Year after year, the Vanarama National League and the leagues below it seem to go from strength to strength, with numerous players swapping non-league for the EFL via a transfer. League One and League Two clubs, in particular, have upped their efforts and attention in scouting non-league football, which is undoubtedly a massive motivator for players who want to progress to the EFL, with some playing in the Championship.
This season, there have been some excellent individual showings in the National League, and it is only a matter of time before the rumour mill starts for some of them in terms of making a move up the leagues. Using the data available to us at Total Football Analysis, we have highlighted five talents who have been monumental in their respective teams’ season so far, giving themselves the opportunity to be noticed by an EFL club down the line.
Many clubs at this time look to recruit younger players from leagues lower than their own with the idea of developing their current skills and potential into something greater. With that in mind, we have only selected players aged 25 and under at the time of writing – involved in this scout report will be one player from each of the following positions – goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, winger, and attacker. We have used our data to pinpoint their strengths in relation to their position, with the analysis discussing key stats that relate to their performance to see what they add to their teams’ tactics.
Of course, we are not claiming that the five players included in this tactical analysis are the best five in the National League – they have been selected due to data from their performances this season and their potential to play in a higher league later down the line.
Goalkeeper: Harrison Male – Dorking Wanderers
Harrison Male is a highly-rated young keeper, having impressed pre-Dorking during his time with Worthing last season in the National League South. During the summer, Dorking Wanderers were on the hunt for a new goalkeeper, and it is safe to say that they are in safe hands with Male.
The data above shows us how Male has performed this season against all goalkeepers not only in the National League (tier 9) and National League South but also GKs who play in tier eight and nine (other leagues from around the globe judged to be at a similar level). As we can see, he is excelling for the level he is playing at, particularly for a young goalkeeper. His save rate and clean sheet rate, in particular, are noteworthy.
Looking at his stats in comparison to National League keepers, he currently ranks second for the most prevented goals, with his average per 90 minutes currently standing at 0.16 – this is the highest of any National League keeper aged 25 or under – if he can carry that kind of form over the course of a season, then he will be instrumental in any success Dorking have. For context, in League Two, there are only three keepers (who have played 10 or more games) that have bettered Males prevented goals rate.
His shot-stopping ability is rather impressive and also needed – he faces 5.32 shots per 90, more than any other keeper in the division, saving an incredible 3.83 of them – also the league’s highest average. Male has shown good reactions for shots in tricky areas as well as strong positioning, giving the opposing striker something to think about in terms of shot placement.
Dorking play with a specific structure to their play, which requires their defenders and goalkeeper to be comfortable on the ball, and 23-year-old Male is more than capable in possession – a trait that will help him massively in terms of making the leap to higher leagues.
Defender: Nikola Tavares – Dagenham & Redbridge
South African-Croatian defender Nikola Tavares has been a rock at the back for Dagenham & Redbridge this season, who currently sit 13th in the table with one of the best defensive records in the division. Tavares has had quite the journey so far in his footballing career – he was developed at top academies at Premier League clubs like Brentford and Crystal Palace and had his first taste of senior football after the Eagles loaned him out to Wealdstone at the back end of the 2020/21 campaign – they were impressed enough to make the move permanent. Tavares impressed again in the 2021/22 season and earned a move to Dag & Red, where he continues to excel to this day.
Tavares has the element of versatility to his game, able to play at left-back and even in a variety of midfield roles, but most of his football this season has been played at LCB. When comparing his data to that of other LCBs in the various tier 8 leagues around the world, his defensive ability shines, excelling in key areas like defensive duels (both engagement and success) while also getting involved in a high number of aerial duels.
The heatmap Tavares has produced this season is a reflection of his aforementioned positional versatility, but he is clearly more acclimatised to playing on the left half of the pitch. His versatility between defence and midfield is a result of his ability in possession, which, as you can see by the data visual from before, paints the picture of a technically sound defender capable of dribbling and passing.
Tavares does not shun defensive duties either – he currently averages 7.85 defensive duels per 90, winning an impressive 83.76% of them – the second-highest win rate in the National League and the highest of anyone 25 and under. When making a challenge, he shows good timing and anticipation as well as the technique required to make the tackle itself. Furthermore, he makes 4.9 interceptions per 90, playing an essential role in that area as his side ranks second in the league for interceptions per 90.
Midfielder: Ashley Charles – Wealdstone
Grenada international Ashley Charles deserves recognition for his consistency and reliability on the ball. A product of the Watford academy, Charles joined Wealdstone back in 2019 and has made 106 appearances for the club, being one of the club’s key figures in their recent resurgence, helping the club to their highest league finish in 35 years.
As you may imagine from this data visual above, 24-year-old Charles operates in a deeper midfielder role, focusing on moving the ball forward mainly via passing, at which he stands out. In what may be a surprise, though he doesn’t have a high defensive engagement in that role, ranking in a low percentile for defensive duels – he makes 5.86 per 90, winning 57%, it looks as though Wealdstone want Charles to lean into his strengths (passing). The map of his progressive passes below gives us a chance to discuss his passing ability further.
Often, with deeper midfielders who prioritise passing over defending, they are placed there because of their sheer quality on the ball, and one of their key roles is to shift the ball forward in more attacking areas. As you can see, many of Charles’s progressive passes come from a deep midfield area, as you would expect, playing many of them out to the flanks as his side will then look to continue their build-up in wide areas. He does occasionally push forward into the final third, where, as you can see, he still provides a good number of progressive passes. He currently boasts the sixth-highest accuracy from progressive passes in the National League (89.53%), and the highest for his position, so Wealdstone have clearly found the right role for Charles.
The midfielder also has one of the highest long passing accuracy rates of an outfield player in the National League this season, hitting 60.71% of his 4.15 long passes per 90. He also ranks seventh in the league rankings for passes to the final third, hitting 79.01% of his six efforts per 90 – a low engagement in comparison to the league standings. Charles comes with a 92.01% overall pass accuracy, making him one of the most reliable passers in the National League. Some teams simply want a reliable, consistent passer in midfield to keep things tidy and problem-free, and Charles brings that element.
Winger: Tyreese Sinclair – Rochdale
Son of former Chelsea player Frank Sinclair, who now works as a youth coach for Doncaster Rovers, 22-year-old Tyreese Sinclair was a superb signing by Rochdale in the summer of 2022. The winger started out at Blackburn Rovers before moving to Mansfield Town. Despite winning the club’s 2018-19 Youth Player of the Year award, he failed to build on that and make a lasting impression in a senior setting and was released in 2022 following a series of loans at non-league clubs during his time with the Stags. Sinclair already has League Two experience, having played 32 games in Rochdale’s relegation campaign (2022/23), where he scored three and assisted two. He also had a loan spell that season, scoring five in 11 games in the National League for Altrincham.
This season, he’s hit the ground running, scoring eight in 16 so far – he will want to start adding some assists, but he knows how to get into scoring positions in the final third. Able to play comfortably on either wing or through the middle, Sinclair has the essential element of being versatile in attack, reflected in his data compared to tier 9 players in the visual above. He ranks in high percentiles for various passing engagement metrics and ranks high for shots per 90 (3.22 per 90, 30.8% on target) and touches in the box per 90 (3.22). He also likes to run with the ball, but we will dive deeper into his dribbling stats later on.
Adding to his versatility is his apparent defensive skillset, which, as you can see from the visual above, is put to good use, ranking high for his defensive duels win rate. He also posts high percentiles for aerial duels, both in terms of engagement and success.
His dribbling ability is a real attacking threat for Rochdale, as evidenced by his high percentile rank above and his average of 8.62 per 90 (fourth-highest in the league), of which 59% are successful, which ranks in the top 30 within the National League. He is most dangerous in the zone around the corner of the penalty area as he looks to either break into the box or work the ball down to the byline prior to a delivery.
While he does rank in the top 30 National League players for crossing accuracy (28.57%), he only averages 3.04 crosses per 90, so this might be an area of his game he wishes to improve on – he has a good track record in front of goal throughout his career so far. Still, he has lacked that creative edge to provide more assists. Currently, he hurts teams by running at their full-backs or finishing off attacks; clearly, he is effective at both.
Striker: Christopher Conn-Clarke – Altrincham
21-year-old Christopher Conn-Clarke has filled several roles for Altrincham this season, but most of his football has come as either a centre forward or attacking midfielder – his goal tally of nine goals this season, along with his general attacking contribution visible in the data above, tells the story of his effectiveness in up front, which is why we have included him in this scout report.
Conn-Clarke has already had quite the journeyed career, having been at six clubs so far – and this is his third spell at Altrincham following two previous loan spells. While the first loan spell was an initial one-month deal in which he only played twice, the club saw enough to pursue a loan deal for the first half of the 2022/23 season, where he scored nine league goals in 28 games. He is also a Northern Ireland international at U17, U19, and U21, so there has been belief in his ability for some time from those behind the scenes. There is a reason he was called up to those national youth squads repeatedly, and it is the same reason Altrincham went to the well for a third time when they secured him as a permanent signing in the summer of 2023 for a club record fee.
As the data visual above tells us, Conn-Clarke is not afraid to get involved in attack, whether it be various passing, dribbling, or activity in the box, and has high success rates across the board – ranking in high percentiles for pretty much anything that isn’t a defensive metric.
Some may argue Conn-Clarke’s good season so far should be praised as much due to three of his nine goals coming from the spot, but there are various factors that would dispute that, and they all relate to his solid & positive involvement in attack in other areas, as we already spoke about. There is also a lot to be said about a player being reliable from the spot, as he is.
His average of 3.77 shots per 90 is the second-highest register in the league, and he sits in the top 25 for shot accuracy, as well as xG per 90 (7.93), so we know his presence in attack is a dangerous one, and his off-the-ball movement only adds to that. His talents extend outside of shooting, too – his average of 6.22 dribbles is the 12th highest in the league, while a success rate of 49.7% is impressive, considering a lot of his play comes from central areas where it is often more crowded.
Conclusion
There was a cluster of players that could have been included in this analysis, but the five we have covered have made a real difference for their teams this season, taking the responsibility of consistently performing at a good level into their own hands, a strong trait for younger players. A January move is sometimes more unlikely for key non-league players as they do their best to keep them around until the end of the season, but it is likely that these five players catch the attention of EFL clubs sooner or later, if they haven’t already!
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