Recent Movement OUT of the Southern Football League

There have been a few player movements out of the Pitching In Southern Football League this week.

Leaving Division One Central club Colney Heath for the second time is 32-year-old midfielder Brett O`Connor, who has become one of the first signings made by Martin Standen, the new player-manager of Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division outfit Arlesey Town.

The pair played together at Heath as well as at Welwyn Garden City.

O`Connor also numbers Tring Athletic, Hertford Town, Ware, Hoddesdon Town and St Margaretsbury amongst his other former clubs.

Central midfielder MJ Muyembe has left Premier Division Central club Biggleswade Town to join Histon`s battle against relegation from the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands.

The 20-year-old is a former Luton Town under-23 who has also seen service with Hitchin Town, Hemel Hempstead Town and AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

And another former AFC Rushden & Diamonds player, striker Tom Lorraine, has ended a long spell at Hayden Road to re-join Histon`s league rivals Daventry Town, who are also finding life tough in the newly-formed division.

The 32-year-old was Diamonds’ all-time top goalscorer, having scored his 100th goal for the club this season in the League Cup at Peterborough Sports on October 5th.

He was the club’s top scorer in the promotion-winning 2014/15 campaign, scoring 19 goals, but showed his flexibility by playing in midfield towards the end of the season to provide much-needed cover in that position.

He was also the top scorer in 2015/16 with 15 goals as the club played their first season at Step 4, picking up the managers` player of the season award.

He became the Diamonds’ overall top scorer during the 2016/17 season, passing his half-century of goals, and during that campaign he also picked up two player of the month awards, scoring a further 18 goals.

In 2017/18 he repeated that feat as he helped the club to gain promotion to Step 3, scoring 16 goals from 32 starts and being awarded two more player of the month awards.

In 2018/19 he continued his goalscoring form, winning the `golden boot` as well as the supporters’ player of the season award.

He had signed for Diamonds from Cogenhoe United at the end of March 2014, where he was registered with Daventry on a dual-registration basis and had previously appeared for Woodford United, Banbury United and Bedworth United earlier in his career.

Young midfielder Louis Baker made a little piece of history earlier this season when he started Premier Division Central club Nuneaton Borough`s league game against Leiston in August alongside his dad Carl!

Carl has recently left Liberty Way to become assistant boss at Vanarama National League North side AFC Telford United and now his son has also departed Boro, albeit on a temporary basis, joining NPL Division One Midlands outfit Sutton Coldfield Town on a month`s loan in order to get a bit more regular game time.

Baker is joined at Coles Lane by the more experienced Jonathan Letford.

The 27-year-old re-joins the Royals from Premier Division Central side Rushall Olympic.

He had only returned to the Pics in September after a spell in the JD Cymru Premier with Newtown.

He also has Pelsall Villa, Wolverhampton Sporting and Swedish side Ytterhogdal on his CV.

And leaving Premier Division South club Walton Casuals is winger Kyel Reid, who has signed for Isthmian League Premier Division side Cray Wanderers.

He had been at the Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub since October 2021.

He had joined Vanarama National League South outfit Billericay Town in October 2020 from then-National League side Sutton United.

He joined the U`s in September 2019 having played in the National League for Chesterfield the previous season, making 25 appearances.

A product of the famed academy at West Ham United, where he played 3 senior games and represented England at under-17, 18 and under-19 level, he went on to make around 300 League appearances, over 100 of those for Bradford City, where he was part of the squad that reached the 2013 League Cup final and played in their League Two play-off final win against Northampton Town at Wembley.

He also includes Charlton Athletic, Preston North End and Coventry City among his other former clubs.