly Round Up (Division One)

Bilston Town

Bilston Town have been building their squad for their upcoming season in MFL (Division One). The Steelmen looked good for large parts of last season and went on to secure a top half finish at step six. The aim this season will be to push for the play offs and they have come close over the last two years under manager Mike Dunn.

A lot of players from last season’s squad have stayed on for another season. Aaron Weston has committed to the Steelmen who was a key player for them in 23/24 with 35 starts in all competitions. Mitch Evans and Jake Short have also stayed on for another season who do a lot of work that goes unnoticed from midfield.  

​The main eye-catching signing was Eesa Sawyers committing for another season who was a key attacking threat for them last season. An excellent player to watch on the ball who has the ability to unlock defences and create chances. He made 25 starts for the Steelmen in 23/24 and went on to score 11 goals.

There’s also been some new signings with Tarique Hunter joining the Steelmen ahead of the start of preseason to boost the squad. Haydn Hall has also recently committed to the club for the upcoming season who was an integral part of the team in 23/24.   

It’s all positive for Bilston to make another push for the play offs this season. The main strength is having that continuity and experience in the squad which could really benefit them throughout 24/25. If it all goes to plan, they could be one of the teams to watch at step six this season.

Cradley Town

​Cradley Town have been busy this week with the announcement of a new joint manager in Stuart How to replace Aaron Morris who left the club last week. It’s an interesting appointment for the Hammers just before the start of pre-season and adds some intrigue into how the season is going to go. 

Despite Tividale struggling last season in step five they showed flashes under Stuart How. They were capable of being a game for anyone on their day such as drawing against Congleton Town but were a bit inconsistent in the league. One of the main positives is that he knows the level well and is capable of turning Cradley into play-off contenders.   

There’s been encouraging news in terms of the squad with Brad Ward committing for another season who was excellent for them last season. He started 34 matches and went on to score nine goals in helping them to a top half finish in MFL (Division One).

Dan Hadley has also committed for another season who was a key player for them at the back throughout last season. He was an ever present with 26 starts in all competitions for the Hammers. 

Lutterworth Athletic

Lutterworth have started their recruitment drive by getting in promotion winner Charlie Jones into the squad. It’s a boost for the Leicestershire side with the midfielder having valuable experience at step five with Racing Club Warwick and being a part of their promotion winning season in the UCL (Premier Division South).

He played a lot of games last season for Racing Club Warwick and went on to make a total of 45 appearances with 26 of those being starts.

It’s positive news for Lutterworth under new manager Ben Steane and it will be interesting to see how they get on in the MFL.

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