MFL Weekly Round Up (Premier and Division One)

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