The Premier League is the pinnacle of English football, everyone wants to be there. Premier League players frequently dropped into the lower leagues, making their way into non-League football. Essex has never had a Premier League side, however, they’ve had quite the crop of players. Here is the top 5 Premier League/ Division 1 players who have made their way into Essex Non-league.
5. David Martin – A man who made his Premier League debut at 33, David Martin is a West Ham cult hero. A limited number of games in Claret & Blue, but a memorable day at Stamford Bridge, where he kept a clean sheet. Now 37, the shot stopper plays for Southend United, the team that will never die. Joining and debuting on the same day, he kept a clean sheet, against Maidenhead United.
4. Leroy Lita – A 38-year-old still playing in non-league who had a spell at Chelmsford City. Playing 14 games in all competitions for the Clarets, Lita then departed to continue his non-league journey. In the Premier League, he played for 3 sides. Playing for Birmingham, Swansea and Reading, he scored 10 goals, in 65 league games. Still going, he plays for Nuneaton Borough of the Southern League Premier Division Central.
3. Greg Halford – The first on the list to play for multiple Essex non-league clubs, Greg Halford did it at both ends of his career. A loan spell at Braintree Town came in his early days, before playing for Billericay Town and Hashtag United at the end of it. Another player to play for Reading, Halford totalled 28 games with the Royals, Sunderland and Wolves. He is a key player for the tags at the moment, with 13 goals from defence, in his 54 games with the club.
2. Julian Dicks – The top 2 were from beyond the Premier League. A West Ham legend, Juian Dicks played 315 times for the Hammers, in all competitions. At the back end of his career, a quick stop at Canvey Island saw him make a handful of appearances, seeing the non-league side knock out Wigan Athletic and Northampton Town in the FA Cup. He would also go on to manage in Essex, as he managed Wivenhoe Town, Grays Athletic and Heybridge Swifts. Dicks has had plenty of coaching jobs since, following Slaven Bilic to West Ham, West Brom and Watford.
1. Jimmy Greaves – The man with the 3rd highest league goals in England, a 1966 World Cup winner played in Essex. Chelmsford City were lucky to have Jimmy on their books, as he scored 20 goals in 38 league games, at New Writtle Street. He has also played for Brentwood Town prior to this, after stepping away from the Football League. Playing for big clubs such as Chelsea, AC Milan, and West Ham, Greaves was a star in Essex. The headline act was obviously his 1966 World Cup winners medal, for England.
Many players come and go in Non-league, with the turnover high. As seen here, no one sticks around forever!
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