Tuesday 30 August 2016 11:45, UK
Michail Antonio's rise from non-league to the England squad follows a path recently trodden by Rickie Lambert and Jamie Vardy. But who will be the next star to emerge from the lower tiers of the football pyramid?
Lincoln City boss Danny Cowley knows a thing or two about spotting non-league talent. He's aiming to return the club to the EFL but has also enjoyed success with Concord Rangers and Braintree Town.
So who does he think could make the step up? We asked him to pick six non-league players to keep an eye on. They might not all make it to international football but each have a good chance of stepping up to the top four tiers…
Danny Rowe, 24, right midfield (Macclesfield Town)
Cowley says: "A very good footballer. Danny is a pacey and very direct winger who, as an opposition manager, is very difficult to get hold of and stop. He's diminutive but very quick and a player you don't want to allow to get one-on-one with your defenders as he will cause you all sorts of problems. He scored Macclesfield's goal of the season against my Braintree side in April, racing from his own box to score on a lighting counter-attack."
Alex Woodyard, 23, central midfield (Lincoln)
Cowley says: "One of my lads who has followed me via Concord and Braintree to Lincoln is Alex. He is a fantastic presser of the ball. He wins it and gives it, and is a robust player who does a great job in turning over possession for Lincoln and winning the ball back. He won National League Young Player of the Year last season and desperately wants to get into the EFL. In my view he is already of that quality and hopefully he can get there with us."
Dan Bradley, 27, central midfield (Alfreton)
Cowley says: "He's 6ft 2in, a supreme athlete and a very versatile player. You can play him in either the centre or right of midfield as well as also upfront. He carries the ball well and is a real handful. He got 11 goals last season from central midfield and he's hit the ground running already this season scoring half a dozen goals. He's also an England C international."
Simeon Akinola, 24, winger (Braintree)
Cowley says: "Simeon has Championship pace and agility, he's unbelievably quick and another player who doesn't give defenders a moment of rest. He can change a game in a minute and one of his best strengths is he's a great counter-attacking player, who can sit on the shoulder of the last defender but he can also play wide. He loves cutting in from the left onto his right foot. He's intelligent off the pitch as well… he's got a first class degree in economics!"
Elliott Whitehouse, 22, central midfield (Nuneaton)
Cowley says: "Another England C player and a proper Number 10 who scores goals from midfield. A really good all-round player who doesn't just get goals from outside the area with good long range shooting but also is defensively very good. He's a player that defends early and counter-presses the ball. He's very highly thought of at Nuneaton and has won plenty of accolades with them."
Andy Cook, 25, striker (Tranmere)
Cowley says: "Scored 49 goals in the last two seasons for Barrow before making the move to Tranmere in the summer and I expect him to score plenty of goals there too. He's desperate to play at a higher level. Physically Andy is unbelievable, a very strong striker who leads the line as good as anyone. It's his physicality that is a real handful for defenders and I've no doubts he could step up a level or two and still keep scoring goals."
