Who Should EFL Clubs Be Casting Their Eyes Over?

 

The non-league scene has always been a hotbed for talent and as the five remaining 2020/21 league campaigns reach their conclusions, it feels like the right time to see which players could be moving on to bigger and better things this summer.

With the above in mind, I decided to put together a starting XI of players that I believe clubs higher up the ladder should be casting an eye over this summer.  

 

Why a starting XI? I wanted to give myself a little bit of a challenge when providing my thoughts on this subject. It would have been easy to select six full-backs in a standard list of ten so selecting an XI forced me to expand my horizons. I am a subscriber to Ali Maxwell’s belief that a starting XI should make sense, therefore I’ve tried to pick players in their correct positions.  

 

I am not claiming to be a non-league or National League expert and I’m not in the talent spotting game. I also don’t know whether each of the below players are available and what their contract situations are. I’ve tried to select players that feel more likely to be available (hence the lack of Stockport County players) but there’s no inside track here. 

 

I've also made it a rule not to include players on loan. They are mostly heading back to clubs higher in the food chain so I feel it would be cheating. 

 

Anyway, that’s enough rambling. Here’s my 1-11 of National League footballers that I believe should be on Football League recruitment lists: 

 

 

GK: Ben Killip – 25 – Hartlepool United 

 

It wasn’t entirely difficult to narrow the options of the goalkeeping position. Of the 22 first-choice goalkeepers, only ten are 27 or younger. Four of those are on loan. That leaves Tony Thompson, Grant Smith, Joe McDonnell, Ben Killip, Ryan Boot and Ethan Ross. Why Killip ahead of the others? Killip is in his third full season at this level, had played for England C and has become a key figure Dave Challinor’s side after an indifferent beginning to his Hartlepool career. There has been a clear improvement in his performance, a number of top saves (check out these saves vs Yeovil Town and Woking) and is more than comfortable in possession. It’s a shame that the ex-Chelsea and Norwich City youth may be forced to miss the final weeks of the season due to injury. 

 

 

RB: Joel Senior - 21 - Altrincham 

 

There’s plenty to like about Joel Senior. He has all the technical and physical qualities to make the step up. Good fitness levels, good size, quick, comfortable on the ball and has shown an ability to learn on the job. There appears to be a strong mentality too. Senior was released at 15 for being too small, worked his way up from Sunday League to Burnley. When he was released last summer, he joined Altrincham on trial, earned a contract and within ten games of the National League season has made himself first-choice right-back. Phil Parkinson’s faith in the 21-year-old is high enough that when Myles Weston was causing problems during the 1-0 defeat against Dagenham and Redbridge, Senior was shifted to left-back to quieten him. In my personal (and unqualified) opinion, I think Senior is among the players with the highest ceiling in the National League. 

 

 

CB: Ben Goodliffe – 21 – Sutton United  

 

Consistency across everything has been key to Sutton United’s rise to the top of the National League and selection of players has been no different. For youngers players, it can be difficult to show such consistency. Not Ben Goodliffe. He’s one of just four players under the age of 26 to start more than ten league games this season for Sutton and the only one in a defensive position. Goodliffe had to bide his time this season, missing out on the opening fixtures due to injury and the form of others. After a sticky start, he has been a key contributor to a defence that has conceded just 15 goals in the last 23 matches. While the ex-Wolves youngster has no doubt benefitted from the experience alongside him, all defenders are required to stand on their own two feet and Goodliffe has done that for almost two seasons now.  

 

 

CB: Ryan Johnson - 24 - Hartlepool United 

 

The talent and pedigree of Ryan Johnson has rarely been in question. The majority of his youth career was spent at West Bromwich Albion. He moved to Stevenage, made his league debut and trialled at Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City and Watford. Despite the above, Johnson had played all but 12 of his 110 league matches in non-league football. He took the bold decision to join Hartlepool United one a month-deal in late September to cover Timi Odusina and Gary Liddle. That was 35 league games ago. He has started 28 of those. Comfortable on the ball, ranking high on several defensive metrics, offering a threat at the other end of the pitch and comfortable in a back four or three, Johnson is showing the quality of a player that is close to an overdue return to the Football League. 

 

 

LB: Joe Tomlinson – 20 – Eastleigh  

 

Joe Tomlinson appears to be an ambitious young man on the way up. At 18, he spent a season with Bognor Regis Town in the Isthmian Premier League, winning their Player of the Season award. At 19, he stepped up a division to join Hungerford Town where he was entrusted with the captain’s armband and voted Young Player of the Season for the National League South. At 20, he joined Eastleigh. He has played in numerous positions, has taken on the role of penalty taker and even scored a corker against Wrexham. What strikes me as hugely impressive is the consistency and durability of a 20-year-old in a division where such traits have not come easily. Tomlinson has started all but one of Eastleigh’s league matches having also made 70 league appearances in the previous two seasons. Ian Herring, his Hungerford Town manager, suggested at the end of last season that Tomlinson was going to play in the Football League and it’s hard to disagree with him.  

 

 

RM: Jeff King – 25 – FC Halifax Town 

 

Jeff King has taken a while to reach this point. The 25-year-old bounced around the non-league scene as a youngster, couldn’t quite make the grade at Bolton Wanderers and left St.Mirren six months into a two-year deal. His first year at FC Halifax Town was therefore a success, playing a part in almost every game as The Shaymen reached the play-offs. Halifax are thriving again this season despite a small squad enduring plenty of disruption due to injury and suspension and King has been a key part of that, starting every game he has been available for, playing a variety of roles and rarely letting his team down. Crucially, King has had added an end product to his game this term from open play and dead ball situations, scoring five and assisting ten (or eight if you don’t include being fouled to win a penalty).  

 

 

CM: Josh Rees – 27 – Aldershot Town 

 

Josh Rees was keen to stress his return to non-league was about enjoyment, not a lack of ability or ambition. Based on performances this season, Rees is certainly enjoying himself and definitely dispelling concerns on his ability. The ex-Arsenal and Nottingham Forest youngster exploded onto the National League scene a couple of years back, swapping Chelmsford City for Bromley, scoring 20 goals and reaching a Wembley final. The move to Gillingham didn’t work out. His return to Bromley was solid if unspectacular. At Aldershot Town, Rees has excelled, providing a level of leadership, quality and composure to a squad made up mostly by young, up-and-coming talent. That he has reached double figures despite not playing an obviously attacking midfield role says plenty about the intelligence of his game and despite having turned 27, I would be amazed if Football League clubs aren’t looking in his direction.  

 

 

CM: Connor Lemonheigh-Evans – 24 – Torquay United 

 

Connor Lemonheigh-Evans finally made Torquay United his permanent home this summer and he has thrived in a variety of roles under the stewardship of Gary Johnson. The 24-year-old is a pretty direct attack minded midfielder, the type whose first aim is to run or pass forward where possible. That approach has paid dividends for the high-flying Gulls this term with the Welshman scoring and assisting 15 goals and playing his part in several more from both open play and dead ball situations. A high usage, positive player who has made the most of the stability and looks ready for the next step.  

 

 

LM: Josh Coley – 22 – Maidenhead United 

 

Andrew Boyce knew he wasn’t catching Josh Coley if he was turned. So, he nipped at him, bundled him over and stood over him. Coley didn’t like it. He kicked out and was sent off. It was his second red card of the season to boot. So why put him in this team?  Because his rawness is so enticing. Coley has had to make do with the rotation policy at Maidenhead thanks to strong and experienced competition but he has still made a positive impact, scoring five and assisting eight from 27 games (17 starts). The winger offers natural pace and direct running alongside a strong work rate and tenacity. With the right guidance, Coley could represent a low-risk gamble with a potentially handsome pay off. 

 

 

AM: Jack Earing – 22 – FC Halifax Town 

 

It’s a joy seeing young players almost literally grow into the jerseys they are wearing. Jack Earing struggled to make an impact early last season and ended up heading out on loan. He was reintroduced for the play-off defeat to Boreham Wood post-COVID then made the most of the uncertainty by starting and scoring for Pete Wild’s side on the opening day of the season. From there, Earing has made the most of the opportunities afforded to him, fighting to keep his place and gradually making himself indispensable. He has learnt to battle physically, uses his leggy frame and natural skill to drive forward with the ball and his left boot can pack a punch.  

 

 

ST: Ben House - 21 – Eastleigh 

 

Ben House started this season like a, well, house on fire, scoring six in his first eight matches. Immediately, there was plenty to love about the 21-year-old. He’s the type of striker that defenders must hate playing against, his physical frame matched by a fair amount of pace and a work rate that ensures defenders don’t get a moments piece. Even though the goals haven’t come anywhere near as regularly since, unsurprising for a side whose chance creation numbers aren’t great, he has remained a nuisance and a threat, assisted others and shown his selfless side. I also love the fact that he has a big of needle in his game – he's not afraid to put himself about. 

There are a number of players that could have been added to the above. I will write something during pre-season about the players I really hope to see shine next season but for now, here's five I believe can really step up next year:

 

Reiss McNally – 20 – RB/CB - Solihull Moors 

Alistair Smith – 21 – CM – Altrincham 

Jordan Davies – 22 – CM – Wrexham 

Jake McCarthy – 24 – CM – Weymouth 

Sonny Carey – 19 – CM/CAM – Kings Lynn Town