There are plenty of talented players from the Isle of Wight in professional football at the moment and although there are currently none at the heady heights reached by the likes of Lee Bradbury back in the day, many have busy seasons ahead for their respective clubs.
It’s always sensible to build from the back, so we’ll start with the keepers. Having been omitted from Sheffield United’s 25-man Premier League squad last campaign, it was time Simon Moore headed for pastures new this term. Coventry City picked up the experienced 31-year-old stopper from Sandown on a free transfer, and he delivered in his team’s first game of the season in what was a perfect return for the fans at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
The Sky Blues went one down to Nottingham Forest in the first half, but Viktor Györekes’ strike 10 minutes from time was followed up by a dramatic 96th winner from Kyle McFadzean that netted all three points for Coventry. A perfect start for Mark Robins’ side – if you fancy them as dark horses this season you can get them at around 13/1 for promotion on many of the top bookies featured on My Betting Sites.
Simon’s younger brother Stuart, also a goalkeeper, is part of a Championship squad this season, too. The 26-year-old initially joined Blackpool on a short-term deal midway through last season but recently put pen to paper on a 12-month extension. He didn’t start The Seasiders’ creditable 1-1 draw at Bristol City, but he’ll provide key cover for first-choice keeper Chris Maxwell throughout this campaign.
Staying in the second tier but moving out of nets now and into the back four, Cowes’ favourite full-back Dan Butler didn’t exactly have a dream start to his season. Butler signed a well-earned three-year contract over the summer, having played a key part in Posh’s promotion push last season. However, the Championship new boys suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Luton. Butler will have his hands full this year trying to ensure Darren Ferguson’s team don’t experience an immediate return to League One.
Aaron Martin is another defender who’ll be hoping the rest of his season shapes up a little better than his side’s opening salvo. Newport-born centre-back Martin was unable to steer Port Vale away from defeat at Northampton, with matters hardly helped by Vale’s keeper Lucas Covolan seeing red after 55 minutes. Martin is a vastly experienced defender who has represented more than 10 clubs in his 14-year career to date and Vale will be looking for him to provide some much-needed stability at the back in the coming months.
Finally, we move to two youngsters who have exciting seasons ahead of them for different reasons. Winger Leon Maloney is a product of Portsmouth’s youth academy but made the switch to Dutch second-tier side Volendam last year in the hunt for first-team action. He managed 11 appearances during 2020/21, scoring 1 goal, and the 20-year-old will be targeting this season as a breakthrough year.
The final Islander worth keeping an eye on this season is Bournemouth’s Jake Scrimshaw. Bournemouth’s U18 player of the year in 2018/19, Scrimshaw has enjoyed loan spells at Poole Town, Eastleigh, Walsall, and Newport County in recent years but is yet to make his Cherries debut. Bournemouth’s return to the Championship may present opportunities for him this season, though, particularly with the departure of Sam Surridge to Stoke City in the summer.
