2026-27 Recruitment Plan for AFC Totton

Player Decisions

Retain

Christos Batzelis, Craig Tanner, Jaiden Bartolo, Malachi Linton, Scott Rendell, Luke Hallett, Ryan Gosney, Jacob Towns

Release

Max Evans, Lee Hudson, Josh Dolling, Joe Oastler, Mike Carter, Ryan Jackson, Hisham Kasimu, Justin Tinubu, Brandon Haunstrup, Daniel O’Connor, Vaughn Covil, Jack Masterton, Luke Bennett

Lose

Declan Rose, Christie Ward, Tony Lee

Loan End

Ash Clark, Ralph Vigrass, Tyler Cordner, Alfie Merritt

Retained Squad

New Signings

Josh McNamara (Eastleigh – free)

The Stags have already got an experienced #1 goalkeeper in the form of Ryan Gosney. However, I think that they may look to bring in a younger goalkeeper during the summer that they can bring on, improve and develop into being the long-term successor to Gosney. Someone that they can perhaps sign on a 2 or 3-year-deal. Work with. Provide targeted coaching to. A development plan. Ideally early 20’s. 

One player who could be an option for The Stags and who certainly ticks the box in terms of locality is Josh McNamara. Well accustomed to the South Coast. Previously in the youth team at Southampton. Currently on the books at Eastleigh. I don’t think the prospect of signing for AFC Totton would have to be too much of a hard sell for the youngster. 

One of the reasons as to why I do think that this would be a good – and realistic – move for him is the fact that he will already have an awareness and familiarity with members of staff within the building at AFC Totton. The Stags have got a strong connection with Southampton in any event. Goalkeeping Coach Steve Hollick has spent time coaching in the academy at Southampton, and so Hollick will have knowledge and worked with McNamara previously. They can draw on that working relationship there with getting this deal over the line. 

Realistically speaking, I don’t think there is much difference between being at Eastleigh as a back-up goalkeeper or with AFC Totton. With The Spitfires, he is a #2 and unlikely to ever get any minutes, whereas at AFC Totton he will be in strong competition for the #1 jersey, with a clearer plan to progression after Gosney. I think there would be more of a project and a clearer pathway for McNamara with The Stags, and if I was advising him then I would say pursue that deal and move to AFC Totton. 

Will Spiers (Cardiff City – loan)

I anticipate that the form of Dec Rose this season may well have earned him admirers from further afield, and that potentially a club from a higher league may come calling for his services. If that is the case, The Stags have got to find themselves a new right-back during the summer. 

Given that they forked out for the experience of Lee Hodson and Ryan Jackson – perhaps two of their poorest investments in the summer – I think that they will be looking to try and sign a younger player. A similar profile to Rose. Athletic. Can get up-and-down the right flank. An attacking outlet. Comfortable on the ball. Fairly quick, and comfortable defending wide spaces. The player that I feel may be a good stylistic fit for that is Cardiff City’s Will Spiers. 

Spiers comes off the back of a loan with National League North side Merthyr Town, and I am sure that spell will have given him much in the way of useful development to improve his game. Especially physically. Learning to make clever use of his body. More efficient use of the football. The types of pressures that he perhaps wasn’t exposed to during youth football with Cardiff City. He has perhaps found it tough at times, but I am confident that he would thrive in another loan and that he will have learnt from that experience with The Martyrs. I am always a huge advocate for second-loan success in any event. 

In terms of his profile, Spiers is a good technical footballer. A versatile right-sided defender that can play anywhere down that side. He is athletic. Quick. A great engine in offering an option going forward. Comfortable stepping with the ball. Extremely well-coached having come out of a strong Cardiff City academy and working under a good coach in Paul Michael. He is an intelligent footballer, and I think that he has a really attractive profile. 

If Cardiff City opt to send him out on loan again, I expect that Merthyr Town may well come calling for his services again. However, in terms of being a fit for Dec Rose I think that he ticks the boxes that The Stags are looking for and so should be near the top of the list as a potential target.

Ollie Harfield (Aldershot Town – free)

It is well publicised that Aldershot Town are having to largely reduce their budget going into 2026-27. If that is the case, they are going to have to put a big emphasis on ensuring that they sign players who are physically strong, reliable and not injury prone. Good athletes. They can’t afford to carry a squad with those injuries in it. 

Ollie Harfield is coming off the back of a bad injury, and while he is making a good recovery and working his way back to full fitness, I think that there will always be that weakness in that knee. That is not atypical of those types of injuries. Prior to his injury, he was a willing runner, a good engine and can get up-and-down, yet over the last 18 months has adapted his game slightly to be more of a progressive passer from deep playing as a centre-back for The Shots under Tommy Widdrington. 

Personally, I still see Ollie Harfield as a left-back. Those trademark runs from deep. The delivery from wide. An attacking outlet that can get on the ball and operate almost as a winger. Wonderful accuracy and variety in his crossing. He reads the game particularly well, and whilst not the biggest, is a good defender in terms of anticipating the flight of the ball and in his positioning. 

With The Stags likely to re-sign Tyler Cordner, I think that the signing of Ollie Harfield may well be one that they can navigate by way of the relationship between the pair and how well they played when they were in Shots colours. Given his injury, I feel that potentially a drop down to the National League South shouldn’t be seen as too much of a drop for him, but equally I am confident that in signing a player of Harfield’s quality that they could be competing at the top end of the National league South. 

The Stags would be getting a good professional. Brilliant character. A leader, and a brilliant captain. Someone that leads by examples. A great real model for other players. Upholds really high standards. An incredible work ethic and desire to win. It is no surprise that he has been such an integral part of the success that The Shots have had in recent years.

Tyler Cordner (York City – free)

Their recruitment during 2025-26 was somewhat mixed for The Stags, but one player that was definitely a success was Tyler Cordner. On loan from York City, the former Aldershot Town man proved why he is still regarded as one of the better centre-backs at the level, and will – for sure – be one that The Stags look to keep. 

Cordner is someone that I have seen at close quarters in the England C set-up, and is a player that has particularly impressed me during his time at Aldershot Town in the National League. Indeed, it is off the back of that form with Shots that he earned himself a move to York City and so there is a body of work at the level above to suggest what he is capable of used correctly.

In terms of his profile, Cordner is a ‘proper’ centre-back. A good size. Physically strong. Reads the game well. Comfortable in playing out. A little one-pace in terms of not being wholly comfortable in defending large spaces, but in a Totton backline that typically has a younger and more agile operator in Luke Hallett alongside him then I think that he complements him quite nicely. He does the basics really well, capable of defending almost without breaking sweat, relishes the physical battle, and organises the backline well. 

Personally, I think that Tyler Cordner is likely at the stage of his career where potentially having part-time football, playing a level which he can be physically comfortable at, living closer to home, and the opportunity to pursue other interests outside of the game may be of interest to him. As such, re-signing for The Stags is definitely something that would appeal to the 27-year-old. 

With York City seemingly deeming him surplus to requirements, I am confident that he will be allowed to leave for free in the summer. If that is the case, while there will be a fair bit of interest in his services I do think that a return to AFC Totton is certainly on the cards. He is a player that I actually picked out to sign for AFC Totton last summer on a permanent deal from The Minstermen, and having enjoyed a successful loan spell with The Stags in 2025-26 then I expect that move to happen.

Max Kinsey (AFC Bournemouth – loan)

If they retain Luke Hallett and sign Tyler Cordner, I feel that The Stags still need to go out and sign another centre-back, if not two. One player who I think should be on their radar as a prospective signing is Max Kinsey. 

Kinsey has enjoyed – or rather endured – a loan spell with National League side Truro City in 2025-26, albeit has found his game time extremely limited with John Askey’s men. Largely on the bench. Very few opportunities to play in lieu of the ‘regulars’. He has not really had much opportunity to showcase what he is about. Just the 12 appearances all season. Personally, I feel that he needs to go somewhere he will get more opportunities. 

The youngster is incredibly highly-rated out of the AFC Bournemouth academy, and they have got a reputation for being one of the best developers of young players in the youth game. Captain of the Under-21’s. One or two opportunities in and around the first-team with The Cherries. Another with links to Southampton’s academy with a spell between 2019 and 2021 with The Saints, prior to his move to AFC Bournemouth. Previously of Chelsea, too. There is definitely a good player there. 

One of the things that I think Kinsey has to work on is his physicality. He is not the biggest of defenders. Not the most aggressive. One that dispossesses defenders through good positioning and reading of the game. He is comfortable on the ball and in playing out. When looking at prospective players, I feel you have always got to look at what the project it is you are selling to a player and where you think you can help them. I definitely feel that he could go to a new level if he develops that aggression and personality to his game, as technically he is good and has been well-coached. 

As a loan option, I feel he is definitely worth looking at. He is without a doubt another that they will have knowledge of given the experience within this Stags coaching staff with Southampton and AFC Bournemouth. He didn’t really make an impact in the National League this term and so dropping into the National League South and into a Stags side that has proven to be a fairly good environment for young players to thrive represents a good destination for him – I feel – to go and play his football.

Jack Wadham (Sutton United – free)

Sutton United have got a lot of work to do in the summer with overhauling their squad, and there will be a number of players who are moved on to pastures new. One of those that I think will be let go by Chris Agutter is Jack Wadham. 

When I have watched The Stags this term, Craig Tanner has very much been the player that is tasked with sitting in, keeping things ticking, using his technical quality to dictate the tempo of a game and being that metronome at the base of midfield through which they play. However, I would – at times – like to see Tanner used a bit closer to the opposition goal where he can play through the opposition and pick up clever pockets in which to get on the turn, and so having another midfield profile that can sit deeper would be useful. 

Wadham is a player that is technically proficient, and a really classy passer of the ball. He played in a Worthing side that is one of the best in the league – and indeed non-league – when it comes to ball progression and the confidence to play. A really attacking side. He represents a nice middle ground being a traditional #6 and more of an #8, with his ability to get his head up and carry the ball and pass through the opposition. He is comfortable receiving against the press. Quick feet. Close control off either foot. Good vision. A lovely engine and fairly quick to get around the pitch, too. 

The youngster was in the academy at AFC Bournemouth and so is another for whom the geography of being on the South Coast would be no issue, and if anything more of a help in securing his signature. He is still only 22 years of age and I think that he represents a really good project for The Stags to work with. If they can develop that little extra physicality and aggression into his game, I feel he has a lot of potential.

Keane Anderson (Aldershot Town – free)

Sometimes as a player, I think that you have got to take two steps backwards to take three forward in your career. Perhaps drop down a level, play regular minutes and then make that upward move in 12-18 months. I feel that sentiment should be the route in which Keane Anderson goes down this summer. 

I am a huge fan of Keane Anderson. A player I saw at close quarters when he was at Torquay United. Someone that I think has a lot of the qualities that you look for in a midfielder. Particularly well-rounded. Hugely coachable and receptive to learn. And yet, despite all of that, I personally don’t feel he has had the opportunities within the first-team that he has perhaps been looking for. He has had a number of loans, been on the periphery and had a few appearances of the bench here and there. 

As a profile, I like Anderson. Coached into the first-team by Ross McNeilly. A complete midfielder. The size, the physicality and running power to play as a box-to-box midfielder. The tenacity against the ball to play slightly deeper. The engine and intelligence to make late runs into the box as more of a #10. He is technically strong. A decent passer of the ball. He uses his frame to carry the ball effectively. There are some lovely attributes there to work with, and I think they’d complement a player like Craig Tanner really well in being more of a physically capable option in the middle. 

In terms of his ability and skillsets, I think that he is a National League player. Especially in a year or so. However, I feel that a season of going out, playing 90 minutes week-in, week-out and getting proper development would do him the world of good. Sometimes, you just need that opportunity to go and play regularly and it will make you a better player, and so if I was advising Keane Anderson then that is the advice that I would give him. A 1-year-deal. Go and play games. Prove himself. Develop his craft. He would be a better – and more National League ready – player for it. 

He is 22 years of age, and so has a lot of development left to do, but I think he has got huge potential. The Stags midfield will be set up such that they can afford a more attacking midfielder to go and do their stuff – as we have seen from Christie Ward and the progress he has made in the last 12 months – and I think that Anderson would benefit from a similar opportunity. On a free, I feel it would be a good deal.

Ash Clarke (AFC Bournemouth – free)

The second of three players in total on this list that finished the 2025-26 campaign on loan with The Stags and that I think they will – or at least should – make a move for to re-sign, is Ash Clarke. Out of contract with AFC Bournemouth, I feel that a permanent return to The Stags is hugely logical. 

Clarke is only 20 years of age, and is by no means the finished article. There is definite improvement to go with his game in terms of off-the-ball work, and I think that he could definitely mature as a player in terms of the quality of his decision-making, temperament and managing minutes more effectively. However, in terms of on-ball quality and his technical skill base and what he offers to this Stags side, I think that he represents an exciting option for AFC Totton to sign. 

When I have watched The Stags, he has always stood out. They are fairly direct in their build-up, yet Clarke is one that provides that dynamism and trickery in the wide areas. He is the type of player that is always looking to get on the ball, get on the half-turn and drive at the opposition. Take risks. Commit players. Attack space in behind. He is a real threat in cutting in off the flanks and drifting into the half-spaces – very much like Abdul Abdulmalik does at Boreham Wood – and running to goal. 

He is quick. Direct. Quick to get shots off. Comfortable receiving the ball under pressure. A willing runner in behind. I definitely feel that he can polish his game in terms of that final action, but looking back on the season then you would say that a return of 16 goal involvements represents a decent output for a player that is making their bow at the level. With a bit of coaching and the adage of a bit of development, I genuinely believe that The Stags would have one of the best wingers in the league; you could make a case for him already being that. 

A pathway into the first-team is unlikely to present itself with parent club AFC Bournemouth. For the sake of his own career, I would advise him to go and get an opportunity to play regular minutes in a professional, first-team environment and so I think a return to AFC Totton makes a lot of sense. The type of player who they could sell on in 12-18 months time. A wise investment.

Ralph Vigrass (Dagenham and Redbridge – free)

The third player on this list that finished the 2025-26 campaign with The Stags and who I expect that they will re-sign in the summer is youngster Ralph Vigrass. He is on the books at Dagenham and Redbridge, but I don’t see him being kept on by The Daggers next season. 

Vigrass’ first real steps into first-team football came at Walton and Hersham, and so he has developed a real proficiency with the ball. Given that he has only a slight frame, it is perhaps not a surprise that Vigrass has got the intricacy, quick feet and close control in tight spaces to receive against the press, get on the turn and make things happen in an attacking sense. A delicate weight of pass. 

While he is a left winger by trade, I actually think that he operates at his most effective best in the wide half-spaces. I don’t think that he has got the physicality or the power to operate as a traditional winger, and he tends to drift inside centrally in order to pick up the ball. Staying wide and isolating himself against full-backs puts more of a physical burden on him, and so while he may play wide his movement is out-to-in and trying to work shooting opportunities with intricacy in and around the box. 

There are definitely some things to work on with Vigrass’ game, notably in terms of his physical development and bulking up. He has got the underlying technical skillsets that you look for, and so the next step for him is to improve his physicality in order to take his game to the next level. 

The youngster is only 20 years of age, and has not played a great deal of football for his age. As such, I feel that signing him would very much constitute a bit of a project for The Daggers. There are definitely some things to work on, but I think that the body of work that he has produced in Stags colours this term have been sufficient to suggest that there is a player there. He has been a key figure of a Stags side who acquitted themselves well in the National League South, and I anticipate his permanent return during the close season.

Trevor Caborn (Gosport Borough – free)

One option that The Stags have in the market is to sign players from lower in the pyramid and give them an opportunity to prove themselves in the National League South. One player that I would look at to potentially step up this summer is Gosport Borough’s Trevor Caborn. 

The Stags do not have the financial clout to be going and buying the ‘finished articles’, and so I feel they have to try and take a chance on one or two players. Projects. Players that they can give a platform to in developing into being good enough for the level. Low-investment, high-reward ‘gambles’. You’ve only got to find a few of those cost-effective type deals that can make the difference. 

In terms of Caborn’s profile, the 22-year-old is your archetypal winger. Quick and direct. A powerful player. Often, wide players can be quite tricky and technical, but Caborn represents quite a unique option given that he is incredibly physical in his play. He perhaps doesn’t have the intricacy of your typical balletic, quick-footed dribbler. Caborn’s game is more so about being combative and aggressive in his running. 

If Caborn is to step up and perform at the level, I think that he has to try and harness his qualities effectively in playing to his strengths. Working enough situations where he isolates defenders, and engages in a foot race. If you can work him in enough of these situations, I think that you get the best out of him. Driving the ball into space. Carrying the ball from deep. 

He offers particular value to his side when positioned on the top line of the attack where he can stretch teams in behind with his pace and power. A willing runner. His first thought is to get the ball out of his feet and drive to goal, and he is the type of player that is going to get the fans off their seat. 

He has been one of the best wingers in the Southern League over the course of the last few seasons, and so I think that he is more than capable of making that step up. Physically, he can handle the step change in intensity, and with the right coaching then I feel he can be a success. At his age, I feel that he represents a good project and so I would be giving him the opportunity to step up.

Miles Obodo (Reading – loan)

The Stags have got links with Reading, and they almost signed striker Reece Evans earlier this season. An alternative option that I feel they could look at to sign going into 2026-27 is youngster Miles Obodo. 

Obodo is off the back of a strong loan spell with Chichester City in which the youngster has really impressed, having scored a total of seven goals so far for The Lilywhites in the league. 

In terms of his attributes, the 19-year-old is an incredible athlete. Pace, power, agility, athleticism, and an imposing frame. When I watched The Stags during 2025-26, one thing that I felt they lacked is that dynamism and energy, and the play is all too static for my liking. I want lovely rotations, speed off the shoulder, and a willingness to run in behind. He has great acceleration from a standing start, has his trademark short, sharp bursts and changes of direction, and is always on the move in offering an outlet in transition. 

After doing well with Chichester City, I think that it makes logical sense for Miles Obodo to test himself at a higher level and so AFC Totton represents a decent level – I feel – at which to pitch him for a prospective loan move. It would provide him with the environment to go and play his football which will test him physically and technically beyond what he has had to deal with so far, and that will do him the world of good in terms of developing as a player. 

I really like Obodo as a profile, and I would be interested to see what he could do playing in the National League South. He has all the attributes that I look for in a striker, and working under a top striker himself in Scott Rendell could well provide him with the perfect mentor in refining his qualities. I feel that he would be a good loan addition for The Stags, and so this is one I would like to see happen.

Harvey Greenslade (Yeovil Town – free)

The last player on this list that I think AFC Totton should look at signing during the summer is Yeovil Town’s Harvey Greenslade. 

The Glovers front man was released by Billy Rowley at the end of the campaign, and that perhaps doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Town have struggled for goals this term, and it was only to be expected that Billy Rowley would shuffle the pack in the forward department.

Despite The Glovers being profligate in front of goal, I actually think that Harvey Greenslade is a capable #9. He is perhaps not as polished as an out-and-out goal scorer, yet I do feel that he has got some really nice attributes. He is a capable presser. Aggressive in wanting to win the ball back. Always on the move. Forcing mistakes. A good size, and physically strong. A strong athlete and competent runner into the channels and off the back of defenders. An infectious energy and work-rate. 

If Greenslade is to have that ‘lightbulb’ moment, I feel that he just needs to work more efficiently and more intelligently. The majority of Harvey Greenslade’s playing time with The Glovers has come from the bench or in brief runs in the team, and I don’t think that he has managed to work up that momentum in the team. He has always been having to prove himself. Trying too hard. In a new team and a new environment, I think that he would be a good option. 

I think that Harvey Greenslade needs to find an opportunity that will enable him to go and play regular minutes, and he may well need to drop down into the National League South to get that commodity. I maintain that he is a good player, and with the right coaching to platform his qualities correctly then you’ve got a very capable #9. If The Stags can sell him the opportunity to come and play, I think that they could attract the Glovers front man.