Ilkeston Town Football Club have announced their six newest signings ahead of the 2026/2027 season

Pictured: New signings at Ilkeston Town FC (left to right) Mckeal Abdullah, Luis Parks and Noah Simmons

Ilkeston Town Football Club have announced their six newest signings ahead of the 2026/2027 season.

Sam Newell, Anthony Dwyer and Theo Avery were added to the squad at the end of July followed by the recent triple signing of Mckeal Abdullah, Luis Parks and Noah Simmons.

Newell joins the team as a midfielder after his departure from Alfreton Town alongside goalkeeper Theo Avery who spent his last season with Northampton Town.

The Robins are already familiar with Anthony Dwyer after the striker represented the team during the 2016/2017 season. Ilkeston are also excited to welcome back Mckeal Abdulla who spent time on loan with the club from Mansfield Town.

Although Luis Parks has never played for the team, the central midfielder has experience working with managers Tris Whitman and Aaron Large from his time spent with Eastwood and Hucknall Town.

Young left-sided defender, Noah Simmons will play for the Ilkeston team after only making his first-team debut in August 2025. Despite having less experience than other new signings, Simmons has impressed coaches already with his preseason performance.

Ilkeston signed Cashmere Rowe, Steven Johnson-Fikula, Elwalid Elhaghany and Lewis Belgrave across June and early July.

The team also announced that Fedel Ross-Lang will be staying for the next season.

Head of Media at Ilkeston Town FC, Danny Draper said, “Especially for Fidel, who has been around it but maybe not got the chances he wanted, It’s a chance for him to get involved and show what he’s about”.

Cashmere Rowe is another new addition to the Robins announced on June 26th. Rowe spent the last season at Hucknall Town, where he received the award for the club’s Committee Player of the Season.

Steven Johnson-Fikula returned from his campaign abroad in US collegiate football to play for Mickleover last season. The news of his signing to the Ilkeston team came on June 25th. Johnson-Fikula joins the Robins as a centre back with strong defensive skills and a range of experience.

Both Elwalid Elhaghany and Lewis Belgrave were announced to be joining the 2026/27 team on June 24th.

Elhaghany arrives as centre-back for Ilkeston following a career at Barwell last season. The defender has a range of experience after playing for Nuneaton Borough and Coventry United.

Midfielder Belgrave will play for the Robins after his successful campaign at Hucknall Town, where he received both ‘Player of the year’ awards alongside his achievement as top goalscorer.

These signings join the previously announced Lynden Joyce from Basford United and Sam Wilson from Eastwood.

Danny Draper explained, “It’s just a real nice blend of everything and I think overall it’s just creating excitement”, when discussing the new signings.

The Ilkeston team took victory at their first preseason match against Belper United. The Robins won on July 3rd with a final score of 2-4 at the Don Amott Arena. The goals from the Ilkeston side were executed by Jevin Seaton and Trialists with assistance from Sam Wilson and Lynden Joyce.

Draper said during the preseason, “You can see there’s trust between each other, getting to understand each other more”.

This strong start to the preseason brings positive insight into how the upcoming season might look for Ilkeston Town.