Preview to Division One Central Season

The Division One Central and Division One South of the Pitching In Southern Football League start their 2023/24 season on Saturday.

And Although there’s little to go by in terms of form - apart from pre-season friendlies – there are, nevertheless, some intriguing opening matches.

It will be interesting to see how the newly-promoted teams start.

Eyes will be on Stotfold at home to Aylesbury United and Leighton Town at Bell Close against Waltham Abbey.

Bedford Town’s new-look team are sure to attract a big crowd to The Eyrie against Kidlington.

Another team who will be unrecognisable to supporters are Barton Rovers, who look determined not to finish anywhere near the drop zone this season, and they start with a toughie, away at North Leigh, who fought so hard to maintain their Premier Division South stature last term.

And there are EIGHT new managers beginning the 2023/24 campaign!

Division One Central

AFC Dunstable

*Manager: Joe Oxley

2022/23 finish: 13th

Main Summer Signings:

Axel Ampedu (Biggleswade Town)
Rio Deall (Kings Langley)
Rico Greco (Risborough Rangers)
Dan Naylor (Dunstable Town)
Callum Nicolson (Luton Town)
Ben Weyman (Hertford Town)

Aylesbury United

*Manager: Jack Wells

2022/23 finish: 15th

Main Summer Signings:

Hayden Beadle (Thame United)
Daryl Bryan-Samuels (East Thurrock United)
James Callan (Barnet)
Derek Feyi (Banstead Athletic)
Craig Hill (Thame United)
Owen James (Kidlington)
Oliver Jovanovic (Marlow)
Jonas Kalonda (FC Romania)
Joshua Morrison (Marlow)
Dave Pearce (Thame United)
Jack Sillitoe (Pitstone & Ivinghoe)
Rocko Tamplin (Winslow United)
Romario Warburton-Rowe (Harefield United)

Barton Rovers

Manager: Jermaine Hall

2022/23 finish: 18th

Main Summer Signings:

Jesse Armoo (Potton United)
Elgeniy Daalberg (Leverstock Green)
Cameron Groom (Potton United)
Cameron Hyde (Biggleswade United)
Lucas Kirkpatrick (Bedford Town)
Matt Maloney (Bedford Town)
Pat McCafferty (Biggleswade FC)
Ryan Neufville (Berkhamsted)
Kai Phelan (Bedford Town)
Taylor Rhiney (Biggleswade United)
Joe Rider (St Neots Town)
Ollie Trott (Letchworth Garden City Eagles)
Alfie Warman (Hitchin Town)
Sam Willett (Codicote)

Bedford Town

*Manager: Lee Bircham

2022/23 finish: 22nd in Premier Division Central and relegated.

Main Summer Signings:

Ryan Blake (Berkhamsted)
Shane Bush (Slough Town)
Alex Collard (Tamworth)
Kyle Connolly (Leighton Town)
Harry Crawford (Kings Langley)
Adam Cunnington (Enfield Town)
Manny Dahie (Kempston Rovers)
Jack Green (Walthamstow)
Archie McClelland (Leighton Town)
Nathan McDonald (Enfield Town)
Dominic Morgan-Griffiths (Hemel Hempstead Town)
Harry Seabrook (Uxbridge)
James Towell (Leighton Town)
Louis Walsh (Slough Town)
Ben Walster (Berkhamsted)
Adam Watkins (Berkhamsted)

Biggleswade FC

Managers: Dave Northfield & Mark Inskip

2022/23 finish: 2nd and lost in play-offs.

Manin Summer Signings:

Nigel Chikamba (AFC Rushden & Diamonds)
Jack Dickerson (Godmanchester Rovers)
Miguel Lopes De Matos (AFC Rushden & Diamonds)

Biggleswade Town

*Manager: Danny Payne

2022/23 finish: 7th

Main Summer Signings:

Luke Andrews (Berkhamsted)
Jack Berman (Kings Langley)
Liam Brooks (Hendon)
BJ Christie (AFC Dunstable)
Cole Dasilva (Royston Town)
Kieron Forbes (Hendon)
JJ Lacey (Berkhamsted)
Brett Longden (AFC Dunstable)
Christian Tavernier (AFC Dunstable)
Callum Wilson (Potton United)

Cirencester Town

Manager: John Brough

2022/23 finish: 6th

Main Summer Signings:

Dan Grieve (Highworth Town)
Dan Hill (Cinderford Town)
Charlie Johnson (Hartpury University)
Charlie McCrae (Highworth Town)
Stuart Nelson (Dover Athletic)
Luca Robinson (Hartpury University)

Hadley

Manager: Anthony Clark

2022/23 finish: 9th

Main Summer Signings:

Isaac Stones (Loughborough Dynamo)

Hertford Town

Player-Manager: Ben Herd

2022/23 finish: 14th

Main Summer Signings:

Archie Locke (Hoddesdon Town)
Josh Rodrigues (Harpenden Town)

Kempston Rovers

*Manager: James Hall

2022/23 finish: 16th

Main Summer Signings:

Sol Alidor-Hamilton (Belstone)
Arel Amu (AFC Dunstable)
Samuel Ezemwaka (Drogheda United)
Alan Fleming (Biggleswade FC)
Ethan Goulding (Watford)
Taishan Griffith (AFC Dunstable)
Ollie Kiel (Crawley Green)
Ernest Njoroge (Crawley Green)
Melvin Onu (Yaxley)
Pharhon Osborne (Bedfont)
Mathieu Racine (Barton Rovers)
Trevelle Reid (Belstone)
David Saunders (Hemel Hempstead Town)
Camille Tani (London Colney)
Alex Ward (Leverstock Green)
Pemi Yakubu (Frimley Green)

Kidlington

Manager: Mark Massingham

2022/23 finish: 10th

Main Summer Signings:

George Cowmeadow (Swindon Town)
Zarius Edwards (Ardley United)
Jack Hopwood (Aylesbury United)
Calean Issac (Wallingford & Crowmarsh)
Aleks Novakovic (Highworth Town)
Finley Ryan-Phillips (Cambridge University)
Ben Richards (Newark & Sherwood)
Jack Smith (Brockenhurst)
Luke Smith (Oxford University)
Kieran Walters (Flackwell Heath)

Kings Langley

*Manager: Jordan Parkes

2022/23 finish: 19th in Premier Division Central and relegated.

Main Summer Signings:

Rayan Clarke (New Salamis)
Sonny French (Aylesbury United)
Rene Howe (Bedford Town)
Shaun Keane (Royston Town)
Sam Murphy (Chertsey Town)
Kieran Patterson (Oxhey Jets)

Leighton Town

*Manager: Gary Flinn

2022/23 finish: Champions of the Spartan South Midlands League

Main Summer Signings:

Louis Barrett (Cogenhoe United)
Olly Blackmore-Read (MK College Academy)
Finlay Brennan (Loughborough Students)
Jim Burnside (AFC Rushden & Diamonds)
Lee Cooksey (Kempston Rovers)
Karl Daley (Buckingham Athletic)
Ben Farrell (AFC Dunstable)
Albie Hall (Newport Pagnell Town)
George Joyce (AFC Rushden & Diamonds)
Sam King (Shefford & Campton)
Charlie Pattison (AFC Rushden & Diamonds)
Alfie Powell (Newport Pagnell Town)
James Sage (Newport Pagnell Town)
Seb Simpson (Kempston Rovers)
Jake Watkinson (Newport Pagnell Town)

North Leigh

*Manager: James Keller

2022/23 finish: 20th in Premier Division South and relegated.

Main Summer Signings:

Miguel Alves (Chippenham Town – Dual Reg)
George Gilmore (Thame United)
Lynton Goss (Berkhamsted)
Greg Hackett (Thame United)
Otis Lewis (Chippenham Town – Dual Reg)
Adam Miles (Coventry United)
Ash Thompson (Banbury United)
Lewis Thorne (Thame United)
Jack Tutton (Thame United)
Dan West (Thame United)

Stotfold

Manager: Brett Donnelly

2022/23 finish: 2nd in Spartan South Midlands League and promoted via the play-offs.

Main Summer Signings:

Alfie Bonfield (Risborough Rangers)
Montel Brown (Harrow Borough)
Robbie Buchanan (Baldock Town)
Mamadou Diallo (Baldock Town)
Lewis Franklin (Welwyn Garden City)
Ricardo Green (Kempston Rovers)
Luke Oswick (Biggleswade FC)
James Peters (Kempston Rovers)
Henry Snee (Shefford Town & Campton)
Connor Vincent (Barton Rovers)

Thame United

*Manager: Ben Williams

2022/23 finish: 12th

Main Summer Signing:

Alfie Anderson (Uxbridge)
Ezra Anthonio-Forde (Aylesbury United)
Eitel Goueth (Uxbridge)
Ollie Hogg (Risborough Rangers)
Jordan Jenkins (Aylesbury United)
Tyler Lawson (Flackwell Heath)
Oscar Lucey (Slough Town – Season’s Loan)
Wiktor Makowski (Risborough Rangers)
Pierce McNamara (Kidlington)
George Plummer (Beaconsfield Town)
Steve Sylvester-Ajudua (St Neots Town)

Waltham Abbey

Manager: Billy Holland

2022/23 finish: 11th

Main Summer Signing

Aaron Eyoma (Sittingbourne)

Ware

Manager: Paul Halsey

2022/23 finish 5th and lost in play-offs

Main Summer Signings:

George Beattie (Walthamstow)
Jack Dreyer (Biggleswade FC)
Richard Ennin (Leverstock Green)
Mitch Hahn (Grays Athletic)
Reece Mosanya (Walthamstow)
David Sota (Uxbridge)
Jordan Spearman (Walthamstow)

Welwyn Garden City

Manager: Marc Weatherstone

2022/23 finish: 8th

Main Summer Signings:

Josh Bryant (Cheshunt – Dual Reg)
Donnabhan Green (Edgware & Kingsbury
Zak Guerfi (Potters Bar Town)
Alex Harris (Walthamstow)
James Kaloczi (Kings Langley)
Aaron Okpolakpo (VCD Athletic)
Adam Pollock (Enfield Borough)
Sam Tring (Northwood)
Brad Wadkins (Berkhamsted)
Dernel Wynter (Wingate & Finchley)

*New Manager