Football: Non-League Notebook - Anfield next for Cambridge prodigy
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Your support makes all the difference.The offer of a trial with Liverpool caps a remarkable year in the life of the 20-year-old Cambridge City striker, Neil Harris.
There cannot be many Dr Martens League players who have both English Premiership and German Bundesliga clubs competing for their signature.
Last month Cambridge City rejected an offer for Harris from the European Cup quarter-finalists Bayer Leverkusen, with whom their hot property had spent less than a week training. Earlier in the season he also spent some time with FC Cologne - both trials having been set up by the former Cologne, Nottingham Forest and England striker Tony Woodcock, who is now a players' agent.
Harris joined Cambridge City last February from the little Essex club, Maldon Town. He scored 12 goals in 21 games to help save City from relegation from the Dr Martens Premier Division last season, and has already hit 20 goals this term, including a hat-trick in an FA Trophy tie last week against the Dr Martens League leaders, Merthyr Tydfil.
Harris, who works as an insurance salesman in London, joined Maldon as a 16-year-old from another Essex side, Great Wakering Rovers, in 1994. In his first season with Maldon he scored 67 goals as an under-age player in their under-18 team. Maldon sold him to Cambridge City for only pounds 4,000 - but the Jewson Eastern League side will get a cut if Liverpool decide to pay the pounds 250,000 wanted by City.
Two somewhat older players were making their mark in the Screwfix Direct Western League last month. When Ilfracombe Town's goalkeeper, Ross Bellotti, was injured prior to a game at Pewsey Vale, he was replaced by his father: 50-year-old Derek Bellotti, who made his League debut for Gillingham in 1966 and went on to play for Charlton Athletic, Southend United and Swansea City.
The previous weekend, at Wellington, Pewsey Vale included Alec Amor in their defence. At the age of 54, he lasted the full 90 minutes.
The FA Carlsberg Vase reaches the last-64 third-round stage tomorrow. Arguably the top tie takes place in Dorset, where the 1992 winners, Wimborne Town, will be seeking revenge against the 1993 runners-up, Tiverton Town. When the two sides contested an FA Cup second qualifying round tie in Devon in September, Tivvy won 11-1.
Hereford United - the financially troubled GM Vauxhall Conference club relegated from the Third Division last season - are hosting an auction this weekend to raise funds to safeguard their future.
Lots include signed first-day covers from Sir Stanley Matthews, signed shirts from David Beckham and Alan Shearer and a Scotland v Brazil programme autographed by Pele. The auction takes place at the Green Dragon Hotel in Hereford at 2.30pm on Sunday, with viewing from 11am.
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