Alfie May

[DonnyOsmond]

I've heard Alfie wants to upgrade to Bentley when he retires.

Not many places worse than Bircotes.

[Bentley Bullet]

I've heard Alfie wants to upgrade to Bentley when he retires.

Not many places worse than Bircotes.

Stainforth?

[streathamdave]

Stainforth is full of decent people and is needlessly maligned. Birmingham on the other hand also has decent people. They are called Villa fans. Always liked Alfie and was sorry to see him go. I understand that a long contract at his age (probably on decent money) must be tempting, but my opinion of him will drop significantly if he goes to Birmingham.

[Lesonthewest]

I've heard Alfie wants to upgrade to Bentley when he retires.

Not many places worse than Bircotes.

Stainforth?

Nowt up with Stainy

[Colin C No.3]

I’ll risk a fresh angle pib.

Before looking closer into this, I took a simplistic view of a player starting in non-league because it’s his local team. And I was thinking of the South East is where both Alfie and Max Watters came from. And we know how few league teams there are outside London in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Only Gillingham, Brighton and more recently Crawley, but then none till Portsmouth and Southampton in Hampshire.

So, I thought if you were keen to play, how far would you want to travel for training and matches whilst working or studying full-time?

However of the names quoted by Dickos and in pursuit of the above as a possible theory, I looked up their bios and only Glenn Murray (who emerged as a player in Cumbria when Carlisle were in the Conference), Danny Schofield and Max Watters had no previous connections with a FL club. I even looked at George Boyd, another Ferguson discovery, and he too had had trials with a FL club. Interestingly both Bowen and Alfie were rejected by FL clubs for being too small. Research into lower league players might well yield names, but a lesser name, as an example close to home from non league, would be Charlie Seaman who I discovered had history with both West Ham and Bournemouth!

So you are left with the fact that emerges most significantly which is that the scouting networks that exist nowadays are so geographically saturated that it seems unlikely that any player who becomes nationally known is unlikely not to have had a previous connection with a FL club. And with ever-increasing in financial resources, so many are hoovered up by PL teams.

Since size is a factor common to both Alfie and Bowen, clubs looking for non-league talent, as well as seeking late-developers, should perhaps be focusing most on players who are less than say 5 feet 10 tall! Mo Salah is 5-9 and Messi 5-7!

Nice piece & well researched Forsolong.

Whosoever how so ever unearthed a real ‘gem at our level’ in Alfie.

I continue to watch his progress in professional football with interest & hope that he continues to ‘live the dream’.

[Drover]

I've heard Alfie wants to upgrade to Bentley when he retires.

Not many places worse than Bircotes.

Christ,there is alot worse places than Bircotes in Donny,Bircotes is a hot bed for WAGs,McIndoe,Glyn Hodges and Alfie all taking the pick from the locals lasses   

[Chris Black come back]

Think he’s off to Birmingham City.

Signed on a three year deal. At 30 and with Birmingham having some cash behind them, that's a great deal for Alfie.

[Lesonthewest]

Reported 750k, was it 20% we received for his Charlton move, maybe 10% this time, anyway whatever it is it should help Terry a bit.