MY Isthmian Five-a-Side superstars

Missing your football? We can all sympathise- but at least if we can't watch it we can still discuss it online, so here's something for you to debate!

We'd like you to pick your best ever five-a-side team, made up of players you've watched play in the Isthmian League. The only rules governing your choices is that your side must include a goalkeeper, a defender, a midfielder and a forward/striker- and you can have one substitute. Oh, and you must have actually seen the players you pick in action, in the Isthmian League! Send an email to Ian at townsendaround@gmail.com listing your choices and the reasons why you've made them, and before long you'll see them appear on this website and on social media. If we get enough entries we'll then see if we can create an ultimate Isthmian Five-a-Side squad by adding up the votes and seeing what we end up with!

Entries are open to supporters, managers, players, officials- indeed anyone who has watched enough football at our level and has some time on their hands!

To kick us off, Ian- who does all the writing here and looks after the social media- has decided to pick his own side, below:

I live in Sussex, and have done for twenty years now- and for many of those years I was involved with Crawley Town, so wasn't watching too much Isthmian League football. That changed around six years ago when I went back to watching the Non-League game, but it might mean that my five-a-side team is both fairly recent and a little Sussex-centric. But here we go:

Goalkeeper: Dan Lincoln- Bognor Regis Town

A former Reading player who joined the Rocks in 2016 and was absolutely magnificent in their promotion season. I saw Bognor on a number of occasions and couldn't understand why he was playing at this level- but it might have had something to do with the fact that he was combining football and cricket. He has since become a first class cricketer with Middlesex.

Defender: Sami El-Abd- Peacehaven & Telscombe United/Bognor Regis Town

Sami of course went on to become at Bognor legend, and is these days playing in National League South for Dorking Wanderers- although an ACL injury has kept him out of action for many months. I watched him briefly at Crawley Town without him making an impact, but it was at the Magpies that he first came to my attention. Strong, uncompromising, generally unflappable, and a born leader in defence.

Midfielder: Joe Turner, Tonbridge Angels

First came to my attention at Kingstonian, but was the best player I saw at any point during Angels 2018-19 promotion season. If Angels were struggling to score a goal, or to create one, then you could be sure that Joe would either put the ball in the net himself or set up someone else to do the same.

Midfielder: Ash Carew, Dulwich Hamlet

Perhaps the best taker of free kicks I've ever seen at our level. A big part of Hamlet's success, he wasn't bad when the ball wasn't stationary, either!

Forward: Mo Eisa, Greenwich Borough

It was really difficult to pick just one forward- which is why I have one as a substitute, too! The one I finally chose I first saw playing for Borough outside the Isthmian League, as Gary Alexander's men won the SCEFL. I wondered whether he would cope with the step up to Step Four, which, in hindsight, was a pretty stupid thing to worry about! Thirty five games brought nineteen goals and then Cheltenham Town came calling and off he went- and now he's knocking them in at Peterborough United in League One.

Substitute: Charlie MacDonald (Greenwich Borough/Cray Wanderers/VCD Athletic)

I could have easily picked a side with one goalkeeper and four forwards if the rules allowed- and if I'd taken leave of my senses. As well as Eisa my other forwards would have been Omar Bugiel (Worthing), Jason Prior (Bognor Regis Town) and Charlie MacDonald. I almost put Charlie in the first team, but thought that if they were playing five-a-side Mo's pace would be an asset, which perhaps suggests I've spent too long thinking about this! I first saw Charlie when he played for Crawley Town, and he was superb back then, but of course I've since watched him at Greenwich Borough, Cray Wanderers and VCD Athletic, and he's still got almost all of the attributes that made him a success at a much, much higher level even though he's now a veteran.

Right, it's time you had a go. Get in touch!