2025/26 Player Reviews
As we wait for the official retained list which surely will come quicker than it did after last season… I have put together my thoughts on every player that played for us.
I have also given my opinion on whether I would retain or release those players whose futures are currently unknown. So far we know:
Retained: JVS, Manny Onariase, JML, Jordan Raguette, Matt Robinson, Josh Umerah
Departing: Will De Havilland, Asher Yearwood, Josh Popoola, Harry Pritchard (Retiring)
Those in red have since left the club. Now I’m sure I’ve probably missed someone but I’m not including Roraigh Browne, our 3rd choice keeper on loan from Watford who didn’t play a second for us.
JVS - If you’d told me back in September that JVS would be getting in the top 4 Supporters Player of the Year vote I would have assumed it was some kind of protest vote. He started the season looking very shaky on crosses and prone to a big error which would inevitably cost us points. However, he has improved beyond recognition into looking like one of the best keepers in the league as described by Ryan Peters. A few spectacular saves in the second half of the season kept us in games, if he can keep growing in confidence when coming for the high ball he’ll be a top class keeper at this level.
Harvey Collins - he’s been at the club for 2 seasons now and I have absolutely no idea if he is good or not due to lack of game time. Disappeared from the bench in March, I assume injured but back for the play-offs.
Retain
Ryan Bartley - Has looked pretty solid in most games. Would like him to stay as he provides reliable cover at RB and CB. A good squad player and another who has improved as the season has gone along.
Retain
Will De Havilland - Gutted he is now leaving in the off season. He’s been an excellent leader this season and our defence is so much better when he is starting. As I’ve said before, it will be a big job to try and replace him this summer.
Retain and loan out
Manny Onariase - A disappointing season on the whole. Not overly bad on any occasion but I really expected a player of his pedigree to absolutely boss this division and he just hasn’t. Had a fair few injuries which have also hampered him. I expect him to be one of our highest paid players, he needs to step up his performances next season to justify this.
Chanse Headman - Did well in his 6 appearances for us. Scored against Hampton & Richmond before going back to Brentford B and then moving on to Harrogate.
Remy Clerima - Excellent as ever in both defence and midfield. A Maidenhead United legend. We look SUCH a better side with him in it. He’s 36 years old but I hope we can get at least one more season out of him.
Retain
Miles Welch-Hayes - His form had been a pleasant surprise. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled when he was resigned as I had been underwhelmed by him at RB or RWB last season. However, he has been very good in the three man defence and I would be keen for him to be our starting RCB next season.
Retain
David Mantle - I really liked the look of him before injury ruled him out for the rest of the season. Calm with the ball but not afraid to get stuck in. Would like to see him back on a season loan if possible next year.
Jordan Raguette - A solid debut season. He has been a good attacking outlet on the left and his deliveries into the box are superb. Some have questioned his defensive ability but I don’t remember him having too many games where this was shown up. He definitely looks stronger at LWB than LB. Excited to see what he can do next season after a season playing at this level. One who I expect to eventually play at a higher level.
Owen Cochrane - An odd season. I like Owen and think he’s a good squad player who can provide cover in a number of positions. However, whenever he plays and Maidenhead lose, he seems to be the sacrificial lamb who is dropped whilst others who have clearly had worse games remain in the side. I’m not convinced he will want to stay for another season potentially on the bench.
Retain
Matt Robinson - The best CM at York Road since James Comley. An absolute stand out, should make the NLS team of the year. Really important to everything good we do, without him in the side we would be a mid table team at best. I think adding him alone to last seasons team would have meant we would have avoided relegation. He is a big leader on the pitch and will probably take over as Captain for next season with WFH leaving.
Kane Ferdinand - Sigh. I’m trying not to be too harsh but I can’t understand why his deal was renewed in the summer. Last year he went missing in important games and played poorly, this didn’t change despite the drop in division before injury ruled him out of the second half of the season.
Release
Asher Yearwood - I was convinced he wasn’t good enough until around March when his performances began to improve. Earlier in the season I felt he struggled to impose himself on games and appeared a bit lightweight at this level. To be fair to him he does make a lot of clever forward runs which never really get picked out by his team mates which may go part way to explain the lack of promised goals. Put himself in the right place for the goal against Slough and grew into the side the last couple of months. Announced his departure after the Dartford game.
Kai Yearn - I was excited with this signing as he had huge potential and had previously torn up the division as a young player. He had moments when he looked really good but I just feel he wasn’t trusted by Dev and given a proper run in the 1st team to fully establish himself before his loan ended in January. He was a bit hampered by injury once he did begin to establish himself and then his loan finished. Earlier on Dev seemed to prefer playing Ferdinand and Yearwood ahead of him which I found baffling. His subsequent form on loan for Chesham further underlines the error in not playing him more in my opinion.
Jayden Dundas - I don’t think I’ve seen enough of him to properly judge him. Maybe needs another season on loan at a Step 3 club to continue his development.
Retain and loan out
Cameron Eubank - Came in on loan from Birmingham in January with some talk that a lot of NL sides were also looking at him. I thought he looked good in small cameos coming off the bench but was never really given a chance with Pritchard and Yearwood inexplicably picked ahead of him when Robinson was out. Scored with a decent finish against Salisbury in an excellent counter attack. Ryan Peters clearly did not rate him and his loan was ended early.
Harry Pritchard - I’ll start this by prefacing that Harry will always be a Magpies legend. A first ballot Hall of Famer as the Yanks would say. I was really encouraged by his performances as a deep lying playmaker in pre season but an injury just before our first game meant he didn’t start a game for months. Once he was fit again he never really appeared match fit and looked a shadow of the player he was in his first spell. From what I can tell Ryan Peters really valued his input on the coaching side of things and I hope he stays on in this role.
Seyi Odelusi - Not very good. Came in on loan with great pedigree. He had been in the NLS team of the year in 23/24 and scored 17 goals for Averley earning a move to Sutton. Not sure what’s happened to him since or if he’s just lost all confidence, but he’s certainly not the same player.
Jayden Mitchell-Lawson - He started the season slowly as he was finding his fitness and form again after a long layoff with his injury. He has improved massively since Peters took over in November and has done well at RWB which is a position I wasn’t sure would suit him due to his lack of defensive attributes. Hope he continues to kick on next season and is back to his pre injury best.
Sam Barratt - Not the player he once was. Was very surprised when he was retained in the summer and I don’t really think his performances this season have repaid that faith shown in him. Other than his useful long throws and his penalty taking he fails to offer much going forward as age and previous injuries have caught up with him. Like Pritchard, I appreciate everything he’s done for the club, he has provided some brilliant moments over the years, but it’s definitely time for him to move on.
Release
Josh Popoola - An excellent summer addition. He has been so good it now feels mad he was originally a trialist and not signed up by a bigger club. Reece Smith was always going to be a huge loss for us creatively but Popoola has really stepped into his place brilliantly. He can create chances out of nothing as shown by his goal against Hampton and his numerous assists. Had his head turned by bigger clubs in 2026 and when he has a bad game he is completely anonymous to such an extent it’s like playing with 10 men. Luckily those occasions have been few and far between. He’s just announced on social media that he is leaving the club and he’ll be difficult to replace.
Callum Harriot - I had completely forgotten we signed him until I double checked our appearances record this season. Signed when injured, continued to be injured, released in November still injured. A waste of time and money.
Liam Dulson - Much like the team, Dulson started the season slowly but by the time he got unfortunately injured towards the end of March he was one of the best forwards in the division. He has a bullet shot on him and he wouldn’t stop running for 90 minutes, an excellent addition to the squad and without doubt one of our three most important players. I really hope we can keep hold of him this summer but he’s clearly good enough to play at a higher level.
Retain
Josh Umerah - He came to the club with terrible reviews from Dagenham fans who blamed him for their relegation after he missed a few chances on their last game of the season. He has categorically proved these doubters wrong and has scored a lot of important goals for us, winning the Manager’s Player of the Year award. His fitness was an issue at the beginning of the season and he tended to disappear after about 70 minutes, however, he has clearly worked hard on this and improved his performances as the season has gone on. A classic Dev style big man forward who can hold up the ball and win headers, he has also got an excellent free kick in him which surprised me. He links up well with Dulson and Popoola and has also benefitted from Raguette’s and JML’s crossing abilities. Can see him scoring even more goals next season if he starts the season fully fit.
Jaiden Celestine-Charles - He played two games for us. I thought he looked raw but could have good potential. Ryan Peters obviously disagreed and sent him back to Millwall before the poor bloke finished the season at Slough.
Dillon De Silva - Signed from Sutton Utd in one of a number of late season loan deals, but the only one to impress. I like the look of De Silva, he is by no means the finished product yet but I think he has the ability to be a really good player for us. He’s been asked by Peters to play multiple positions including LWB and AM and always works hard. I’d definitely try and keep him this summer if possible as he offers cover in a number of positions.
Retain
Alfie Pendlebury - Signed in February after impressing for Hanwell Town and Cheshunt at a lower level. He’s a local boy who came through at Holyport which is always pleasing. He’s impressed me with his effort and pressing, and looks a real handful coming off the bench. A huge improvement on Barratt and Andrews who were our previous attacking options off the bench. Scored his first goal for the club against Bath and started the next game against Slough where he tired after the hour which showed he still has some work to do with his fitness and getting used to playing at this level. After a proper pre-season I’m really excited to see what he can do next season.
Retain
Luke May-Parrott - Too early to tell if he is good enough. Scored a lot of goals for Hashtag United (just writing Hashtag United makes me cringe) at Steps 3 & 4 but looked quite lightweight in the limited minutes I have seen him. I know some fans seem to have already passed judgement on him as not up to this level but I’d be keen to give him a lot more chances before writing him off. I appreciate it’s only through watching highlights on YouTube but I think he has the technical attributes to make it at this level, he may just need to bulk up and work on his strength over the summer.
Retain
Corie Andrews - Terrible. Didn’t really ever look like scoring for us. Really struggling to see how he scored 9 goals in this division last season. Effort didn’t really appear to be there either. The drop off when he played instead of Umerah was substantial. Loaned to Enfield for the second half of the season where I see he scored… one goal…
Release
Noah Stewart - A disappointing season as he still doesn’t look physical enough for this level of football. I’m not completely writing him off, he scored a few goals for Welling United on loan and had previously done well in the N.Ireland Premier League. He must have some talent as I believe he was well thought of there and something must have enticed the club to break our transfer record for him…. Surely….
Release
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