Kettering Town

Started from the bottom: three former Non-League players who made it to the top-flight

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England’s pyramid is famous around the world for its ability to produce players who start from the bottom but make it to the very top. Here is a list of the top three former stars to go on and play in the Premier League.

Callum Wilson (Kettering Town – Newcastle United)

Newcastle’s number 9 is flying high this season, with six league goals for the Magpies at the turn of the international break. Wilson’s performances earned him a deserved call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad, who have football odds today of 7/1 to go on and win the tournament. Long before representing his country in Qatar, though, Wilson was playing his football down in the Conference League.

While registered with Coventry City, the 30-year-old spent loan spells at in 2010-11 and in 2011-12, making a combined 20 appearances in that time. The experience gained from his time in Non-League football eventually got him a move to , before a transfer to Newcastle in the summer of 2020. Despite his humble beginnings, Wilson has scored 67 goals in 181 Premier League appearances for both the Cherries and the Magpies, and he could yet represent his country in a major tournament. If he does so, he would become one of the biggest success stories on this list. 

Michail Antonio (Tooting & Mitcham – West Ham United)

Someone who has already played for their country is Michail Antonio, who chose to represent Jamaica back in 2021. The 32-year-old has scored three goals in seven appearances for the Reggae Boyz, although it is time in East London for which he is widely renowned. The man from Wandsworth joined West Ham from Nottingham Forest way back in 2015, and it has been a success story ever since.

Antonio has made 248 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions, scoring goals in the , the Europa League and Europa Conference League, but it is England’s top tier where the forward has been most prolific. In 209 league appearances between 2015 and 2022, Antonio has scored 58 goals, including three consecutive seasons (2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22) where he has entered double figures. For a player who spent nearly seven years at Tooting and Mitcham United in the Isthmian First Division, the transformation from Non-League to top-flight is some feat.

Jamie Vardy (Fleetwood Town – Leicester City)

Vardy’s story is arguably the most well-known on this list. Starting his senior career at Stocksbridge, the forward moved to before transferring to Fleetwood Town in 2011. Now in League One, at that time the Lancashire side was plying their trade in the Conference Premier. Vardy’s 31 goals in 36 league matches earned him a move to then-Championship side Leicester in 2012. The rest, as they say, is history.

The 35-year-old helped get the Foxes promoted in 2014, before just two years later he was part of one of the greatest achievements in sporting history. Leicester City has crowned Premier League champions in 2015-16, a year which also saw Vardy break the Premier League record for scoring in the most consecutive games, with 13 goals in 11 matches. Beyond solely the Premier League, the veteran striker has won the FA Cup and also boasts 26 caps for England, making him one of the biggest success stories to come from Non-League football.

With England continually producing fine talent up and down the country, it is only a matter of time before the next superstar emerges. For now, non-league fans of all persuasions will be cheering on Wilson and co. as they battle it out for the World Cup in Qatar.

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