MFL Weekly Round Up (Premier, Division One and FA cup)

Premier Division

Romulus

Romulus have been busy building their squad for the upcoming season and have made some positive moves over the last week to strengthen it.  They have signed Jakob Burroughs and Dominic Dell who featured for Tividale last season and impressed at the Beeches.

Despite it being a challenging season for Tividale last time out, they were some positives and Jakob Burroughs and Dominic Dell both played well for the step five side throughout 23/24.

​Jakob Burroughs was one of the key players for them last season and usually played in holding midfield just in front of the back four. He was an ever present with 26 matches started and seven substitute appearances. It’s an encouraging signing for Romulus and should give the midfield some stability.

Dominic Dell has a lot of valuable experience at step five and is an excellent signing for Romulus. He gives the squad that leadership and know how up front and is coming off an underrated campaign in the MFL Premier. He scored a total of 12 goals for the likes of Tividale and Shifnal from 33 starts and offers a lot up front such as bringing players into play.

They have also signed forward Max McNulty which could work out well. He’s spent a lot of time in the US as part of the American college system and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in the MFL.

There’s also been positive news in terms of players staying with the likes of Jordan Francis and Ryan Nesbitt committing for this season. The Roms have also managed to keep hold of promising players such as Fin Douglas and Mason Stevens who impressed last season.

It’s going to be an interesting season for the Roms going into 24/25 who will be playing their home games at Coles Lane. If it all clicks, they could be a dark horse for the play offs.         

Division One

Gornal Athletic

Gornal have been building their squad over the last week in preparation for their season in MFL (Division One). Manager Dave King has signed a lot of players with valuable experience in step five from the likes of Tividale and AFC Wulfrunians. On paper it looks a really promising squad if it can all click into form.   

One of the main signings was getting in Louis Connor who impressed for Tividale last season as their first-choice goalkeeper. Despite it being a challenging season for the club, he made some excellent saves in the MFL Premier to keep Tividale in matches and went a bit under the radar. He's started a lot of games for them over the last two seasons with a total of 62 starts at step five level. 

They have also bought in Joe Burroughs who played well at the back for Tividale throughout 23/24 and was one of their key players. He’s played a lot of games for them over the last two seasons with 67 starts which is encouraging.

The likes of Curtis Cocking, Brad Welding and Ben Worthington have come in from AFC Wulfrunians who all have experience of playing at step five. They could take Gornal to the next level this season at step six. 

Getting in Curtis Cocking is the one that really stands out as he could really strengthen the midfield. He’s got valuable experience at step five and has started 95 matches over the last three seasons for Tividale and AFC Wulfrunians. The midfielder is a bit of an underrated player in the MFL who helps to break up the play and does the work off the ball that can go unnoticed.      

There’s been a lot of eye-catching signings for the newly promoted club, and it will be interesting to see how they get on at step six throughout this season.

FA cup

Extra Preliminary round draw

The draw for the first two rounds of the FA cup was made last Friday which is usually when step four and five clubs participate in the competition.

There’s a lot of interesting matches in the extra preliminary round with a total of 16 ties involving MFL sides. The winners at this stage of the competition will get £1,125 with the losers receiving £375.   

It’s a good opportunity for MFL sides to showcase themselves against teams either higher up the pyramid (NPL) or in other step five leagues such as the UCL and Hellenic League.

Some of the standout matches include Gresley Rovers V Lichfield City which promises to be an excellent cup tie. OJM Black Country V Chasetown should be exciting and is one of the more eye-catching home ties. Stockport Town V 1874 Northwich should also be interesting and is one to keep an eye on.

It’s a brilliant weekend for casual ground hoppers with a wide variety of clubs to visit. Worcester Raiders V Stourport Swifts is one that catches the eye and takes place at Sixways Stadium which should be a good match.          

Below is a full list of fixtures for the extra preliminary round which is scheduled to take place on the 3rd of August 2024:

FA Cup Draw (Extra Preliminary round)

AFC Wulfrunians V Atherstone Town

Brocton V Tividale

Gresley Rovers V Lichfield City

Hinckley AFC V Highgate United

Lutterworth Town V Studley

Northwich Victoria V Squires Gate

OJM Black Country V Chasetown

Shifnal Town V Belper United

Sporting Club Inkberrow V Dudley Town

Stockport Town V 1874 Northwich

Stone Old Alleynians V Bedworth United

Sutton Coldfield Town V Romulus

Uttoxeter Town V Heanor Town

Whitchurch Alport V Irlam

Wolverhampton Casuals V Rugby Town

Worcester Raiders V Stourport Swifts  

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