For a non-league club, Bromsgrove Sporting has had its fair share of international footballers through the doors. Maybe not those who played for the biggest national sides in World Cups, but international players nonetheless.
In fact, the national teams in question have never qualified for the World Cup. And none of them look like doing so anytime soon. But while you might not find the fixtures they appear in on a UK football betting site, the pride these players feel when they pull on their country’s jersey will be no less than any other international.
Ahmed Ali
Ali first joined Bromsgrove Sporting in 2016 but didn’t make an appearance for the club before moving to Redditch in November of that year. Just a few months later, he returned to the Victoria Ground.
He played 26 times for The Rouslers, scoring 4 times. A native of Somalia, he is captain of the national team and led them to their first-ever World Cup qualification in 2019 when they beat Zimbabwe 1-0.
His brother Mohammed Ali also represents his country and plays as a centre-back for Nantwich Town.
Melanius Mullarkey
Born in St Lucia, Mullarkley moved to the UK in 2002 at the age of 10. He was spotted by scouts and spent 5 years at Birmingham City’s academy before moving to Coventry. After a trial, he signed for Bromsgrove Sporting in September 2020. But he was on the move again just 6 weeks later, joining Redditch United.
He currently plays in the Cymru Premier League for Bala Town. He has played 7 times for St Lucia, including a World Cup qualifying match against Antigua and Barbuda in 2018. Mullarkey has 1 international goal to his name.
Tesfa Robinson
Born in Birmingham and a product of the Birmingham City academy, Robinson moved to Cheltenham Town as a young player but failed to break through into the first team.
He joined Lakin Rangers in 2005 and has played non-league football since then. He made just one appearance for Bromsgrove Sporting in 2015, by which time he was already a full international for St Kitts and Nevis.
His international debut came in a 2-0 win over Anguilla in a Caribbean Cup Qualifier in 2012. However, St Kitts and Nevis lost their other two qualifying matches to Trinidad and Tobago and French Guiana and failed to qualify. As a result, Robinson has yet to appear for his country in a major tournament.
He has played 10 times for his country but has yet to score an international goal.
Reece Styche
Now playing for Matlock Town, Styche played one game as a striker for England C in 2011 before going on to represent Gibraltar as a full international. Born in Sutton Coldfield, he qualifies for the Gibraltar national team via his grandmother.
He was on loan at Wycombe Wanderers from Forest Green Rovers when he made his debut for his adopted nation in March 2014. He’s since racked up 3 goals in 31 international appearances but may not be remembered by many Bromsgrove fans.
Styche joined the club in February 2020 and made just one appearance before Covid brought the season to a premature end. In the summer, he moved to Buxton.
